Language Learning and Testing FoundationPLAB Sample Items
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:
| Factor Assessed | |||
| Part 1: | Grade Point Average in academic areas other than foreign languages | 16 points | Grade point average |
| Part 2: | Interest in learning a foreign language | 8 points | Motivation |
| Part 3: | Vocabulary: working knowledge in English | 24 points | Verbal ability (in conjunction with Part 4) |
| Part 4: | Language Analysis: ability to reason logically in terms of a foreign language | 15 points | Verbal ability (in conjunction with Part 3) |
| Part 5: | Sound Discrimination: ability to learn new phonetic distinctions and to recognize them in different contexts | 30 points | Auditory ability (in conjunction with Part 6) |
| Part 6: | Sound – Symbol Association: an association of sounds with their written symbols | 24 points | Auditory ability (in conjunction with Part 5) |
| Total : | 117 points |
If you want to see the sample questions and explanations for Part 3, click HERE.
If you want to see the sample questions and explanations for Part 4, click HERE.
If you want to see the sample questions and explanations for Part 5, click HERE.
If you want to see the sample questions and explanations for Part 6, click HERE.
Click HERE to download the PLAB Sample Questions in PDF format.