DLPT case studies
DLPT · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Defense Language Proficiency Test, fifth generation (DLPT5), is the U.S. government's standardized measure of how well someone understands a foreign language. DLIFLC describes the DLPT and the Oral Proficiency Interview as reliable, scientifically validated tools for testing the language ability of Department of Defense personnel worldwide, and notes that most federal agencies rely on them. It is aimed at service members, government linguists, and other personnel whose duties require documented foreign-language proficiency, not at general academic learners. Topics on this exam: Listening comprehension and Reading comprehension. The DLPT case studies are 5 cases and about 2,004 words.
1Landlord's Hedged Repair Promise (Russian Listening)
You are taking the DLPT listening section in Russian at ILR 2. The passage is a 90-second phone call between a tenant (female, 30s) and her landlord (male, 50s). It is mid-January in Moscow, –18°C. The tenant says her radiators have been cold for three days and her infant has a fever.
399 words, about 2 min2Agentless Attribution in Arabic News Brief
You are reading a 150-word news brief in Arabic for the DLPT reading section. You have 90 seconds per item. The article reports that 'unknown assailants' set fire to a market in a southern city and that 'security forces withdrew from the area two hours before the incident.' The headline reads: 'حريق في سوق جنوبي بعد انسحاب قوات الأمن' (Fire in southern market after security forces withdraw). The article quotes a local activist saying the fire was 'likely arson' but names no group.
390 words, about 2 min3Scientist's Selective Data in Chinese Radio Interview
You are in the DLPT listening section for Chinese at ILR 2+. You hear a 2-minute excerpt from a radio interview. The host asks a climate scientist about the city's air quality. The scientist cites data: PM2.5 fell from 120 µg/m³ in 2013 to 45 µg/m³ last year, but the WHO guideline is 35 µg/m³.
397 words, about 2 min4Idiom and Privilege in Spanish Immigration Blog
You are reading a 200-word blog post in Spanish for the DLPT reading section (ILR 2+). The author, a Mexican-American woman, writes about her grandmother's migration: 'Mi abuela cruzó el río con una maleta de cartón y la esperanza de hacer las Américas. Ahora yo cruzo la frontera en avión, con visa de turista, y me pregunto si ella se reiría o lloraría al verme.' (My grandmother crossed the river with a cardboard suitcase and the hope of making it in the Americas. Now I cross the border by plane, with a tourist visa, and I wonder if she would laugh or cry to see me.) The post contrasts past and present migration and uses the idiom 'hacer las Américas.' One test item asks what the idiom suggests about the grandmother's expectations.
400 words, about 2 min5Polite Refusal in Korean Customer Service Call
You are listening to a 2-minute customer service call in Korean for the DLPT (ILR 2). A customer calls about a package ordered three weeks ago (order #4821). The representative says: '고객님, 불편을 드려 정말 죄송합니다. 최선을 다해 빠른 시일 내에 보내드리겠습니다.' (Customer, we are truly sorry for the inconvenience.
418 words, about 2 min