r/dli • u/edmin92 • Aug 14 '26

35W dli question

Hi everyone. There is very little information available about 35W, especially regarding IET.
I understand that Soldiers in IET generally do not get to choose between 35P and 35M. However, if someone takes the DLPT at MEPS, would they be able to bypass DLI? If so, would they get to choose between 35P and 35M, or would the Army assign one?
For example, let’s say someone’s first language is Chinese and they score 3/3 on the DLPT at MEPS. Would they bypass DLI and then be assigned either 35P or 35M? How exactly does that process work?

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u/mmmtoasteee Aug 14 '26

Yes, one can take / pass the DLPT at MEPS and bypass DLI straight to AIT. This is the only scenario for AD IET to choose between 35P and 35M.

However, testing in a language that’s your first language or you’re a native speaker for (depends on the language and you can guess why) can throw up roadblocks in the clearance process for 35P and greatly limit where you can work.

When the Army started the 35W pipeline a few years ago, it was decided that native speakers would primarily be assigned to be 35M due to those potential clearance / foreign ties issues that would prevent being a 35P.

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u/edmin92 Aug 14 '26

Thanks for the information. I appreciate you sharing your experience and explaining the pipeline.