FREE DLAB Study Guide 2026: Secure, Source-Bound Preparation
Video
In the artificial language, the word 'tika' means 'big' and 'malu' means 'house.' Based on the pattern that adjectives follow nouns, how would you say 'big house'?
Grammar Rules
Question · Easy
DLAB vs. DLPT in 2026: Which Military Language Test Do You Need?
Use this current, source-checked DLAB vs. DLPT guide to identify whether you need a language-learning aptitude test, a proficiency test, both tests, or neither—and who controls that decision.
Blog
What does the DLAB actually measure?
Test Format
Flashcard
You hear four words spoken aloud. Three have the stress on the second syllable, and one has stress on the first syllable. Which word has a DIFFERENT stress pattern? (A) ba-LO-ka (B) su-RA-ni (C) KE-ma-ti (D) fi-LA-do
Audio Pattern Recognition
Orientation: Current Public DLAB Facts, Score Categories, and Study Model
1.1 What the DLAB Measures
Study guide
Cheat sheet
In a constructed language, the suffix '-en' makes a noun plural. If 'dor' means 'tree' and 'vik' means 'tall,' what does 'doren vik' mean?
DLAB structure: how many questions and sections?
A symbol language uses a circle for 'person,' a triangle for 'action,' and a square for 'object.' Which arrangement means 'person acts on object'?
Visual Pattern Recognition
A current DLAB guide based on Instruction 5160.71: who authorizes testing, what aptitude means, secure preparation, the 180-day retest rule, and program-specific score decisions.
In a constructed language, 'na' before a verb makes it negative. If 'peli' means 'runs' and 'kora' means 'the dog,' what does 'kora na peli' mean?
Language Structure
Audio sections vs. the visual section: what's the difference?
You hear a sequence of syllables: 'pa-ta-ka-pa-ta-ka-pa-ta-ka.' What is the repeating unit?
1.2 Known Public Format Facts
In a picture-word language, a drawing of a sun paired with the symbol '☀' means 'day.' A moon paired with '☽' means 'night.' What symbol would logically represent 'evening' (transition from day to night)?
How many times does each DLAB audio clip play?
In a constructed language, verbs are conjugated by adding a prefix: 'i-' for past tense, 'a-' for present, and 'u-' for future. If 'bela' means 'eat,' what is 'ubela'?
Three words in a constructed language end in '-os' and all refer to animals. A fourth word 'fliretos' is introduced. What is 'fliretos' most likely?
Is the DLAB computer-adaptive?
Listen to the following pattern: the first word has stress on syllable 1, the second on syllable 2, the third on syllable 3. Where should stress fall on the fourth word?
1.3 Score Categories and Thresholds
In a constructed language, the word order is Object-Verb-Subject. Given: 'maka' = fish, 'pelu' = catches, 'rana' = man. How do you say 'the man catches the fish'?
Question · Medium
Where and how is the DLAB administered?
In an artificial language, nouns change form based on their role: '-a' for subject, '-o' for direct object, '-e' for indirect object. If 'kan' means 'child,' what does 'kane' mean?
You hear five words. Four contain the sound /sh/ and one contains the sound /ch/. Which word does NOT contain /sh/? (A) 'shala' (B) 'mishi' (C) 'cheku' (D) 'shono'
Does the DLAB use real languages?
A visual grammar system uses shapes to encode meaning: large shapes = plural, small shapes = singular, filled shapes = definite, empty shapes = indefinite. What does a large filled circle represent?
1.4 A Study Model for Aptitude
In a constructed language, the sentence 'Redo baki sune' means 'The cat eats fish.' If '-to' changes a statement into a question, how would you ask 'Does the cat eat fish?'
What is the DLAB score range?
Scoring
In a sound pattern exercise, words that end in a vowel are 'type A' and words that end in a consonant are 'type B.' You hear: 'foli' (A), 'brant' (B), 'sema' (A), 'klif' (B). What type is 'zumo'?
In a constructed language, reduplication (repeating a syllable) intensifies meaning. If 'gara' means 'hot,' what does 'garagara' mean?
Is there a single DLAB passing score?
A picture shows: 1) a person + arrow pointing right = 'go'; 2) a person + arrow pointing left = 'come.' Based on this pattern, what does a person + arrow pointing up likely mean?
1.5 Protected-Test Ethics
In a constructed language, word order changes based on tense. Present tense uses SVO (subject-verb-object), past tense uses SOV. If 'mira' = she, 'toku' = read, 'liba' = book: how do you say 'She read a book' (past)?
Category I DLAB cutoff (and why it's the lowest)
In the audio portion, you hear three pairs of words. In each pair, the second word has an extra syllable added to the beginning. What is being demonstrated?
In a constructed language, compound words are formed by combining roots. 'Aqua' = water, 'terra' = land, 'via' = road. What does 'aquavia' most likely mean?
Category IV DLAB cutoff (and why it's the highest)
A symbol system uses: △ = action completed, ○ = action in progress, □ = action not yet started. What does '○△' (circle then triangle) represent?
1.6 Official Channels and a Personal Plan
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