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NYU Language Testing
#1
Hi Everyone!

I just took the NYU 16 credit test for Korean and wanted to share how it was. When I was preparing for the test, I could find very little information about the content and what I did find were from people who's first language was the test language and had no trouble at allt. To say the least, I had difficulty knowing what to study!

To study, I mainly used advanced TOPIK practice material (that is basically the TOEFL test for Korean) and copied and wrote essays. I have lived in Korea and studied up through the advanced level so I thought this test would be fairly easy. Wrong! Let me walk you through the test...

So the test has two parts. The first represents the beginning and intermediate level and consists of listening to a passage, a 150 word essay, and translating two passages Kor-Eng and Eng-Kor. The listen section required you to listen to a short passage and then answer five oral questions in complete sentences in the test language (BTW, there is no multiple choice). The topic I encountered was an interviewer discussing with a scholar the process for her Ph. D abroad, what her plans were when she returns and how she would fund her studies. Not too hard, but certainly not beginning level. To practice, I would recommend doing the TOPIK listening material (or similar material for whatever language you are doing!)

The next section is a 150 word essay. They give you three relatively simple prompts. I chose to discuss my first day of college. For this, I would just recommend journaling.

The next part is where it got harder. Bear in mind this still represents lower level, so I believe this section was "supposed" to be intermediate. Here, you were required to translate one text from Korean into English and another text from English into Korean. The Korean text was about the "war on cigarettes" and was fairly difficult. They used a good amount of advanced vocabulary and threw in the names of groups and associations that I had never heard of before. I'm assuming they were like the "cancer association" and the "world health group"...I'm not sure because I was very unfamiliar with that topic and certainly didn't know what these groups were called in Korean so I ended up just guessing on those! The English passage was about Asian immigrants coming to America and, particularly, what attracts them to Chicago over the East or West coasts. There were a lot of sentences referring to percentages and numbers, so it is good to know that kind of vocabulary (which isn't too hard). However, though they say on their website that there will be no technical terms on the test, this section had a ton of them. There were also a lot of phrases put in quotations, like "critical mass" that were really unclear in the context of the English passage. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND translating newspapers, especially if you are taking Korean, because Korean news style is like a different language in itself!

One thing to note, they say that they will not grade the final section of the test if you do not have a "perfect score" on the first section. I have no idea what "perfect" means, especially since there is no multiple choice, but if you are not extremely confident of you skills, I do not recommend paying for the 16 unit test the first time. It is an expensive test and you do have the option of taking the advanced portion of the test at another time, so you might as well ensure you can get the 12 units. And honestly, I think if you can pass the 12 unit exam, the final four units are going to be a walk in the park!

The final section represented the Advanced level and was, in my opinion after taking the first part of the translation portion of the test, relatively easy. You are required to write a 350 word essay. They provide you with two topics. The first topic (and the one I chose) was on bilingual education, and if it should be a national requirement for schools. Does it contribute to the creation of a global society, or do the risks of destroying native languages outweigh the benefits. That sort of thing. The next was about whether governments should invest in space programs or should the money be spend on other areas like health care or education.

The essay prompts for the 150 and 350 word essays are ALL WRITTEN IN ENGLISH so you MUST know your vocabulary.

All in all, this was a very hard test. I really tried to do everything I could to avoid this test, but because Korean is more of an obscure language, it was hard to find other options of gaining credit. If you are trying to gain credit for German, French or Spanish I HIGHLY recommend just taking the CLEP.

Good Luck on what ever you end up doing!
[-] The following 1 user Likes PomPomPorie's post:
  • Tokyokacie
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#2
Thanks so much for this information. Out of curiosity, what would be the advantage of taking the NYU exam over the ACTFL exams?
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#3
homeschoolmom1 Wrote:Thanks so much for this information. Out of curiosity, what would be the advantage of taking the NYU exam over the ACTFL exams?

I was just going to ask a similar question. I think ACTFL has the potential for more credits.
Associate in Arts - Thomas Edison State University
Bachelor of Arts in Humanities - Thomas Edison State University
pursuing Master's degree, Applied Linguistics - Universidad Antonio de Nebrija

*credit sources: Patten University, Straighterline, Learning Counts, The Institutes, Torah College Credits, Kaplan Open College, UMUC, Thomas Edison State University (guided study liberal arts capstone)
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#4
ACTFL is a stronger value and has more credit opportunities through their exams, oral and written tests. There are several really good posts in the forum breaking down the potential.

Here's a solid one:
30 credits for knowing a Foreign Language ($275)
PhD, Leadership, University of the Cumberlands - What Have I Done!!?!!
MBA, Healthcare Management, Western Governors University - in progress
MS, Management and Leadership, Western Governors University - 2017
BS, Business Administration, Thomas Edison State University - 2016

RANSOMSOUL: Exchange Good For Great

The Ultimate Route to Earning a Bachelor's Degree in Business: A StraighterLine Success Story
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