A study investigated the appropriate use of item types for testing reading at various levels of proficiency. It was specifically concerned with item types found in the standardized group-administered Defense Language Proficiency Tests. The item formats investigated were signs in the target language, identification of underlined information, English language comprehension questions following a target language passage, true-false-not addressed questions, and cloze procedure. Responses to specific item types on currently-used tests of Spanish, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and French were analyzed and examinee comments on the items were considered. Extensive use of the Interagency Language Roundtable's oral interview system was made in the analysis. Appended materials include data on item-type responses on the four language tests and examples of the item formats. (MSE)