About the Universal Latin Exam
The Universal Latin Exam is a versatile standardized test for schools. Unlike other tests, the Universal Latin Exam does not bias one curriculum or methodology over another but tests students’ knowledge of the mechanics of the language itself. This is usually difficult because students learn grammatical concepts in varying orders, but the ULE can be customized for each classroom, resulting in an exam that only tests students on the concepts they have learned.
Curricula Available for Customization –
If your school uses a curriculum listed below, the customization process will be automatic. If not, customization is still possible – you will just need to take a little extra time to select concepts for yourself.
Curricula as of November 2024:
- Latin Alive or Latin for Children (Classical Academic Press)
- Wheelock’s Latin (Collins Reference)
- Form One or Latina Christiana (Memoria Press)
- Lingua Latina per se Illustrata: Familia Romana (Focus Publishing)
- Cambridge Latin Course (Cambridge University Press)
- Latin Primer or Latin Grammar (Picta Dicta)
We’re working to add more curricula to this list. Would you like to suggest future curriculum to be included? Contact us!
Methodology –
The ULE uses very simple questions for which students must rely completely on their understanding of grammatical forms and their meaning. For example, common sense and word order alone are not sufficient to answer a question like the following. Only students with an understanding of the accusative and dative cases will be able to determine the correct answer.
1.) Aquam lūtrae dat.
A) He gives the otter to the water. B) He gives water to the otter. C) He gives the otters to the water. D) The otter gives water.
Some questions require students to choose the Latin word that correctly communicates a specific meaning. These questions require a very precise understanding of Latin mechanics. In the following example, in order to answer the question, students must understand how both adjective matching and declensions work.
2.) The owner gives the dog a nasty shoe.
A) calceum turpium B) calceum turpem C) calceum turpis D) calceum turpī
More advanced students will encounter questions for which an understanding of Latin syntax is necessary. To answer the following question, the student must understand that C and D are not permitted by Latin syntax, and that B is permitted but would be absurd.
3.) Pastor ____ arborēs videt.
A) ambulāns B) ambulāre C) ambulat D) ambulā
The number of questions on a test correlates to the number of concepts being tested. Older and more advanced students will generally receive more questions (up to a maximum of forty), while younger students will generally receive fewer (though not less than ten). A small number of questions on a test may seem counterintuitive. However, because of the very specific nature of the ULE, which is to test knowledge of the mechanics of the language itself by how accurately short sentences written in Latin are understood, a few well-constructed questions reveal much. Even with a relatively short exam, our internal data indicates a good correlation between ULE score and true Latin grammar proficiency.
Scoring –
If each test is different, how do you compare yourself with other schools? Students are compared by their percentile ranking within their grade group. When we grade a student’s test, we compare his score with the scores of all other students from the same grade who took the exam. Students who place in the top percentiles nationally within their grade level will receive awards.
Exam Creators –
The Universal Latin Exam sponsored by the Association of Classical Christian Schools and created by the Institute for Classical Languages, an organization dedicated to providing resources and training for K-12 education in Latin and Greek.