Quote:
Originally Posted by lindy
Apologies: didn't realize this was in the SFAS section. I'm just a support soldier and NOT a Special Forces soldiers. I just do language stuff and support the guys that are.
DLAB - Defense Language Aptitude Battery
Given limited time and brief samples of a "language", do you have the aptitude to convert the sample symbols & sounds into English.
Is there an correlation between a code-breaking and a linguist? Why are MOST linguists good in either math and/or music? (I'm personally an exception because I suck at both.)
Languages, math, music, and codes are all about patterns and predictions based on analysis of previous established patterns. This is exactly what the DLAB measures. Can a person improve their scores? Sure. I would suggest looking at word jumbles, crossword puzzles, etc as well as understand English grammar.
Example: the ending -u on a verb is always first person singular whereas -it, -et, or -at is third person singular.
Which sentence means "I am going to the store."
1) On peshkom khodit.
2) Tot magazin nakhodit'sya tam.
3) Ya idu v magazin. <------------- otvet (answer)
4) Ehti primeri ochen' glupoy!
(note: this isn't a DLAB example but actually simple Russian sentences.)
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Spasibo balshoye. I didn't study going into the test because, like you said, it was an aptitude test. I was confident that passing it was not going to be a problem.
I guess my test score was so surprising because a) I really didn't realize it was possible to score that low. The lowest score I've ever seen posted was about an 80. b) The test (except for the first part)* didn't really seem all that difficult to me. c) It's the compete opposite of my usual performance on standardized tests, especially ones requiring pattern analysis. From the LSAT to the ASVAB, I've always done very well on them and d) I actually speak Levantine Arabic passably well. Languages have never been easy for me, but they haven't been impossibly hard either.
Ma shee hal. I'll work DLAB prep into my training cycle and try again once I'm a soldier instead of a "future soldier" (does anyone else find that term mildly euphemistic?) I don't want to hijack this thread and make it about my terrible DLAB score.
*I will say this, a written DLAB would be much easier than the audio-heavy format they use.