Talk:Defense Language Aptitude Battery

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I've taken this test once before and I scored a 91. I would like to say that this test is in no way easy if you don't already have a fully understanding of the English language. I took this test as a junior in High School normally ditched English due to the bore I found it to be. My suggestion to anyone who wants to take this test is read and understand the rules of English. Be sure to know the differences between Verbs and Adverbs, and know your Nouns and Adjectives. Spelling is not a must however it is beneficial. Best of Luck to all who try, Semper Fi! --ManoViper 22:20, 9 January 2007 (UTC)ManoViper

Studying Techniques

I have taken the DLAB twice. The first time I took I scored only a 90, and the second time I scored 112. The trick to this test is all in concentration and memory retainment. The DLAB is essentially an over-glorified memory test. And with this knowledge, a rough training guide can be established in order to prepare yourself for this test.

First off, you must have a firm grasp of grammar and the dynamics involved in, not only the english language, but how grammar is manipulated from language to language. For instance, in english you would say, "Cartmen runs slowly"; but in many other languages the verb precedes the subject and comes out as, "Slowly runs Cartmen".

Now, just about any resource on the internet will tell you nearly word for word what I just said, but they are leaving out a few very essential details. As I mentioned earlier the DLAB is only a memory game, nothing more. Instead of cramming all the rules of grammar into your head (many of which are not even encountered in the DLAB), train your mind to accommodate larger information loads more precisely. One technique I used involved extensive use of flash cards.

Go grab ten cards right now and number them one through ten. After that shuffle the deck into a random order. Now flip over a few cards from the deck, and give yourself two seconds to memorize the order from left to right. Then flip the cards face down and write down the order of the numbers. This is a great way to excericise your short term memeroy which is probably your greatest asset in taking the DLAB.

Now I chose to use numbers, because I'm much less familiar with the patterns numbers can come in than I am the patterns that letters can. But the test won't test you on your ability to remember numbers so also throw into the mix small jibberish words, like fri, asd, kjg, etc. This will give you somewhat of an idea of what the DLAB will test on you.

And if its been awhile since you took a test, go online and take a bunch of IQ tests so you can get your mind sharpened for taking tests.

Anyway I hope this is helpful to anyone looking to take one of the hardest tests in the military. Just keep in mind that this test is unlike any other test you have probably taken, so don't treat it lightly, your military career depends on your ability to overcome this obstacle to get sent to language school.

Good luck, and semper fi!

Ron 11:45, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

Having taken the DLAB and scored a 137 on it, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that you definitely want to work on being able to recognize patterns, as I'm pretty sure that that is what the test actually measures. It's not hugely difficult if you have an eye for them, but it certainly isn't easy at all. As a side note to anyone looking to take it with hopes of being trained at the DLI: keep in mind that the best students are typically ones who don't score super-high or super-low. My reasoning for this is purely opinion, but I think it's because the test DOES measure patterns and logic, and if you do really well on it, you may look for logic in a language that sometimes doesn't have it, such as with broken plurals and the like in MSA. Too low and you can't see the patterns that are there, I guess. But do your best and you should be fine.

Good luck!

Sue 12:44, 15 August 2007

I took the DLAB today. I used what everyone else suggested above to help prep myself for this insane test. I scored a 105, which is half decent. This test is all about being able to use common sense and just focusing. I didn't think that studying english would make this test any easier. It was like putting pieces of a puzzle together. I thought that the hardest part of this test was the fact that you had to pay attention 100% of the time. If you zone out during the audio part, even for a second, you will get lost. Also, during the audio part, look at the problem that you are given. Figure out what the answer might be before you click the "listen" button. That helped me a lot becuase for a lot of choices, the order of the words was wrong, so I could rule out some choices right off the bat. This test is just crazy. But, I am only 17, so if I can do well on this test, I think everyone can. Just focus a lot.

Best of luck!!

Caseycheves (talk) 23:57, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

I took the test version where the 'language' sounded Russian. I scored a 168, and later graduated with honors from DLI's down the hill Mandarin course. My opinion is that the test isn't about patterns, it is about logic. What it does is it takes several words from a made up language, gives you some particals and basic grammar patterns, and requires you to answer questions on the sentences it then creates using the information they provided you. If I recall correctly, and I may not, as it has been nearly eight years since I took it, you are allowed a small sheet of scrap for notes. There is no writing or speakign involved, only exercises which test your logic, comprehension, andlistening abilities, which are absolutely essential in the linguistics field in the military. EEO's are king, Jaguitar (talk) 23:27, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

I have taken this test twice, the first time in 1984 resulting in a score of 123, and the second time in 1988 resulting in a score of 151. Note that this predates the current web-based version of the test. After the second round, I attended the DLI's German course, graduating first in my class with DLPT scores of 2 / 2+ / 3 for speaking, listening and reading respectively. Twenty+ years later, I can state with confidence that my proficiency has only improved, and my retention of the target language is excellent.

The DLAB is a measure of how easily you can acquire a language, and based on my experience at the DLI and my observations of others, it is fairly accurate. There is no practical way to study for it, per se, but there are strategies to improve your score. First of these is the simplest and most effective. You are given a blank sheet of paper and a pencil with no instructions as to their use. The test will "teach" you several grammar rules in a synthetic language, then test your acquisition and interpretation of the rules. WRITE THE RULES DOWN on the paper as you are given them so that you can refer to them later in the test. Second, everyone I know who has taken the test more than once does significantly better the second time around because they are familiar with the test. If you can (and need to improve your score), arrange for a second sitting. 166.35.17.77 (talk) 16:31, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

The DLAB is not a test anyone should study for, and frankly, I've taken it and really don't see how studying will help you. It's attempting to measure a natural talent for learning languages, any sort of preparation actually defeats the test and undermines its purpose of accurately placing you in a language that's suitable. I scored a 158 without any prep whatsoever. That was very useful to me personally as I did not really know I had a talent for languages, and my IQ scores are only "above average". It's a very useful test that should be used outside the military. Kelt65 (talk) 16:43, 5 July 2015 (UTC)

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