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 determine who may pursue training as a military linguist.
The category into which a language is placed also determines the length of its basic course as taught at DLI.
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.
Individuals may usually take the DLAB if they score high enough on the ASVAB for linguist training and are interested in doing so.
[7] Military personnel interested in retraining into a linguist field typically also must pass the DLAB.
In a few select cases, the DLAB requirement may be waived if proficiency in a foreign language is already demonstrated via the DLPT.