1. Which test should I choose?

2. What are some possible uses of the PLAB?

Possible uses of PLAB scores include:

• helping to identify "foreign language learning disabled" students
• helping to understand a student’s cognitive skills relevant to language learning
• helping to understand why a student is performing poorly in a foreign language course
• helping to identify gifted students
• developing profiles of students’ strengths and weaknesses to inform language teaching
• seeing how students perform relative to national norms
• developing local norms now and develop uses for the scores after norms are established
• creating "expectancy tables" to show the relationship between language aptitude scores and grades in foreign language classes.

3. How is the PLAB used for Selection?

The PLAB will help identify students who show promise of rapid learning and the likelihood of attaining a high level of proficiency. Students with superior talent may well be offered foreign language instruction earlier than others. 

On the other hand, it is inappropriate to use the PLAB to screen a student out of a language course that the child wants to take.  Given good instructional support, plus enough time and exposure, virtually all children can learn a foreign language.  Furthermore, any child can benefit from foreign language study.

4. How is the PLAB used for Placement?

5. How is the PLAB used for Guidance?

PLAB scores may be used by teachers and guidance counselors to estimate the child's probable success in foreign language learning. The PLAB measures the child's aptitude or ability; moreover, his or her interest and motivation to learn another language is also appraised.

6. What is a foreign language learning disability, and how can the PLAB be used in diagnosing one?

A foreign language learning disability (FLLD) may be defined as low aptitude for learning languages in comparison with the student’s aptitude for learning other subjects.  It is usually established by administering a battery of tests, including a language aptitude test such as the PLAB, MLAT or the MLAT-E, and examining the pattern of scores.  If the student shows normal aptitude for other school subjects but much lower aptitude on measures relating to language, then evidence of a weakness or disability in language aptitude is established.  Another aspect of such an assessment is to examine the student’s past performance in different subjects.  If the student does well in other subjects but poorly in language, then this provides further evidence of a substantial discrepancy in his or her abilities. 

Sometimes a cognitive-academic disability is defined as an aptitude score below a certain percentile, such as the 20^th percentile, the 10^th percentile, or the 5^th percentile.  Whether the cutoff point is made on a case-by-case basis or set for the purpose of establishing a policy for a particular school, the decision must be made by a qualified professional as part of a comprehensive diagnostic procedure.

The PLAB test can be used in developing a history of difficulty in learning foreign languages.  For example, a school psychologist who is doing a diagnostic evaluation of a student who is progressing slowly in foreign language classes could use test results from the PLAB in conjunction with input from FL teachers and data from progress in language courses to help establish a diagnosis of a foreign language learning disability.  Ideally, the MLAT-E would be administered when the student was in grade school, the PLAB would be administered at the junior high or high school level, and the MLAT would be administered at a future point, such as in the first year of university studies and facing a language requirement.  Consistently poor performances on these tests over the years would strongly support the case for a language learning disability.  It is especially important that such diagnoses be accurate and credible, because other special services and accommodations may be contingent on their outcome.

To read two articles at LD Online about foreign language learning disablities, click on the following links:

Learning Disabilities and Foreign Language Learning, by Robin L. Schwartz

7. When should the test be given, and to what age groups?

The PLAB will be most useful for selection, placement, or guidance if given before or at the time students begin the study of a foreign language. However, the PLAB also provides helpful information about the basic language learning abilities of students who may already have received foreign language instruction. Prior language training does not affect scores on the PLAB, because the type of content included in the test is not ordinarily included in foreign language courses.

8. Is the PLAB easy to administer?

The PLAB is easy to administer because the instructions for Parts 3, 4, 5, and 6 are on the recording. The timing of the test is also automatically controlled by the recording, thus leaving the teacher free to proctor the test.

Time: 50-60 minutes. Parts 1 and 2 may be filled out in advance if desired.

9. How are scores recorded and interpreted?

10. How many parts does the PLAB have, and what do they consist of?

The Six Component Parts

The Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery evolved from a series of research studies undertaken by the author, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, and his associates to ascertain whether language learning ability could in fact be measured. Of a number of intellectual and motivational factors thought to contribute to success in foreign language learning, four proved to be significantly related to foreign language learning: grade point average, motivation, verbal ability, and auditory ability. The Aptitude Battery has been structured into six parts which assess different aspects of these four factors:

PLAB Samples for Parts 3-6

Part 3: Vocabulary

SAMPLE S prolonged

[a] prompt

[b] decreased

[c] difficult

[d] extended

Part 4: Language Analysis

DIRECTIONS (similar but not identical to PLAB):

The list below contains words from a foreign language and the English equivalents of these words.

jiban………………boy, a boy

jojo………………..dog, a dog

jiban njojo za…….A boy likes a dog.

By referring to the above list, figure out how the following statement should be expressed in this language. Do this without writing on paper.

A dog likes a boy.

Do NOT read ahead until you have decided on an answer.

The answer to the problem is: Jojo njiban za. Notice particularly the initial "n" of "njiban"; it is added to the word in the sentence which receives the action. There are 15 similar problems on page 4 of the test booklet.

Part 5: Sound Discrimination

Part 5 is a sound discrimination test requiring students to differentiate between pitch, orality, and nasality in spoken words in an unfamiliar language. Examinees are taught 3 words in the new language. Each of the 30 items in Part 5 consists of a sentence (heard on tape) that contains one of the new words learned. For the first 15 items, the examinee must indicate which of two words printed in the test booklet was spoken on the tape. For the subsequent 15 items, the examinee must choose among all three words and indicate which word was contained in each sentence.

PART 6: SOUND-SYMBOL ASSOCIATION

Part 6 consists of nonsense words based on English consonants and vowels (and essentially English syllable structure). The voice on the tape pronounces one of the 4 words in each response set, and the examinee simply indicates which word was spoken.

11. How do I obtain a copy of the PLAB?

You can visit SLTI Store to download the order forms. You can also download a print friendly version of the PLAB Order Form (used for fax or postal mail) by clicking here or an email friendly version by clicking here.  You can open the print friendly version with Acrobat Reader. Print it out, complete the information requested, including the Organization or Student Qualifications Form, and mail it with a check, money order, or credit card information according to the instructions on the order form. You can open the email friendly version with Microsoft Word. Complete the order form, save the file, and email it as an attachment to CStansfield@2LTI.com.

VISA/MASTERCARD. To pay with your Visa or Mastercard, please download the print friendly version of the PLAB order form, if you prefer to fax or send you order by postal mail. Download the email friendly version of the PLAB order form, if you prefer to email your order. Due to security concerns, please note that you will have to call SLTI with your credit card number and expiration date, if you email your order.

PAYPAL: You may pay with PayPal, which is an Internet bank.  To pay for your order with PayPal, or to open a PayPal account, please visit SLTI Store and follow the instruction on the page.

12. What test materials should I order?

Each examinee requires a test booklet, an answer sheet and a Student Performance Chart and Report to Parents. Administration of the test requires the test manual, cassette tape or CD, hand-scoring stencil for scoring the answer sheet, and Class Record. The test kit contains everything necessary to administer the test to five people.  Additional materials can be ordered separately. Due to the nature of the product, ALL SALES ARE FINAL.

Most psychologists administer the PLAB to only one person at a time.  Thus, they usually purchase one test kit and one additional package of 20 answer sheets and 20 practice exercise sheets. That way, they have materials for the eventual testing of 25 people.