Defense Language Proficiency Tests The Defense Language Proficiency Test ( or DLPT ) is a battery of foreign language tests produced by the Defense Language Institute and used by the United States Department of Defense ( DoD ) . They are intended to assess the general language proficiency of native English speakers in a specific foreign language , in the skills of reading and listening . An Oral Proficiency Interview ( OPI ) is sometimes administered to Defense Language Institute students to establish the graduate ' s proficiency in speaking following training there , but it is not part of the DLPT . The tests are meant to measure how well a person can function in real - life situations in a foreign language according to well - defined linguistic tasks and assessment criteria . Originally paper tests , they are increasingly delivered by computer . The tests are used to assess the skill level of civilian and military DoD language analysts . Military language analysts are tested once a year in the skills of reading and listening . This yearly testing determines the level of Foreign Language Proficiency Pay ( FLPP ) that a language analyst receives . DLPT scores may also figure into the readiness rating of a military linguist unit . Scoring for the current ( 2007 ) series of tests , called DLPT5 , are , like their predecessors , based on the guidelines of the Interagency Language Roundtable ( ILR ) , with the test results stated as levels 0 + through 3 or up to 4 for some languages . Military language analysts are required to maintain a L2 / R2 proficiency . Exams are administered yearly , nominally immediately after language upkeep classes . FLPP does not apply to language analysts who do not score higher than the minimum . In order to receive extra pay , they must exceed the minimum in one or more categories without falling below the minimum in either . For example : Each service maintains independent FLPP rates . FLPP is awarded in addition to base pay , other pay , and is subject to taxation , except within a war zone . DLI students , regardless of their course grades , may not graduate without achieving an L2 / R2 on the DLPT . They must also pass a series of tests called " FLO ( Final Learning Objective ) Tests " , as well as achieve a minimum of 1 + on the OPI . Although there is a minimum standard for DLI graduation , military language analysts are not required to maintain " speaking " proficiency unless required in the performance of duties . Because of the subjective wording of the distractors ( i . e . , the " wrong " answers ) , the fact that many individuals take versions of the test numerous times and acquire a feel for its peculiarities while others lack that advantage , and the fact that it wasn ' t nearly challenging enough , the status of the DLPT IV as a proficiency test was controversial . These are among the reasons the DLPT5 was instated , with an emphasis on incorporating " authentic materials " . The intention of the DLPT5 was to provide a more accurate idea of how proficient the test taker is ; whether it accurately assesses proficiency is as much or more a source of controversy than the previous version . Because the net effect on military linguists was to cause an average drop of about half a point of proficiency across all skills and all languages , many believe the new version was intended as a cost - saving measure to reduce FLPP . While the format of previous DLPTs were consistent across languages , there are two distinct formats of the DLPT5 — multiple choice ( in Russian , Chinese , MSA and others ) and constructed response ( in some of the so - called " Less Commonly Taught Languages " like Hindi and Albanian ) . DLPT5 was initially slated to be a computer - based test , but during that version ' s infancy , it was proctored much like the previous exams , using scantron sheets , taped media , and test booklets . DLPT5 was taken in conjunction with DLPT IV during the trial stage of that version , and has since usurped it as the standard test . Although some versions , such as those given to linguists in the field , abroad , or in other extraordinary situations , are still paper tests , the CONUS facilities which house linguists use the computer proctored exams . DLPT is used to measure both government and military proficiency in the United States , whereas the ACTFL proficiency test are used in academic circles . An equivalency chart can be found below :