The Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) is a test used by the United States Department of Defense to test an individual's potential for learning a foreign language and thus determining who may pursue training as a military linguist. It consists of 126 multiple-choice questions and the test is scored out of a possible 164 points.[1] The test is composed of five audio sections and one visual section. As of 2009, the test is completely web-based. The test does not attempt to gauge a person's fluency in a given language, but rather to determine their ability to learn a language. The test will give the service member examples of what a selection of words or what a portion of a word means, then asks the test taker to create a specific word from the samples given.[2]
Preparation for the DLAB includes a number of study guides and practice tests.[3] These resources give one the appropriate means by which to prepare for the test and gauge a possible outcome. However, a study guide for the DLAB is not like traditional studying - you are not learning content that will be on the DLAB, but rather learning the style of the DLAB.[4] Someone failing the test or getting a low score can always retake the DLAB but only after a wait of 6 months. For most service members, this is too long and will cause them to miss the deadline for submitting their scores. Adequate preparation is thus a near-necessity.
The languages are broken into tiers based on their difficulty level for a native English speaker as determined by the Defense Language Institute. The category into which a language is placed also determines the length of its basic course as taught at DLI.
To qualify to pursue training in a language, one needs a minimum score of 95. The Marines will waive it to 90 for Cat I and Cat II languages and the Navy will waive it to an 85 for Cat I languages, a 90 for Cat II languages, and a 95 for Cat III languages. The Air Force does not currently offer a waiver and requires all applicants to qualify for Cat IV languages, requiring a 110 or better.[5][6] The Army National Guard is able to waive a score of 90 into a Cat. IV language.
The DLAB is typically administered to new and prospective recruits at the United States Military Entrance Processing Command sometime after the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is taken but before a final job category (NEC, MOS, AFSC) is determined. An individual may usually take the DLAB if they score high enough on the ASVAB for linguist training and are interested in doing so. The DLAB is also administered to ROTC cadets while they are still attending college. The DLAB is also used for the Australian Defence Force.
The DLAB is a required test for officers looking to either join the Foreign Area Officer program or the Olmsted Scholar Program. The required grade for these programs is a 105, but the recommended grade is at least a 130 or above.[7]
Military personnel interested in retraining into a linguist field typically also must pass the DLAB. In few select cases, the DLAB requirement may be waived if proficiency in a foreign language is already demonstrated via the DLPT.
While these scores are required to enter a language program of that category, often placement is based upon need rather than score. For example, a service member that receives a score of 115 (good enough for Category IV) may be placed in Russian (Category III). Previously, the maximum score on the DLAB was 176, but as of 2016 has been lowered to 164.[9][10]
As of 2010, Category I languages had 26 weeks of study, Cat II had 35 weeks, Cat III had 48 weeks, and Cat IV had 64 weeks.[11] By 2022, Cat I and II had 36 weeks of courses, Cat III had 48 weeks, and Cat IV had 64 weeks.[12]
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Defense Language Aptitude Battery news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Defense Language Aptitude Battery DLAB is a test used by the United States Department of Defense to test an individual s potential for learning a foreign language and thus determining who may pursue training as a military linguist It consists of 126 multiple choice questions and the test is scored out of a possible 164 points 1 The test is composed of five audio sections and one visual section As of 2009 the test is completely web based The test does not attempt to gauge a person s fluency in a given language but rather to determine their ability to learn a language The test will give the service member examples of what a selection of words or what a portion of a word means then asks the test taker to create a specific word from the samples given 2 Preparation for the DLAB includes a number of study guides and practice tests 3 These resources give one the appropriate means by which to prepare for the test and gauge a possible outcome