diff --git a/developer_tests/namelist/test_read_variable_namelist.f90 b/developer_tests/namelist/test_read_variable_namelist.f90
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..47b93b48ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/developer_tests/namelist/test_read_variable_namelist.f90
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+program test_read_variable_namelist
+
+use    utilities_mod, only : find_namelist_in_file, check_namelist_read 
+use    mpi_utilities_mod, only : initialize_mpi_utilities,                &
+                                 finalize_mpi_utilities
+use        types_mod, only : vtablenamelength
+
+implicit none
+
+character(len=vtablenamelength) :: state_variables(20, 3)
+
+integer :: iunit, io
+
+namelist /model_nml/  &
+   state_variables
+
+call initialize_mpi_utilities('test_read_write_restarts')
+
+call find_namelist_in_file('input.nml', 'model_nml', iunit)
+read(iunit, nml = model_nml, iostat = io)
+call check_namelist_read(iunit, io, 'model_nml')
+
+print*, "Hello World!"
+
+call finalize_mpi_utilities()
+
+end program test_read_variable_namelist
diff --git a/developer_tests/namelist/work/input.nml b/developer_tests/namelist/work/input.nml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7a94f7cb9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/developer_tests/namelist/work/input.nml
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+&model_nml
+/
+
+&utilities_nml
+   module_details = .false.
+   write_nml = 'none'
+  /
+
+&preprocess_nml
+    input_obs_kind_mod_file = '../../../assimilation_code/modules/observations/DEFAULT_obs_kind_mod.F90'
+   output_obs_kind_mod_file = '../../../assimilation_code/modules/observations/obs_kind_mod.f90'
+     input_obs_def_mod_file = '../../../observations/forward_operators/DEFAULT_obs_def_mod.F90'
+    output_obs_def_mod_file = '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_mod.f90'
+                input_files = '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_AIRS_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_AOD_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_AURA_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_COSMOS_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_CO_Nadir_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_GWD_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_QuikSCAT_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_SABER_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_altimeter_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_cloud_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_dew_point_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_dwl_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_eval_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_gps_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_gts_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_land_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_metar_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_ocean_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_pe2lyr_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_radar_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_reanalysis_bufr_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_rel_humidity_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_sqg_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_tower_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_tpw_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_upper_atm_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_vortex_mod.f90',
+                              '../../../observations/forward_operators/obs_def_wind_speed_mod.f90'
+  /
+
+&mpi_utilities_nml
+/
+
+&obs_kind_nml
+/
+
+&ensemble_manager_nml
+/
+
+&state_vector_io_nml
+/
+
+
diff --git a/developer_tests/namelist/work/quickbuild.sh b/developer_tests/namelist/work/quickbuild.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..270fd678ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/developer_tests/namelist/work/quickbuild.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# DART software - Copyright UCAR. This open source software is provided
+# by UCAR, "as is", without charge, subject to all terms of use at
+# http://www.image.ucar.edu/DAReS/DART/DART_download
+
+main() {
+
+
+export DART=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
+source "$DART"/build_templates/buildfunctions.sh
+
+MODEL="none"
+EXTRA="$DART"/models/template/threed_model_mod.f90
+dev_test=1
+TEST="namelist"
+LOCATION="threed_sphere"
+
+programs=(
+test_read_variable_namelist
+)
+
+
+# quickbuild arguments
+arguments "$@"
+
+# clean the directory
+\rm -f -- *.o *.mod Makefile .cppdefs
+
+# build any NetCDF files from .cdl files
+cdl_to_netcdf
+
+# build and run preprocess before making any other DART executables
+buildpreprocess
+
+# build 
+buildit
+
+# clean up
+\rm -f -- *.o *.mod
+
+}
+
+main "$@"