The placement exam is used to indicate the knowledge of a particular language that was learned in high school or spoken at home.
A student can place in levels: 1, 2, 3, 4 or an upper division class.
If you have taken a language for three years in high school it can be the equivalent of two semesters at MSMC.
The placement exam should be taken as soon as possible because language is like music and sports, “use it or lose it.”