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JEWISH BIBLE ASSOCIATION

Hebrew Proficiency Examinations

• Organization Directory Page
  (titles of all evaluated learning experiences, organization description, and source of official student records)

• Titles of all evaluated learning experiences in the Hebrew Proficiency Examinations section

• Descriptions and credit recommendations

Titles, descriptions, and credit recommendations for all learning experiences recommended for college credit within the Hebrew Proficiency Examinations section can be found below. To locate information on additional learning experiences, which have also been recommended for college credit, use the Organization Directory Page link above for a complete list of titles for all learning experiences or use the following links to go directly to other sections:

Bible Proficiency Examinations
Jewish Law Proficiency Examinations
Jewish Music Proficiency Examinations
Talmud Proficiency Examinations

Titles of all evaluated learning experiences in the Hebrew Proficiency Examinations section

Advanced Modern Hebrew
Elementary Biblical Hebrew
Intermediate Biblical Hebrew
Elementary Modern Hebrew
Intermediate Modern Hebrew

Descriptions and credit recommendations

Advanced Modern Hebrew
Location: Jewish Bible Association, Jerusalem, Israel.
Length: Proficiency examination program administered at the offices of the Jewish Bible Association.
Dates: July 2005 - Present.
Objectives:  To prepare for the examination, the candidate is expected to be able to:  read an Israeli academic journal article in Hebrew and answer questions in Hebrew on the text; to paraphrase in one's own words one of the key points in the essay; answer cloze questions testing reading comprehension and language fluency by filling in the missing words or phrases; understand and use complex syntactical and morphological aspects of grammar such as: switching semichut from singular to plural, nouns and adjectives from singular to plural, noun declensions in singular and plural (e.g. chelkecha, chalakeicha), using connectives of time (le'achar, le'achar miken, lifnei, lifnei chen, b'meshech, b'mahalach, b'od, l'olam, mei'olam), of reason (biglal, b'shel, ekev, mipnei sheh, mi'keivan sheh, mishum sheh, mei'achar sheh), of result (lachen, l'fichach, k'totza'ah mikach), of concession (lamrot, al af, af al pi sheh, omnam, aval, af al pi chen), of purpose (k'dei, k'dei sheh, l'ma'an), of comparison (l'umat, l'umat zot, b'nigud l'kach, v'ilu), of condition (im, ilu, lu) and their tenses (ilulei, lulei), and of contract (aval, ach, ulam); understand and use verb conjugations and verbal nouns in shelemim (all binyanim and in passive pu'al and huf'al), gizrat peh nun (in simple: lipol, nafal, in passive (nifal) k'hinaten, nitan, gizrat peh yod (in simple: laredet, yerida, in causative (hifil), l'horid, horada, gizrat ayin vav (in simple: lakum, kima). There is also an involved composition where the candidate must express an opinion on a timely topic (social, political, or scientific).
Instruction:  The proficiency examination process is intended to measure a body of knowledge that the candidate has acquired through other learning experiences. Each examination is administered under secure and proctored conditions. The main focus at this level is on syntax, fluency, and lexicon with a review of more complex morphology. Expected vocabulary is 4,000 words.
Credit recommendation: In the upper division baccalaureate degree category, 8 semester hours in Hebrew (9/05). NOTE:  National PONSI has established a discrete credit recommendation for each language proficiency examination, although it acknowledges that some colleges may limit the amount of credit a student may earn in this subject area due to certain degree requirements.

Elementary Biblical Hebrew
Location: Jewish Bible Association, Jerusalem, Israel.
Length: Proficiency examination program administered at the offices of the Jewish Bible Association.
Dates: June 2004 - Present.
Objectives:  To prepare for the examination, the candidate is expected to be able to identify letters, parts of speech, grammatical forms and syntax; analyze a verb for its root stem by making connections among different pieces of information learned and formulate what these connections mean; assess grammatical questions and give correct answer; incorporate all the grammatical syntax and morphology learned and correctly translate 15 lines of biblical prose; be able to use the Brown, Driver, Briggs Lexicon; parse verbal forms according to root, person, number, and gender; switch perfect to imperfect and vice-versa; inflect nouns; and infer from context of biblical verse the proper tense and meaning of a word.
Instruction:  The proficiency examination process is intended to measure a body of knowledge that the candidate has acquired through other learning experiences. Each examination is administered under secure and proctored conditions. Content covered includes: Nouns and adjectives; the article (He’ Hayyidua’), the nominal phrase and the noun-clause; the interrogative pronoun; the dual form; the genitive and the construct state (Semichut); numerals: cardinal and ordinal numbers; the pronoun: the personal pronoun – the separate pronoun, the pronominal suffixes, the demonstrative pronoun, the relative pronoun, the interrogative and indefinite pronouns; the particles: prefixed prepositions, prepositions with pronominal suffixes (prepositions in the singular nominal pattern and prepositions in the plural pattern);  conjunctions (ki, ya’an, ‘ekev, ‘al ki, ‘asher, ‘im, pen, ‘af, ‘af ‘asher etc.);  basic nominal patterns; verbal morphology: root vs. pattern (binyan) plus the seven binyanim; the tenses: katal (perfect), yiktol (imperfect), vayyiktol, vekatalti, participle forms, infinitive forms (absolute and construct form); the modal forms (cohortative, jussive, imperative); some basic syntactical issues: nominal vs. verbal clause, relative clause, infinitive phrase. Selected biblical passages (prose) are taken from: Genesis 22, 27, 29. I Samuel 11, Ruth 1.
Credit recommendation: In the lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category, 8 semester hours in Hebrew (8/04). NOTE:  National PONSI has established a discrete credit recommendation for each language proficiency examination, although it acknowledges that some colleges may limit the amount of credit a student may earn in this subject area due to certain degree requirements.

