Does a DLAB score really justify/decide ones ability to learn a language?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 14:30:47 -0400

Does a low DLAB score mean an individual is not qualified/smart enough to learn a language like Russian, or Arabic?

Response by SSG Thomas Brousseau made Apr 16 at 2015 2:42 PM

SSG Thomas Brousseau — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 14:42:14 -0400

Could be. Some individuals have the natural ability to discern the subtle nuances and fluctuations of a foriegn dialic and others do not.

Response by SFC Shakira Browne made Apr 30 at 2015 11:38 PM

SFC Shakira Browne — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 23:38:10 -0400

It's a very good indicator. It is based on your grasp of basic English grammar rules applied to a made up language. If you can't make the logical leaps to fill in the blanks, you are likely to struggle with category 4 languages. Russian is a category 2 language meaning it's among the easier languages to learn. Arabic and Pashto are Category 4...

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2015 11:46 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 23:46:54 -0400

It measures aptitude, not intelligence or being "smart enough." If that is a goal of yours go for it, don't let DLAB stop you. It is an indicator on the difficulty one might have in picking up level 4 languages but not a show stopper.

Response by CPL Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2021 10:28 PM

CPL Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 May 2021 22:28:37 -0400

The DLAB is not an iq test and it's not the language ability test. It simply attempts to gauge your ability to learn new languages. The army isn't going to send you to school for a language it doesn't think you'll ever learn.