National Latin Exam

The National Latin Exam is a prestigious and short standardized test to assess students’ understanding of the Latin language. Students have 40 multiple-choice questions to answer within 45 minutes.

Interested in the competition?

Competition Overview

Students who are enrolled in Latin or have completed a Latin course

Eligibility

$8 per exam (schools in US or Canada) OR $10 per exam (schools outside the US and Canada)

Exam cost

January 23, 2026

Registration deadline for paper exams

February 13, 2026

Registration deadline for online exams

February 23 - March 13, 2026

Examination Window

Late April

A packet including awards, certificate of school participation, printout of student scores, national norms, and answer key for all exams

📌 Note: Aralia is not the organizer of this competition. For official rules, deadlines, and updates, please refer directly to the competition organizer. Aralia provides listings and information about competitions for student reference. Aralia is an online education platform offering competition preparation classes to students worldwide.

Competition Details

1. Introduction

The National Latin Exam is a prestigious and short standardized test to assess students’ understanding of the Latin language. Students have 40 multiple-choice questions to answer within 45 minutes. Students with expertise can participate in any of the 8 levels. There are 8 exam levels, which can confuse students who are unsure which exam is appropriate for them. The National Latin Exam has released a guide to help students better navigate through the exam levels.

2. Eligibility

Students enrolled in Latin or have completed a Latin course in the current academic year.

Introduction to Latin: Students who are enrolled in an Introduction to Latin class or who are in the first year of a two-year Latin I
Beginning Latin: Students in the 2nd year of a 2-year Latin 1 exam
Intermediate Latin Exam: Students in Latin 2, or in Latin 3
Intermediate Reading Comprehension: Students who haven’t made the transition to reading and translating authentic Latin literature and are still in the process of learning the concepts below, or are in Latin programs that place a great emphasis on active Latin and comprehending Latin text
Advanced Prose: Students who are reading authentic Latin texts
Advanced Poetry: Students who are reading authentic Latin texts
Advanced Reading Comprehension Exam: Students who have been reading authentic Latin texts for at least one year, who have already taken both the Advanced Prose and Poetry Exams

3. Competition format

Students can participate in any of the 8 levels: Introduction to Latin Exam, Beginning Latin Exam (or Latin I), Beginning Latin Reading Comprehension Exam, Intermediate Latin Exam (Latin II), Intermediate Latin Reading Comprehension Exam (Latin III), Advanced Latin Prose Exam (Latin III/IV Prose), Advanced Latin Poetry (Latin III/IV Poetry), and Advanced Latin Reading Comprehension Exam (Latin V/VI+).

4. Prizes

Perfect paper: a special, colored certificate printed with the name of the winner
Gold medal and a summa cum laude certificate are awarded to top scorers
Silver medal and maxima cum laude certificate to second-place winners
Magna cum laude certificate to third-place winners
Cum laude certificate to fourth-place winners