DLAB, used by the military, evaluates a candidate's ability to acquire foreign languages. The test is crucial for service members interested in roles that include linguistic skills, like intelligence specialists.

Not like language proficiency exams, DLAB does not evaluate existing linguistic ability. In contrast, it measures how well a candidate can understand artificial grammatical rules with no pre-existing familiarity.

DLAB Test is divided into various sections, all structured to evaluate specific components of language acquisition. A portion centers around structural principles, challenging examinees to identify logical word order. A separate portion examines phonetic comprehension, wherein participants must distinguish small variations in pronunciation.

Moreover, one portion presents a constructed grammatical structure, forcing test-takers to apply newly introduced patterns to construct sentences.