However a study guide for the DLAB is not like traditional studying you are not learning content that will be on the DLAB but rather learning the style of the DLAB 4 Someone failing the test or getting a low score can always retake the DLAB but only after a wait of 6 months For most service members this is too long and will cause them to miss the deadline for submitting their scores Adequate preparation is thus a near necessity The languages are broken into tiers based on their difficulty level for a native English speaker as determined by the Defense Language Institute The category into which a language is placed also determines the length of its basic course as taught at DLI To qualify to pursue training in a language one needs a minimum score of 95 The Marines will waive it to 90 for Cat I and Cat II languages and the Navy will waive it to an 85 for Cat I languages a 90 for Cat II languages and a 95 for Cat III languages The Air Force does not currently offer a waiver and requires all applicants to qualify for Cat IV languages requiring a 110 or better 5 6 The Army National Guard is able to waive a score of 90 into a Cat IV language The DLAB is typically administered to new and prospective recruits at the United States Military Entrance Processing Command sometime after the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery ASVAB is taken but before a final job category NEC MOS AFSC is determined An individual may usually take the DLAB if they score high enough on the ASVAB for linguist training and are interested in doing so The DLAB is also administered to ROTC cadets while they are still attending college The DLAB is also used for the Australian Defence Force The DLAB is a required test for officers looking to either join the Foreign Area Officer program or the Olmsted Scholar Program The required grade for these programs is a 105 but the recommended grade is at least a 130 or above 7 Military personnel interested in retraining into a linguist field typically also must pass the DLAB In few select cases the DLAB requirement may be waived if proficiency in a foreign language is already demonstrated via the DLPT Contents 1 Language categories 2 See also 3 References 4 Further readingLanguage categories EditCategory I language 95 or higher Dutch French Italian Norwegian Portuguese Spanish Category II language 100 or higher German Indonesian Malay Romanian Category III language 105 or higher Hebrew Hindi Kurdish Kurmanji Sorani Persian Dari Iranian Punjabi Russian Serbo Croatian Tagalog Thai Turkish Urdu Uzbek Category IV language 110 or higher Arabic Modern Standard Iraqi Levantine Egyptian Chinese Mandarin Japanese Korean Pashto 8 While these scores are required to enter a language program of that category often placement is based upon need rather than score For example a service member that receives a score of 115 good enough for Category IV may be placed in Russian Category III Previously the maximum score on the DLAB was 176 but as of 2016 has been lowered to 164 9 10 As of 2010 Category I languages had 26 weeks of study Cat II had 35 weeks Cat III had 48 weeks and Cat IV had 64 weeks 11 By 2022 Cat I and II had 36 weeks of courses Cat III had 48 weeks and Cat IV had 64 weeks 12 See also EditDefense Language Proficiency Tests Defense Language Institute Defense Language Office Language learning aptitudeReferences Edit DLAB Prep Source to DLAB Practice Tests and DLAB Study Guides Archived from the original on 2013 08 30 Retrieved 6 September 2013 How is the DLAB Test Organized The Dlab Prep Retrieved 2016 04 25 Jennings Michael List of DLAB Study Guides and Practice Tests Archived from the original on 10 November 2013 Retrieved 15 September 2013 Defense Language Aptitude Battery DLAB Testing About com Careers Retrieved 2016 04 25 U S Air Force Career Detail Cryptologic Language Analyst U S Air Force Career Detail Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst DLAP Prep s What Do I need to Pass the DLAB Retrieved 14 August 2013 Frequently Asked Questions Headquarters Marine Corps 2018 06 13 Retrieved 2022 09 16 DLAB Test Score Range The Dlab Prep Archived from the original on 2016 04 25 Retrieved 2016 04 25 Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center General Catalog DLI s language guidelines AUSA 2010 08 01 Retrieved 2022 03 08 DLI Languages official page Further reading EditDefense Language Institute Foreign Language Center General Catalog PDF 17 August 2011 archived from the original PDF on 2013 10 21 retrieved 2014 02 18 http dlabprep com how is the dlab test organized Retrieved 24 April 2016 http usmilitary about com cs joiningup a dlab htm Retrieved 24 April 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Defense Language Aptitude Battery amp oldid 1154719895, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
