OUR MISSION
Who We Are
AATSP Exams (NSE) is a program of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP).
Our mission is to recognize student achievement and to promote language proficiency in the studies of Spanish & Portuguese. To this end, AATSP Exams (NSE) is committed to providing Teachers with assessment tools and offering Students opportunities to know their language skill ratings in vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension.
OUR PURPOSE
What We Do
✔ To recognize achievement in the studies of Spanish & Portuguese
✔ To promote proficiency in interpretive communication in Spanish & Portuguese
✔ To assess the national standards as they pertain to learning Spanish & Portuguese
✔ To stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish & Portuguese
America’s Largest Spanish Contest
The National Spanish Exam (NSE) is the most widely used Spanish test in the United States, also known as “America’s largest academic Spanish contest.” In the Spring of 2020, a total of 150,000 students in the United States registered for the National Spanish Exam, National Portuguese Exam, and/or National Spanish Challenge. The scores provided through the suite of Exams offered by AATSP Exams are recognized by numerous administrative and teaching associations and organizations at the local, state, and national levels. Even the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) had placed this program on the NASSP National Advisory List of Contests and Activities throughout various years.
TEACHER FEEDBACK
Testimonials
Here is what our teachers said in our 2026 AATSP Exams Survey.
My students enjoy the opportunity to participate in the NSE and NSC, especially my students of Hispanic Heritage. They ask at the beginning of the year if we will be participating again. I feel it is a moment of pride for them
On the collegiate level, the NSA is recognized as a valuable assessment tool. It helps demonstrate that students are developing real-world language skills and provides meaningful evidence of proficiency growth as they prepare for their post-secondary plans.
The NSE always inspires me to improve student achievement by allowing me to see the data that reflects not only the student performance but mine as well. I can watch how certain cohorts perform from year to year, and I can also see how my teaching is impacting student learning.
The exam has helped my students, especially those in the AP program. In some cases the listening and reading parts were very helpful.
Definitely motivates my students. They are so proud of their scores. Our school is also quite proud of our department’s success on the exams and uses our results for marketing and accreditation
The National Spanish Exam has been a positive experience for many of my students. They enjoy the challenge, and my students and parents genuinely appreciate the recognition, scholarships, and high-quality medals that celebrate their hard work and accomplishments. For many students, earning the NSE award is a source of pride and motivation.
OUR HISTORY
Over 65 Years of Examinations
From 1957 until 2005, the National Spanish Exam was administered in a “paper and pencil” format. From 2006 until 2021, the National Spanish Exam had been administered in an online format through the Quia Corporation and was the first National World Language Exam to be administered online. After the 2021-2022 academic year, like many other national exams the NSE switched exam platforms to Lingco Language Labs. In the meantime, the National Spanish Challenge (NSC) and National Portuguese Exam (NPE) were created to expand and further our Mission.
In 2024, the National Spanish Examinations moved forward to changing its name to AATSP Exams, in celebration of both Spanish and Portuguese languages.
Join the AATSP
The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) promotes the study and teaching of the Spanish and Portuguese languages and their corresponding Hispanic, Luso-Brazilian, and other related literatures and cultures at all levels of education.