The ASL placement test is an online assessment designed to assess a student’s competency and knowledge in ASL. The ASL placement test can be taken if a student already knows ASL in order to fulfill CU-Boulder’s foreign language requirement for graduation or to determine the most appropriate course level of ASL a student should enroll in at CU-Boulder.

Prior to beginning the ASL placement test, students take a practice test to familiarize themselves with the test format and resolve possible technological issues before beginning the test. 

There is no cost to take the ASL placement test. The assessment is untimed but typically takes students about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the student’s level of competency. The ASL placement test consists of 40 multiple choice questions with different point values that assess 3 areas of ASL competence: Receptive language skills, ASL grammar, and Deaf culture. Many questions include videos of a signer signing in ASL. Students have one attempt to take the ASL placement test.

After a student has completed the ASL placement test, they will be able to view their answers and will receive a score on the test. The student’s score will determine if they have sufficient knowledge and skills to move to the next level of ASL or if they need to retake the prerequisite for the course.