Is it true theres no good reason to cheat on a placement test?
That’s correct. You should always make an honest effort to do your personal best on the placement test, since these tests are carefully calibrated to determine the right level for you. If you were to cheat and end up doing “too well” on the test, you could end up in a much higher level than you can handle. (Even though placing into L3 when you belong in L2 would mean taking one fewer semester, if you really belong in L2, you’re going to have a very hard time passing L3.) There is no such thing as getting such a high score on a placement test that you don’t need to take any language at all. If you place into L5, you have the option of taking two semesters of a language that’s entirely new to you. However, in some language programs, you may have to pass a brief oral interview to confirm your L5 level before you are permitted to choose this alternative.
