MBA Fair
28th Nov 2022
Afia Azmi

All You Need to Know About Duolingo English Test!

The Duolingo English Test is an international English proficiency test to test your skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking in this language. This test has now become much popular due to its convenient features. You can take this exam by sitting at home for a small fee.

Features of the Duolingo English Test
  • Take the exam sitting at home
  • 60-minute test
  • An adaptive favorable algorithm, that is, the questions will increase according to your level of difficulty
  • Shareable results within 2 days
  • Accepted by over 3000 institutions worldwide
  • No appointment is needed for the exam or the speaking skill interview
  • Eligible to appear for this exam twice in 30 days
  • The score is valid for 2 years
What does the Duolingo English Test entail?

The Duolingo English Test like any other English proficiency test has 4 compartments for assessing your English language skills: Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking.

However, the Duolingo English Test does not differentiate between these four parts and the questions are asked in one flow only.

Another striking feature of this proficiency test is that it is hardwired with an adaptive algorithm. That is, the level of difficulty increases or decreases according to the answers you give. For instance, if at one level you’re answering a Reading skill, the next one might be a Listening Skills one. And if you appear a hard question, then the next one will be easier.

How to prepare for the Duolingo English Test?

The Duolingo English Test is much like any other internationally accepted language test such as IELTS, TOEFL, etc. There is no exact or recommended syllabus for this exam. Therefore, one needs to focus on the general methods of the 4 skills which are to be tested. You can also study the books recommended for the exams of IELTS and TOEFL. However, you must remember that the Duolingo English Test is adaptive and for 60 minutes only. This will require your quick thinking and decision-making abilities.

Universities Accepting the Duolingo English Test

The Duolingo English Test scores are accepted internationally by nearly 3000+ institutions. Prestigious institutions such as Yale University, Purdue University, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign Undergraduate Admissions, California Institute of Technology, Leeds Beckett University, Plymouth University, University of Alberta, Carnegie Mellon University, Australian National University, Jacobs University Bremen, etc., and many more.

How does the Duolingo English Proficiency Test differ from IELTS and TOEFL?

Where TOEFL and IELTS have reserved timings and sections for the four parts of this language test, the Duolingo English Proficiency Test creates mixed questions from all of the skills to be answered in an hour.

Where the IELTS exam may be scheduled over two days, the Duolingo English test is only for an hour and can be taken anywhere and anytime. Unlike TOEFL or IELTS, no appointment is needed for the Speaking Skill test, because the Duolingo English Test has a separate 10-minute window with open-ended questions that resembles the interview session in the other two language proficiency exams.

What is the scoring system of the Duolingo English Test?

The Duolingo English Test is prepared from a general score between 10 to 160. Scoring 120 and above is considered quite a good score. Scoring a 10 in Duolingo means scoring 1.5 in IELTS and 0 in TOEFL. Similarly, 120 in Duolingo is 97-102 in TOEFL or 7 in IELTS.

Requirements for the Duolingo English Test

Candidates aspiring for the Duolingo English Test must have -

  • A valid government ID such as driver’s license, Voter ID, passport, etc.
  • A well-lit room with minimal noise, or a quiet room
  • Free scheduled time of 60 minutes for the exam
  • A reliable and consistent internet connection
  • A computer with- A front-facing camera, a microphone, and speakers
How do you recommend taking the Duolingo English Test?

With the COVID-19 pandemic creating newer obstacles every day, many students and test-takers are relying on the convenient and favourable features provided by Duolingo. You not only require 60 minutes to give this exam but also receive your scores and certificate within 48 hours. Although many academic critics do not side with a test that takes less than half of the time that other popular language proficiency tests take.

Nevertheless, the Duolingo English Test scores are accepted worldwide and in many prestigious universities. Moreover, the Duolingo test fee is only $49, whereas other tests cost you $200 or more, and have long exams and take even longer time to produce the results.

Therefore, test-takers must visualize their obstacles and preferences and decide the best for themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the Duolingo English test?

The Duolingo English Test is an international English language proficiency test to assess your skills of reading, listening, writing, and speaking in the language. This test is an alternative for other popular English language proficiency tests such as IELTS, TOEFL, CEFR, etc.

How do I pass the English test on Duolingo?

The Duolingo test is scored between 10 to 160. A score of 120 and above is considered equivalent to scoring 7 in IELTS or 92-107 in TOEFL. There is no recommended syllabus to prepare for this test. But this service offers you practice tests which you can take up anytime and anywhere.

Which are the Duolingo accepted universities in the UK?

Some of the popular UK universities accepting the Duolingo English Test scores are Anglia Ruskin University, University of Bristol, University of Glasgow, Brunel University, Leeds Beckett University, Plymouth University, and the University of Birmingham, London College of Contemporary Arts, University of Roehampton, University of Westminster (Undergraduate Admissions), Imperial College London (Undergraduate), University of Exeter, London School of Economics and Political Science (Undergraduate), and more.

How many times can I take the Duolingo test? How long is the validity of this score?

You can take the Duolingo English Test only twice in 30 days. The Duolingo test validity of the scores is of 2 years. You can practice on their app as many times as you can and want to be versed with how their platform works and the system of their language examination.

Is the Duolingo English Test and app free?

The Duolingo Test Fee is $49 only. While the app is free to all users, the subscription to Duolingo Plus at $6.99 per month avails subscribers of better opportunities to learners.

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