Japanese Language Placement

If you have prior experience with the Japanese language—through high school coursework, self-study, or immersion experiences—you should complete the Language Ability Self-Evaluation Resource (LASER) to assess your proficiency and determine the appropriate course level.

After completing the LASER, please email your results to Dr. Steve Moody (sjmoody@byu.edu) for personalized course recommendations.

Students who have significant informal or immersion-based Japanese experience—such as returned missionaries or heritage learners—may be eligible to take the Japanese Challenge Exam to earn graded credit for JAPAN 101–201. However, this option is not available to native speakers or students who have completed three or more years of formal education in Japanese. The exam must also be taken during your first Japanese language-focused class at BYU, typically JAPAN 301.