Japanese Challenge Exam

IMPORTANT: You are responsible for all the information and instructions on this page. Deadlines for these steps will be announced by your instructor. Please note: if you have an accommodations letter you are responsible to notify the Department before you take the Challenge Exam.

The Challenge Exam allows BYU students who served a Japanese-speaking mission, who learned Japanese at home, or who had a significant immersion experience for which they did not receive academic credit, to demonstrate their proficiency and to receive graded credit.

The Challenge Exam is not intended for individuals for whom the Japanese language is their dominant language, nor for those who have completed three or more years of education in which classes are conducted in Japanese, or the equivalent.

Prerequisites:

The exam must be taken during your first language-focused class at BYU or first language-focused class after your mission.

Language-focused classes are JAPAN 301.

Native speakers cannot take the exam for credit.

Instructions:

If you are eligible, please click here to request to take the Japanese Challenge Exam. There is a $20 non-refundable fee to take The Challenge Exam. Please note:

• If you do not finish the Japanese class, you will not be able to receive credit for the challenge exam.
  
• The challenge exam allows BYU students to receive graded credit for the following courses without taking them: Japan 101, Japan 102, Japan 201 & Japan 202.
  
• Challenge exam credit will not be given for a class in which you are currently enrolled.
  
• You may not challenge BYU language classes you have already taken.
  
• Dates for the challenge time will be given in class, if enrolled in JAPAN 301. Typically, it is offered two-thirds of the way through the course.
  
• After being approved to take the Japanese Challenge Exam, you will need to schedule a time to take it. Click here to schedule a testing time.
  
• Students have only one year to accept the credits if they pass the challenge exam. Watch your BYU student email and follow the link to accept the credits.