Students who succeed in the Istanbul Okan University Proficiency and Placement Exam (OPAE), as well as those who document success in a national or international foreign language exam accepted as equivalent by the Senate within two calendar years prior to the exam date, are exempted from the Preparatory Program.
Students who fail the Istanbul Okan University Proficiency and Placement Exam are required to enroll in the Preparatory Program. These students are placed in different levels and grouped according to their exam results. The weekly course hours vary between a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 30 hours depending on the levels determined by the exam.
The courses aim to provide students with the ability to use the foreign language they are learning, by focusing on grammar as well as reading, writing, listening, note-taking, and speaking skills, supported by books and audio-visual materials. The distribution of course hours varies according to levels and semesters. Istanbul Okan University applies the communicative teaching method, which allows students to actively participate in the language learning process through the use of visual, auditory, and technological tools. The goal of foreign language education is to ensure that students use the language correctly and fluently in the context they are in. For this reason, special emphasis is placed on reading, writing, listening, and speaking lessons. In the Preparatory Program, Chinese, English, and Russian courses are taught in line with the criteria of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
General Information about the English Preparatory Program:
Students registered in the English Preparatory Program take between 20 and 30 hours of classes per week, depending on the results of the Istanbul Okan University Proficiency and Placement Exam (OPAE). The allocation of course hours for coursebooks and skill-based lessons varies across the two semesters. Throughout the Preparatory Program, students are engaged in activities such as preparing presentations and assignments, reading and evaluating texts at various levels, and working on group projects. By the end of the academic year, students are expected to continue their undergraduate studies and improve their academic and professional careers.
All students are subject to the following exemption criteria:
FALL ROUTE 1 students will not be allowed to take the mid-year OPAE as they do not meet the required educational level to sit the exam.
ROUTE 2 students (those taking the course coded PACE103) may take the mid-year OPAE if they pass all the required courses.
ROUTE 1
PACE students will first take the Academic Level Assessment Test (ALAT) at the beginning of the academic year. Students who score 70 or above in the ALAT will be eligible to take the OPAE Proficiency Exam.
Students who do not attend the ALAT will not be eligible to sit the OPAE Proficiency Exam and will be directly placed into beginner ROUTE 1 classes.
The passing grade for the OPAE Proficiency Exam is 80 (B2 level). Students scoring 80 or above will proceed to their faculties.
In the Fall semester, ROUTE 1 students must select 5 courses coded PACE101 through the OIS system. Even if students fail these courses, they must register for 5 courses coded PACE103 in the Spring semester. To be eligible to take the OPAE Proficiency Exam at the end of the academic year, students must pass all the courses they took in both Fall and Spring semesters.
Students who fail courses in the Fall and Spring semesters can take them in the Summer School.
If successful, they will be eligible to take the OPAE Proficiency Exam at the end of the Summer School.
Regardless of participation in the Summer School, students who still have failed courses will be allowed to take the OPAE only if they pass the exemption exams administered at the beginning of the following academic year.
Students who successfully complete all courses in Fall and Spring semesters but fail the OPAE will not register for any courses and will be allowed to sit the OPAE in the mid-term exam. These students will not be required to attend classes, but they may choose to follow ROUTE 2 classes if they wish.
ROUTE 2
PACE students who score 70 or above in the ALAT but fail the OPAE Proficiency Exam will be placed in ROUTE 2 and will need to select courses coded PACE103 through the OIS system.
To be eligible for the OPAE Proficiency Exam, ROUTE 2 students must pass all 5 courses they are enrolled in during the semester. If they fail any of these courses, they must register for courses coded PACE104 in the Spring semester.
Students who fail courses in Fall and Spring semesters can take them in the Summer School.
If successful, they will be eligible to take the OPAE Proficiency Exam at the end of the Summer School.
Regardless of participation in the Summer School, students who still have failed courses will be allowed to take the OPAE only if they pass the exemption exams administered at the beginning of the following academic year.
If students fail the OPAE, they will repeat the semester and may sit the OPAE in the midterm exam.
