The Russian Proficiency Exam

Purpose of the Russian Proficiency Examination (RPE)

The Department requires all graduate students to demonstrate an acceptable level of proficiency in Russian by passing the Russian Proficiency Examination (RPE) within six quarters of enrollment after entering the program (not counting summers or periods of study abroad) (Milestone 2). All students, except those with a university degree from a university whose primary language of instruction is Russian, must pass the Russian proficiency examination in order to receive a degree in the Department.

The RPE has two functions:

• It is an eligibility requirement for the Master's degree and for the Ph.D., for transfer graduate students
• It is a necessary criterion for continuing students to have a Graduate Associate appointment in the Department.

To qualify for a degree, students must pass the Reading Comprehension, Grammar, and Listening Comprehension/Oral Interview portions of the RPE. To be appointed as a Graduate Associate, continuing students must pass all four portions of the RPE.

Description of the RPE

• Reading Comprehension (1 hour). In this portion, students are asked to read a passage (approximately one printed page, single spaced) of Russian expository prose and to demonstrate their understanding of its grammar and contents by translating it into English. Students are allowed to use dictionaries. Style is not important here; points are subtracted for omissions and for mistakes in vocabulary or grammar. There is a per line penalty for not completing the examination.
• Grammar (1 hour). In this portion, students are asked 1) to fill in blanks in a text with grammatically correct forms; 2) to correct the grammatical and stylistic mistakes in sample student compositions.
• Listening Comprehension/Oral Interview (15 30 minutes). In this portion, students are interviewed in Russian by two members of the faculty. The departmental Graduate Studies Coordinator arranges for the administration of this examination for students who have passed the Reading and Grammar tests.
• Written Composition (1 hour). In this portion, students are to write a Russian essay on a set topic connected with their biography, interests, etc. They are graded on grammatical and stylistic accuracy. Copies of earlier topics are available in the Department office.

The RPE is generally administered once a quarter. Students wanting to take RPE in a given quarter must preregister with the Graduate Studies Coordinator in writing by the end of the first week of classes. The students must list all of the portions of the RPE that they wish to take (reading comprehension, grammar examination, written composition).

Students who have passed the Reading Comprehension and Grammar portions of the RPE are allowed to take the Listening Comprehension/Oral Interview portion. This is scheduled by the Graduate Studies Coordinator on a case by case basis.

The RPE is proctored; students should bring their own pens and dictionaries to the testing site. Black pens must be used. Paper will be provided by the Department. Each exam component will be administered on the hour; please be punctual. Students who have passed the reading portion but who need to take other components must wait outside the testing site until the proctor has called them in to the room.

Students are allowed to take each component of the RPE three times.

Students who have passed some portions of the examination but not others need only retake the portions that they have yet to pass. They may wait more than one quarter between each take, although the faculty strongly encourages students to complete the RPE requirement as soon as possible.

Students who fail to pass any of the components after three attempts will not be permitted to register.