Intermediate Biblical Hebrew
Location: Jewish Bible Association, Jerusalem, Israel.
Length: Proficiency examination program administered at the offices of the Jewish Bible Association.
Dates: June 2004 - Present.
Objectives:  To prepare for the examination, the candidate is expected to be able to identify more complex parts of speech, grammatical forms and syntax such as irregular binyanim, conjugation of prepositions, tautological infinitives, infinitive construct, nominal clauses, relative clauses, conjunctions, word order, more complex modal forms of the jussive, cohortative and imperative; analyze a verb for its root stem by making connections among different pieces of information learned and formulate what these connections mean; assess grammatical questions and give correct answer; incorporate all the grammatical syntax and morphology learned and correctly translate 11 lines of biblical prose and 6 lines of biblical poetry; parse verbal forms according to root, person, number, and gender; switch perfect to imperfect and vice-versa; switch katol to yiktol forms and vice-versa; inflect nouns; switch composite verbs to regular separate form; and infer from context of biblical verse the proper tense and meaning of a word.
Instruction:  The proficiency examination process is intended to measure a body of knowledge that the candidate has acquired through other learning experiences. Each examination is administered under secure and proctored conditions. The main focus at this level of Biblical Hebrew is on syntax and lexicon (vocabulary), with a review of verbal and nominal morphology. Content covered includes: recognition of the shoresh: verbal morphology (reversal): paradigms of the binyanim (the strong verb paradigm, verbs with pey gronit, with ayin gronit, and lamed gronit, verbs with double ayin, weak verbs, verbs of pey yud, pey nun, ayin yud/ayin vav, lamed yud/lamed heh, pey alef, lamed alef), verbs with pronominal suffixes (accusative pronoun); nouns with possessive (genitive) pronominal suffixes (conjugations of singular and plural forms); conjugations of prepositions (e.g. ba'avuri, ba'avurech; the tense system: the use of the perfect (qatal) and the imperfect (yiqtol), the imperfect with vaw ha'hipuch, the perfect with vaw ha'hipuch; the tautological infinitive (e.g. haloch halchu, tarof toraf); construction of the infinitive construct with subject and object (la'asoto, b'vo'o); the nominal clause (sheker ha'chen, hevel ha'yofi); types of subordination and coordination;  the relative clause; conjunctions (ki, ya'an, ekev, al ki, al ken, ka'asher, pen, af); word order. Textual material will be taken from: (prose) I Samuel 19-21, Exodus 19-20;  (poetry) Amos 1-2, Isaiah 6, and Psalms 1 and 126.
Credit recommendation: In the lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category, 8 semester hours in Hebrew (8/04). NOTE:  National PONSI has established a discrete credit recommendation for each language proficiency examination, although it acknowledges that some colleges may limit the amount of credit a student may earn in this subject area due to certain degree requirements.

Elementary Modern Hebrew
Location: Jewish Bible Association, Jerusalem, Israel.
Length: Proficiency examination program administered at the offices of the Jewish Bible Association.
Dates: June 2004 - Present.
Objectives:  To prepare for the examination, the candidate is expected to be able to use basic conversational skills, read vocalized and unvocalized texts, write page-long compositions and comprehend simple reading passages; understand the consonant and vowel systems, their divisions and characteristics; analyze Hebrew words as to their roots, prefixes and suffixes; identify parts of speech; know the basic rules of Hebrew syllables and accent; and inflection of verbs and nouns; infer grammatical structure from contextual sentences and place correct grammatical form and thus integrate grammar learned to give proper tense and noun forms; translate English sentences into Hebrew, use the pronominal form, switch statements into questions, switch singular sentences into plural form, write 120 word essay on one of three topics, and give an oral presentation in Hebrew on another topic.
Instruction:  The proficiency examination process is intended to measure a body of knowledge that the candidate has acquired through other learning experiences. Each examination is administered under secure and proctored conditions. Content covered includes:  Hebrew alphabet, writing system (print and cursive), sound system, simple and complex language constructions, elementary grammar and a vocabulary of approximately 600 words.
Credit recommendation: In the lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category, 8 semester hours in Hebrew (8/04). NOTE:  National PONSI has established a discrete credit recommendation for each language proficiency examination, although it acknowledges that some colleges may limit the amount of credit a student may earn  in this subject area due to certain degree requirements.

Intermediate Modern Hebrew
Location: Jewish Bible Association, Jerusalem, Israel.
Length: Proficiency examination program administered at the offices of the Jewish Bible Association.
Dates: June 2004 - Present.
Objectives:  To prepare for the examination, the candidate is expected to be able to read a Hebrew story, translate it into English, answer questions on the story in Hebrew, and paraphrase Hebrew stories in his own words; write a 200 word essay on a topic that incorporates previously learned grammar and syntax, inferring more advanced grammatical structures from contextual sentences and placing correct grammatical form, and thus integrate grammar learned to give proper tense and noun forms; deliver a short speech in Hebrew on a specific topic.
Instruction:  The proficiency examination process is intended to measure a body of knowledge that the candidate has acquired through other learning experiences. Each examination is administered under secure and proctored conditions. Content covered includes:  Vocabulary of 1200 words sufficient to read newspaper articles, poetry, and prose in simplified Hebrew and demonstrate further development of conversation skills.
Credit recommendation: In the lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category, 8 semester hours in Hebrew (8/04). NOTE:  National PONSI has established a discrete credit recommendation for each language proficiency examination, although it acknowledges that some colleges may limit the amount of credit a student may earn in this subject area due to certain degree requirements.

Updated 11/18/05

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