The National Latin Exam (NLE) is an annual test available to all high school students across the United States that are enrolled in Latin classes ranging from beginner to advanced. While many tests end up acting as fierce competitions, the NLE prides itself on the opposite.

Founders and organizers of the exam explain that it is “not meant to be a competition but rather an opportunity for students to receive reinforcement and recognition for their accomplishments in the classroom.” Depending on scores, some students can earn things like medals, certificates, or even scholarships. At Gorham High School, a soon-to-be senior named Grace Johnson received an impressive score on the Latin III 2022 test.

Grace has been taking Latin since her freshman year, which makes this next school year her fourth consecutive year of Latin class. When asked what her favorite parts of Latin were, she described the vocabulary games that she and her classmates often play. She went on to say that they’re not only fun but a good way to confidently memorize vocabulary and general language concepts as well.

Johnson additionally explained that learning about ancient Roman culture has been very interesting for her. She confirmed, as many experts also do, that studying not only the language itself but the history of the language is super important. Another question for Grace was if she was glad she chose to take Latin. There are many foreign language courses at Gorham High School, so why pick this particular class?

Her answer was simple. “I have a lot of friends in my class and I have fun with all of the projects that we get to do together. Overall, it’s always a really fun and interesting class.” And of course, there’s an added bonus of a golden flower crown that only fourth year Latin students wear at graduation.

The exam Johnson took was a forty multiple-choice question test. It quizzed students on grammar and vocabulary, as well as general knowledge of the Roman world. There was even a fully Latin passage at the end of the test with reading comprehension questions to go along with it. Although this was Grace’s first time taking the test, her impressive score placed her in the highest possible ranking. She received a gold medal and certificate.