French Proficiency Test

Our partner institutions in France require incoming exchange students to provide proof of French proficiency when our on-site staff pre-enrolls students for the upcoming semester or year. Pre-enrollment begins in late September for spring applicants and late March - early April for fall participants. Prior to this pre-enrollment period, the Middlebury School in France sends applicants a link to complete an online placement test, called Ev@lang, at no charge to the student. This is the only online placement test that French universities currently accept. There are many advantages to it, such as the fact that it is online, it’s easy for our staff to register students to take the test at any time, and it offers immediate results. One disadvantage, however, is that this test does not currently allow for extra time or other accommodations. We understand the impact this has on students who receive accommodations at their home institution. 

With advanced planning, students who wish to seek an alternative test, on their own and at their own expense, can explore the option of completing the DALF, DELF, or TCF exam. These exams are all in person, and they offer the option of extra time. There are some challenges that come with these exams. They are only offered in a select few cities, students need to register for them months in advance, and it can take several weeks to obtain scores. If students elect this option, they need to be sure they can share their scores with Middlebury ahead of French university pre-enrollment deadlines.

After a student has begun an application to study with Middlebury in France, they will receive an email with a code and a deadline by which to complete the Ev@lang test, as well as information on the structure of the test. A list of suggested resources to help prepare for the test are in each student’s application portal. Once a student has completed the test, they receive a summary of their score. The on-site staff also receives the score directly from Ev@lang; students do not need to forward their score to Middlebury staff.