Credit by Exam (CBE)

Option for:

Current students

Credit by Exam consists of Ohio State-specific tests that allow students to earn EM (examination mark) credit toward graduation by successfully completing tests in subject areas. Two types of tests created by The Ohio State University are used to measure content knowledge for specific courses: EM tests and departmental exams.

Restrictions

You must be a currently enrolled undergraduate student at The Ohio State University to receive credit for EM tests.
EM credit will not be awarded for courses that are prerequisites to those for which credit already has been earned.
EM credit will not be awarded for any course in which a student has received either a mark at Ohio State or transfer credit from another institution.
Examination credit awarded by another higher education institution is evaluated as part of Ohio State’s transfer credit evaluation process.
Students currently enrolled in a course may take an EM test for that course only during the first week of the term. (For autumn semester only, students can take the test and be enrolled in the course during the first two weeks of the term.)
Students are advised to check their individual major requirements for exclusion information that would prevent the awarding of EM credit for any particular course, program or subject area.
EM tests cannot be repeated.

EM tests

See what courses have an EM test.

To take an EM exam at the Testing Center:

Register online for an EM exam at: testing.osu.edu.
An administration fee of $65 is paid during the registration process. Administration fees (not exam fees) are waived for active-duty and reserve military personnel.
Students must present a BuckID when they arrive for testing at the Testing Center.
If a prerequisite is listed for an EM test, students may be asked to provide written evidence of having met that requirement.

To take an EM test at a regional campus, contact your campus advising office.

EM Tests are not repeatable.

Departmental exams

See which courses have a Departmental Exam option.

To take a Departmental Exam:

Contact the department as indicated in the Departmental Exam list of courses.

To take a Departmental Exam at a regional campus, contact your campus advising office.

Departmental Exams are not repeatable.

Foreign language exams

All students who have taken two or more years of the same foreign language in high school must take the language placement test in that language, regardless if they plan to continue language study. Requirements for continuing a foreign language are dependent on your academic program or major.

The Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures coordinates and administers online placement tests in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Russian, ASL, Korean, Arabic, Latin, Somali, and Swahili. Other languages can be accessed by contacting the department directly or going through the CLLC (cllc@ous.edu). When preliminary results indicate eligibility above the 1103 level, you may be asked to take a supplementary proficiency exam.

Online placement tests through the CLLC are fully remote. Placement tests are also scheduled as part of new student orientation programs. Transfer students without language transfer credit also must take placement tests during orientation or remotely. We recommend taking the placement test at least 2 days in advance of your orientation or during orientation. If you do not take it during orientation, please take it remotely as soon as possible. You can contact the CLLC at cllc@osu.edu for more information or assistance.

Note: It is advised to have a level of knowledge or experience comparable to students who have successfully completed the course you are attempting to test out of.

Foreign language validation

If you are a native (or near-native) speaker of a language other than English, you may have your world language validated. OSU defines a native speaker as someone whose permanent address is in a country where English is not an official language, who went to high school where the main instruction was not in English, and/or has taken an English Proficiency exam such as TOEFL, ESL, or DUOlingo. If you fulfill some or all these requirements, please reach out to cllc@osu.edu to confirm your Native speaker status. You will then have your advisor validate your world language. This means that your world language requirement is waived. You will NOT be awarded EM credit hours for a validation.

If you are a speaker of a language that is not taught at OSU, you can have your language validated through the ACTFL LTI proficiency test. If you score high enough, you will have your world language validated. This means that your world language requirement is waived, but you will not be awarded EM credit hours. The Testing Center offers the Certified ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and the Certified ACTFL Written Proficiency Test (WPT) for foreign language validation. Please check if your language requires both the OPI and WPT. You must take this exam in the OSU Testing Center.

For more information on validation as a native speaker, directions for taking the ACTFL LTI test, and scholarship opportunities for students who take/took the ACTFL LTI test, please visit the Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures.