The DLAB test is used by the military to measure your aptitude for learning languages. It is not a language test or a grammar test. I took the test about a week ago, and now I am sharing my experience with you.

The contents I can’t tell you, I can give you hints on what to study. Learn the basics of english grammar and their functions. You also have to keep in mind that other languages aren’t going to be the same syntax or grammar rules as english. In fact, there is a nonsense language that they use for the test, and you will need to learn those new rules and apply it to translate basic phrases into english.

Most of the test requires listening to the narrator for the answer choices, a good test taking tip would be to press the button for the choice you think is correct and hold your finger over the other choices and make sure to eliminate the ones you know to be wrong.

You have to be able to identify stress syllables, it will not be in english. A technique I used was to tap my finger on my knuckle for each syllable and identify which one sounds different than the others. Some will be easy to differentiate, some will not.

Next part will be using one or two grammar rules in the made-up language to translate words into english. You will need to listen to the choices and pick the right one. This one is a bit time consuming, I almost ran out of time. I translated the phrase and listen for the right choice. You can only listen to the choices once, so don’t rush and make sure you have the translation in your head.

Next part they give more grammar rules and tell you to translate. Same as the first part, but with different rules. Point of interest would be to study possessive words and the relationship with the possessor. Make sure to take your time and get the word order correct, tricky tricky.

Next part combines all the rules you learned previously and gives you some longer phrases to translate. Keep in mind they won’t be in any particular order, translate each individual word and listen for it closely. This part was the hardest part of the test for me. Make sure you know the grammar rules, and don’t take too much time on any individual one.

That will be a good 2/3rds of the test. Listening to the right choices can be difficult, take a little break between each section and read the instructions carefully. Take your time and you will do fine.

The last part uses pictures to convey abstract ideas and you need to find the pattern for a new nonsense language to pick the correct answer. This part has no listening, but is not really any easier. You will have a guideline of pictures on the top row and a vertical column of pictures in which you must correctly identify the correct translation for. Pretty straightforward, but can be tricky. You just need to find the pattern and you will get it.

 Good Luck.