Defense Language Proficiency Tests
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The Defense Language Proficiency Test (or DLPT) is a battery of foreign language tests produced by the Defense Language Institute and used by the United States Department of Defense(DoD). They are intended to assess the general language proficiency of native English speakers in a specific foreign language, in the skills of reading and listening. A separate test for speaking skills is administered to Defense Language Institute students during and following their training there.
The tests are meant to measure how well a person can function in real-life situations in a foreign language according to well-defined linguistic tasks and assessment criteria. Originally paper tests, they are increasingly delivered by computer.
The tests are used to assess the skill level of civilian and military DoD language analysts. Military linguists are tested once a year in the skills of reading and listening. This yearly testing determines the level of Foreign Language Proficiency Pay that a linguist receives. DLPT scores may also figure into the readiness rating of a military linguist unit.
Scoring for the current (2007) series of tests, called DLPT 5, are, like their predecessors, based on the guidelines of theInteragency Language Roundtable (ILR), with the test results stated as levels 0+ through 3. Tests that rate through level 4 are planned for some languages.
Because of the subjective wording of the distractors (i.e., the "wrong" answers), and the fact that many individuals take versions of the test numerous times and acquire a feel for its peculiarities while others lack that advantage, the status of the DLPT as a proficiency test is controversial.
