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Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB)
The Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) is the U.S. Department of Defense aptitude test that measures a typical native English speaker's aptitude to learn a foreign language; it is used across the military services to qualify personnel for language training at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and for language-dependent assignments and ratings.
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QuestionsNot publicly disclosed — The current first-party exam pages and candidate materials cited for this record were reviewed; they do not publish this field.
Testing timeAt least 90 minutes (official planning guidance for examinees; no exact testing time is published)
ScoringNo universal passing score — scores above 95 indicate aptitude to learn a foreign language, and minimum qualifying scores are set by DLIFLC language-course difficulty and by each service or community for its own programs
Exam feeNo separate exam fee — The assessment is delivered as part of the official program or process and has no separate exam charge.
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Exam overview
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- Who runs it
- DoD
- Category
- Military Aptitude
- Current version
- Current specification (no public version label) — The current official specification has no public version label or code.
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- 7–164 (standard score)
- Testing provider
- Administered at Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) and service testing commands (e.g., NETPDC Pensacola for the Navy)
- Format
- Aptitude battery measuring a typical native English speaker's aptitude to learn a foreign language, with listening and reading portions
- Availability
- By appointment: applicants through MEPS; Navy personnel at language testing sites in or near Everett, Jacksonville, Naples, Norfolk, Pearl Harbor, Pensacola, Rota, San Diego, and Yokosuka, or the nearest additional test site
- Results
- Official results available 3–5 business days after test completion; scores reflected in the Navy's NSIPS/ESR within 10 days of the test date
- Remote testing
- Not available
Exam structure
Two portions — listening and reading; no section-level breakdown or item counts are published
Where rules vary
A Defense-wide aptitude battery used by all U.S. military services at the same MEPS/testing-command network; DLIFLC reported 24,000 DLABs administered per year at the MEPS, and DLIFLC's FAQ shows both Navy and Air Force processes routing members through it
Eligibility
Administered to U.S. military personnel and applicants who need it: those pursuing language-dependent roles such as reclassification to the Navy CTI rating, Foreign Area Officer lateral transfer, assignment to a billet or special program requiring foreign language skills, or enrollment in a DLIFLC-taught language course