prediction of success in intensive foreign language training", Carroll defined these components as follows: The data used to calculate the statistical norms for the MLAT were collected in 1958. The MLAT was administered to approximately nineteen hundred students in grades nine to twelve and thirteen hundred students from ten colleges and universities. For adult norms, the MLAT was administered to about one thousand military and civilian employees of the government. The test was given to the subjects before starting a language course in a school or university or an intensive training program of the US Government. Their performance in the language program was later compared to their score on the MLAT to determine the predictive validity of the test. Sections The MLAT consists of five sections, each one testing separate abilities. Number Learning This section is designed in part to measure the subject's memory as well as an "auditory alertness" factor which would affect the subject's auditory comprehension of a foreign language. Phonetic Script This section is designed to measure the subject's sound-symbol association ability, which is the ability to learn correlations between a speech sound and written symbols. Spelling Clues/Hidden Words This highly speeded section is designed to test the subject's vocabulary knowledge of English as well as his/her sound-symbol association ability. Words in Sentences This section is designed to measure the subject's sensitivity to grammatical structure without using any grammatical terminology. Paired Associates This section is designed to measure the subject's rote memorization ability, which is a typical component of foreign language learning. Uses The uses for the Modern Language Aptitude Test include selection, placement and diagnosis of learning abilities. Selection The MLAT can be used to select individuals who show promise in learning foreign languages in order to justify the time and expense of placing them in a language training program. Placement In situations where there is more than one class or group of students in a language training program or course, the students can be placed according to their language learning aptitude so that each class can work at the most beneficial pace. Diagnosis of Learning Abilities The MLAT can also be used in conjunction with other forms of evidence to diagnose a foreign language learning disability. Looking at an individual's score on the different parts of the test can be help to match students' learning styles with instructional approaches. Security Because the MLAT is sometimes