All you need to know about the Duolingo English Test for studying abroad

What’s covered in this article?

1. What is the Duolingo English Test?
2. How can it support me with my study-abroad plans?
3. What are the eligibility criteria for taking the test?
4. How can I sign up/register for the Duolingo English Test?
5. What are the test rules and requirements?
6. How is the exam conducted?
7. What is the duration of the Duolingo English Test?
8. What is the exam fee?
9. What is the exam pattern?
10. What types of questions can I expect during the Duolingo English Test?
11. How are the answers scored?
12. How long are the scores valid?
13. Which institutions accept the Duolingo English Test?
14. What are the benefits of the test?
15. How can I prepare for the test?

​Up until a few months ago, it was as if the pandemic is never going to end. Even though it still hasn’t, we have almost resumed life as before, forgetting our masks back and home and ignoring the social distancing norms. A lot of developments were happening in every sector, including the study-abroad sector. An English language test started gaining popularity around the same time. Though it has been around since 2016, the Duolingo English Test gained tremendous popularity during the pandemic days. What is so special about this test? As an international student, what is that you should know about the test to help you make informed decisions? Here are 14 questions that summarise all relevant information about the test.

What is the Duolingo English Test?

The Duolingo English Test is a language test developed by Duolingo, an American-based educational technology company. Like the IELTS, TOEFL and others, DET is a widely accepted standardized English language proficiency test. It is an online test. Test takers will be evaluated on their 4 skills -reading, writing, speaking and listening. It is an adaptive computer-delivered test – the questions get tougher with every right answer and simpler with wrong answers. One important point to note about the Duolingo English Test is that you need not take any appointments to sit the test.

How can it support me with my study-abroad plans?

As part of your application process to foreign universities, you will have to submit proof of your English proficiency. If DET is approved by the institution/department that you want to apply to, you can go ahead and take this test.

The Duolingo English Test is widely accepted by reputed institutions in the USA, the UK, Thailand, Switzerland, Australia, Ireland and several others. The test is acceptable for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

The reduced test fee and ease of taking the test make it more appealing to international students. It will be particularly useful for students who are pressed for time. DET does not require you to fix appointments to take the test. You can take the test anytime and anywhere.

What are the eligibility criteria for taking the test?

The Duolingo English Test is open to all who are looking to prove their English language proficiency. There is no academic requirements to be eligible for the test.

How can I sign up/register for the Duolingo English Test?

You can go to englishtest.duolingo.com and purchase the test. There is no separate registration process. Once you purchase the test, you will be asked to sign up on Duolingo.

If you already have a Duolingo account, you can use the same for the English test.

What are the test rules and requirements?

There are several requirements to meet in order to begin taking the test.

• A valid government-issued photo ID like a passport or a driver’s licence.
• A quiet and well-lit room. Nobody else should be present in the room when you take the test.
• A computer with a camera, a microphone, and speakers
• You are not supposed to use headphones or earbuds during the test.
• Make sure you have a stable internet connection.
• Test takers should be looking into the screen throughout the test. You can look at the keyboard while attempting the writing questions.
• The test window should remain in full-screen mode.
• Your microphone and camera should be enabled throughout the test.
• No other apps should be open while taking the test.
• You should not use your phone or writing pads.

How is the exam conducted/What happens during the test?

1. The first step is the test setup. You will be asked to install their desktop app to take the test.
2. Next step is to create an account with DET or sign in with your Google username and password.
3. In the next window, you will have the option to take practice tests or directly start the test.
4. You will be briefed about the test requirements and asked to provide consent for biometric data collection.
5. As the next step, test takers will be guided to check the microphone and speaker quality.
6. A photo of your face will be taken in the next step. The photo quality will be verified by the app.
7. Next, you will be asked to take a photo of the ID you intend to submit.
8. A series of questions will follow, asking details like your country, date of birth, first language and gender.
9. Next, you will be made aware of the test requirements.
10. Finally, agree to the test security agreement and you are all set to take the test.
11. The first is the adaptive test.
12. This is followed by open-ended questions.

What is the duration of the Duolingo English Test?

The test duration is around 1 hour. It includes both the adaptive segments and the interview of 10 minutes. The adaptive segments can be covered in 45 minutes, approximately.

What is the Duolingo English Test fee?

The Duolingo English Test costs USD 49. This is approximately rupees 4053 as per the current rates.

What is the exam pattern?

The Duolingo English Test includes an adaptive segment and an interview segment with open-ended questions.

The adaptive test includes questions to test your speaking, reading, writing and listening skills. This segment includes different question types.

Following the adaptive test are the writing and speaking sample segments. The writing sample will be scored while the speaking sample will be unscored.

What types of questions can I expect during the Duolingo English Test?

Some of the different types of questions include typing out the sentence you hear, picking the English words from a list, reading comprehension questions, identifying the main idea in a passage, responding to questions in at least 50 words, talking about an image for 30 seconds, picking the right title for the passage etc.

You can visit the Readiness page on the official DET website and download the guide that explains in detail, the different question types and how to answer them.

How are the answers scored?

According to the DET website, statistical machine-learning algorithms are used to score the test. The time taken for the test will not affect your score. The overall score is not arrived at by adding your subscores. The weightage given for the subscores varies.

Your Duolingo English Test scores will rate you on your comprehension, conversation, production and literacy skills.

Your responses to the open-ended writing question will contribute to the score. It will also be shared with the institutions that you apply to. However, the speaking response will not be scored.

You will also have the option to select the universities to which you want to share your scores.

How long are the scores valid?

Just like other English language proficiency test scores, your Duolingo English Test score is also valid for 2 years from the date of taking the test.

If you would like to re-take the test, you can purchase up to 3 tests in a 30-day period.

Which institutions accept the Duolingo English Test?

Duolingo English Test scores are accepted by more than 2000 institutions world-wide. Some of the institutions that accept the scores include:

• The University of Southern California, the USA
• The University of California Berkeley
• Northeastern University, the USA
• The University of Stirling, the UK
• The University of Bath, the UK
• Australian National University, Australia
• La Trobe College, Australia
• The University of Canada West
• The King’s University, Canada

For the complete list and further details, you can check out the institutions list on the DET website.

What are the benefits of the test?

• Can be taken anytime, anywhere and is online
• Test duration is short – you can complete it in one hour
• Results will be available in 2 days
• Appointment not needed
• Can be shared immediately upon receiving the test results
• Is comparatively cheaper – around 4042 rupee
• No additional charges for sending your scores to multiple institutions

How can I prepare for the test?

The Readiness page on the official website of the Duolingo English Test offers free practice tests and a guide to help you prepare for the test.

Once you understand the test question types, you can also practice similar questions available on the internet.

If you are looking to apply to universities abroad, you can reach out to our counsellors who can guide you for free. We wish you all the best with your study-abroad journey!