To some, you DLAB is just a stepping stone to getting into DLI and to others its just another useless military test that will provide no value towards you or the military. But to both, this would be very incorrect. For starters, the DLAB test is nothing to take lightly and may require your very best to pass. Most would even say it was the toughest test they ever took! But regardless of how you feel about the DLAB test, there is one undeniable fact: it will affect you and your career in multiple different long-term ways. Your DLAB score not only dictates whether or not you can attend a military language school, but will have a lasting affect on you by three different means: Military importance, work region, and promotion boards.
Military Importance
Based on your score, the military will have the option of enrolling you into certain category languages. Category languages and their scores are as follows:
- 95 for a Category I language (Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish)
- 100 for a Category II language (German)
- 105 for a Category III language (Belorussian, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Persian, Polish, Russian, Serbian/Croatian, Slovak, Tagalog [Filipino], Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese)
- 110 for a Category IV language (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean)
While you may look at some of these languages and think whether or not they interest you, you might want to look at them and ask yourself whether or not they currently interest the military. Take for example Chinese. Sure it’s a CAT IV language and thus harder than French, however most people wouldn’t argue with Chinese being a more important language to the US military. Therefore by specializing in a language like Chinese, you will become more valuable to the military than if you specialized in French. The military will value you more as a linguist, intel spook, crypto or FAO if you specialize in a region/area of greater importance to the mission.
Work Region
Another aspect is the region. If you specialize in Czech, where do you think the military will try to send you? They may not send you to the Czech, but they will send you to that area of the world. So as you can see, you Language may have a large affect on where in the world the military will want to send you. I recommend not taking Arabic.
Promotion Boards
You DLAB score can also be used as a means to differentiate you from another peer. Since the DLAB test is a standardized test, and most in your community have taken it, it can be used to see which service member can get the promotion or the specific assignment. So just because you got a 105, doesn’t mean you don’t want to try to get a 125. Your score will follow your military career regardless.
So as you can see it is imperative that you do your best to not only pass but also achieve the highest score possible. Worried? Don’t be. Follow our recommendations and you will be more prepared than anyone else taking the test. Click here to find out how you can start preparing now.