The English Comprehension Level test, usually called the ECL, checks how well a person understands American English. It is written and controlled by the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC). If you are going to the United States for military training, it is probably the test that decides when you are ready.
What the ECL measures
The ECL measures two skills: listening and reading. According to DLIELC, it does not test speaking or writing. Every question is multiple choice.
The test is taken by:
- international military students who are scheduled for training in the United States paid through the IMET or FMS programs;
- international participants in some exercises sponsored by the United States;
- members of the U.S. military whose first language is not English. For them, the ECL can play a part in recruitment, commissioning, course attendance or job eligibility.
How the test is built
| Version | Where | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Paper and pencil | Test sites outside DLI | 100 questions, about 75 minutes |
| Online, on a computer | Test sites outside DLI | 100 questions, about 75 minutes |
| Computer-adaptive (CAT) | Only at the DLI campus | About 25 minutes on average |
The computer-adaptive version chooses each question according to your previous answers, which is why it is shorter.
How the ECL is scored
All versions are scored from 0 to 100. There is no single pass mark: each course sets the minimum ECL score it requires. Your training office or security cooperation office can tell you the score for your course.
The percentage you see at the end of a practice test on this site is not an ECL score. It shows how many questions you answered correctly. Use it to follow your own progress from week to week.
How long a result stays valid
An ECL score is valid for 180 days. DLIELC explains that language ability can fall if a person stops studying English after reaching the required score. Regulations also allow the ECL to be given to a student only once a month. Testing more often gives unstable results and can raise scores simply because people get used to the test.
In practice, this means you should not wait for a test date to start working. Each attempt counts, so arrive ready.
Official sample material
DLIELC publishes an ECL demonstration test with a sample test book, a blank answer sheet and a listening audio file. Take it once to see the format. The questions on this site are different: they are original practice items, written to train the grammar, vocabulary and idioms that both listening and reading questions rely on.
How to use this trainer for the ECL
- Build the base first. Grammar and vocabulary are where most points are lost. Start with the grammar sets.
- Hear every question. Press Listen (or the L key) before you read the choices. It trains your ear for American English.
- Work against the clock. The timed practice test gives you 30 seconds per question by default, and you get your report at the end, as in a real test.
- Fix your own mistakes. Every wrong answer goes into your mistake box and comes back until you master it.