Everything You Need to Know About the Duolingo English Test
Duolingo is an educational technology company that is probably best known for their popular language-learning app and its fun, interactive exercises.
But Duolingo has also grown in popularity for another reason: the English proficiency exam known as the Duolingo English Test (DET).
This test was created as an alternative to other standardized English proficiency tests such as TOEFL and IELTS, and it is now accepted by over 5,500 academic programs worldwide. These include universities such as Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and Imperial College London, as well as secondary schools like Phillips Academy Andover, Groton School, and Iolani School. A complete list of the institutions that accept the DET can be found here.
For international students applying to one of these programs and needing to prove English proficiency, the DET is worth considering for several reasons.
Below, we’ve put together an overview of the exam, plus five of the biggest advantages that students and their families should know about.
Overview
Since the DET is different from the TOEFL and IELTS in several ways, it’s important to understand how it works before taking it, even if students have taken the latter tests before.
Let’s take a look at how the DET is scored, formatted, and proctored.
Scoring
The DET uses an adaptive scoring system, meaning that the difficulty of the questions changes based on how well a test taker doing. If a question is answered correctly, the next one might be harder. If a question is answered incorrectly, the next might be easier. This helps the test quickly determine a student’s English level with fewer questions.
The final overall score is a number between 10 and 160, given in 5-point increments.
Duolingo also groups English proficiency skills into four integrated categories.
- Literacy – The ability to read and understand written English.
- Comprehension – The ability to understand spoken and written English.
- Conversation – The ability to speak and listen effectively in everyday situations.
- Production – The ability to write and speak clearly and correctly.
Each of these is given an Integrated Subscore on the same scale of 10 to 160.
The DET also provides Individual Subscores on the same 10-160 scale in order to help students focus on single areas of proficiency (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) that can help them boost multiple Integrated Subscores.
An official certificate with all of these numbers looks something like this:
Most universities require a overall score between 100 and 130, though top schools may ask for 120+. Some universities may also have minimum requirements for each subscore.
Formatting
The test includes a mix of question types designed to comprehensively assess a student’s English skills. Here’s what test takers can expect:
Adaptive Section (45 Minutes)
This part of the test includes a wide variety of question types, including
- Read and complete – Fill in the missing letters in a text.
- Read and select – Choose real English words from a list.
- Listen and type – Type out a sentence after hearing it.
- Listen and select – Pick real words from a list after hearing them.
- Write about a photo – Describe an image in one or two sentences.
- Short speaking prompt – Speak a response to a question for 30-90 seconds.
Here are just a few examples showing what some typical questions look like:
Video and Writing Sample (10 Minutes)
At the end of the exam, students record a video response and write a short essay. These don’t affect the final score, but universities will see them as part of shared results.
Proctoring
The DET is proctored using both AI and human security measures. Test takers must have a quiet, well-lit room, a stable internet connection, a computer with a front-facing camera and microphone, and a valid ID.
Students are also required to set up a secondary camera as a means of giving proctors a more complete view of the test environment. Test takers only need to have a fully charged phone/tablet with a camera and set aside a few minutes for setup. More information about how to do this can be found here.
Advantages
So why do students choose to take the DET? While every test taker’s situation is different, below are a few of the most significant reasons.
Questions Types
While other English proficiency tests focus heavily on academic vocabulary, the DET assesses English ability in a more general way. This format tends to benefit several kinds of students:
- Students who are intermediate English speakers and writers but who may not have memorized high-level academic vocabulary
- Students who attend international schools and who already use English fluently in daily life
- Students who have strong general reading comprehension skills but do not regularly read formal, academic texts written in English
Exam Length
A lot of students tend to underestimate how tiring it can be to sit for a lengthy exam. Yet endurance can play a big role in determining a student’s performance, and ultimately, their final score.
Thus, it’s important to keep in mind that the IELTS Academic exam takes approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete.
The current version of the TOEFL iBT is shorter, but still takes nearly two hours.
The DET, on the other hand, is significantly shorter than both: students can finish the entire exam in about 1 hour.
For students who have found that they usually do better on shorter standardized tests, the DET may be an assessment that plays to their strengths.
Quick Results
While planning far in advance is ideal, it’s not always possible or realistic. In fact, it’s relatively common for students to find themselves facing fast-approaching deadlines, or to decide to re-test shortly before an application is due.
Unfortunately, other test providers can sometimes lack accommodations for these situations.
For example, TOEFL iBT scores can take up to 8 days to be shown in a student’s online account. Students who take the IELTS Online will have to wait about the same number of days, while those who need to complete the IELTS on paper may face wait times of up to 13 days.
In contrast, the Duolingo English Test provides results in two days. (And for an optional fee, students can have their results within 12 hours.) So even if a student decides to take the test just a couple of days before an application needs to be submitted, they can do so knowing that their score will soon be ready to share with schools.
Convenience
Another appeal of the DET is that it is administered exclusively online, meaning there is no need to worry about where students have to take it.
While other English proficiency tests are administered online in many cases, there are common but potentially confusing exceptions: the IELTS Online version is not an option in every country — students living in Japan, for example, must travel to a test center.
Cost
English proficiency tests can be fairly expensive. In addition to standard registration, TOEFL test takers should be aware of other fees that can quickly drive up costs. These include needing to take advantage of “express registration” — registering within seven days of the test — or sharing a TOEFL score with more than four institutions. (The IELTS has similar costs and related fees.)
The DET is significantly less expensive, regardless of a test taker’s location. Students can also choose to bundle two tests for a discount and send only their best score to schools. Finally, there are no additional costs involved in sharing results with lots of schools: currently, DET test takers can share their results with an unlimited number of institutions.
Conclusion
While some of the advantages above may not be applicable to every student, the DET is nonetheless becoming a popular alternative to older English proficiency exams such as the TOEFL and IELTS.
If you’re interested in taking the DET, be sure to take a look at this blog to help you become more familiar with every kind of question currently on the test.
What should international school students do next?
For international school students, it’s important to know that no matter where you are on your academic journey, there is a strategic course of action available to help you achieve your admissions goals. Tokyo Academics has over 10 years of experience helping students get the grades, test scores, essays, and other factors needed to gain admission to top schools around the world. Connect with us today to see how we can help you get into the boarding schools and colleges of your dreams!
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