Competition Levels

Levels of Competition

Students must be registered for the National Spanish Examination in the level which corresponds to the same Spanish course in which they are currently enrolled, this allows students with like-exposure to compete with each other.

 

View this instructional video to see how to choose the correct exam level for your students. 

 

*For information on Exam Specifications for each NSE Competition Level, click HERE.*

 

 

There are seven (7) Levels of National Spanish Examinations:

 

Level 01

Entry level for any program where the course content is equivalent to the first half of first year high school Spanish. (i.e. Grades 6, 7, 8, or 9)

 

Level 1

 Second year for students where the course content is equivalent to the second half of first year high school Spanish (i.e. Grade 8) or entry level for any program where the course content is equivalent to a full year of high school Spanish. (i.e. Grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12)

 

 

Level 2

Second level of high school Spanish. (i.e. Grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12)

 

 

Level 3

Third level of high school Spanish. (i.e. Grades 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12)

 

 

Level 4

Fourth level of high school Spanish. (i.e. Grades 9, 10, 11 or 12)

 

 

Level 5

Fifth level of high school Spanish. (i.e. Grades 10, 11 or 12)

 

 

Level 6

Sixth level of high school Spanish. (i.e. Grades 10, 11 or 12)

 

 

 

* Repetition of Levels:  Because the National Spanish Examinations are a contest, no student may take the same level of the National Spanish Examination more than once. 

 

 

* AP Language / IB-SL: Students enrolled in a course labeled AP Language or IB-SL should register to take the current year’s NSE exam at one level higher than the course in which they were enrolled the previous year. [Example: A student who is enrolled in AP Language this year and took Spanish 4 last year would sit for the Level 5 exam this year.] Under no circumstance may an AP Language / IB-SL student take the NSE at lower than Level 4.

 

 

* AP Literature / IB-HL: Students enrolled in a course labeled AP Literature or IB-HL must take the NSE at either Level 5 or 6. These students should register to take the current year’s NSE exam at one level higher than the course in which they were enrolled the previous year. Under no circumstance may an AP Literature / IB-HL student take the NSE at lower than Level 5.

 

Block Scheduling

Students who are not enrolled in a Spanish class during the Spring semester should register for the level of exam for the course in which they were enrolled during the previous Fall semester.

 

Students who are enrolled in a Spanish class during the Spring semester should be registered for the level of exam for the course in which they are enrolled during the NSE testing window (March 1 – April 10). However, instead of administering the examination 10 weeks prior to the close of the academic year, we advise teachers to administer the examination 5 weeks prior to the close of the year (provided that testing is completed by April 10).

This later administration date will allow students to have had more instruction.

 

 

Special Schedules

 

Because the National Spanish Examinations are a National Contest, we recognize that there are many schools with differing schedule systems. As such, please directly contact us regarding any questions about special circumstances.