The three usual techniques employed for benchmarking acoustical propagation models involve measured acoustical data, analytical solutions, and other established acoustical propagation models. Each of these has inherent limitations. The alternative approach described here involves replica correlation to test the accuracy of acoustical propagation models. A received acoustic pressure spectrum, which is generated by the acoustical propagation model to be tested, is multiplied with the source pressure spectrum. The inverse Fourier transform of this product is a replica correlogram, which contains information of the travel time, phase and amplitude of all arrivals. Then a ray‐tracing model is used to determine the travel time of the arrival. If the model to be tested is accurate, the travel times computed by replica correlation will agree with the travel time computed by ray tracing. Results will be presented for an existing acoustical propagation model under realistic ocean conditions. [Work supported by NRL.]