Duolingo English Test

Duolingo—also known as the creators of the app that teaches you foreign languages—
has launched an English exam. The big news? You can take it at home anytime, it only
costs $49—and it’s being used in college and grad school admissions around the
country.

Ready to sign up? You’re not alone, but before you do, take a closer look to see if the
Duolingo English Test is right for you. Then, find out how to prepare, take the exam, and
use your scores!

Table of Contents
 What Is the Duolingo English Test?
 Why Take the Duolingo English Test?
 How Is the Duolingo English Test Different from the TOEFL?
 How Is the Duolingo English Test Different from the IELTS?
 Who Accepts the Duolingo English Test?
 What Does the Test Involve?
 How Should I Prepare for the Duolingo English Test?
 How Do I Take the Test?
 How Is the Test Scored?
 What Happens After I Take the Duolingo English Test?

What Is the Duolingo English Test?

The Duolingo English Test is an online exam that you take on your personal computer.
Like the TOEFL and IELTS, it tests all four language skills: Reading, Listening,
Speaking, and Writing. However, you’ll find these skills tested in pretty revolutionary
ways! Take a look at “What Does the Test Involve?” below to find out what it looks like.
The test is adaptive, which has some significant consequences for test-takers.
Basically, if you answer a question correctly, the next one gets harder. If you answer it
wrong, the next one gets easier. This means that, with relatively few questions, the
exam can pinpoint your ability level quickly—that’s why it only takes around an hour to
complete!

Unlike traditional English exams, you can take the Duolingo English Test from your
computer. Of course, there are lots of caveats (nobody else in the room, you can’t take
notes—see “How Do I Take the Test?” below), but because this means that the
company isn’t paying for test centers or computers, it also means that it only ends up
costing you $49.
 

Why Should I Take the Duolingo English Test?

Students have been really excited about this new testing option (Take it in your
bedroom! In your pajamas! Right now!) but may still hesitate to take it. For example, if
you’re applying to a ton of colleges, chances are that at least some of them won’t
accept Duolingo yet, while they’re all likely to accept the TOEFL or IELTS (see “Who
Accepts the Duolingo English Test?” below).
But even if this is the case for you, there’s still a good reason to take the exam: the cost
for additional score reports.

TOEFL allows you to send your results to four universities for free, while IELTS allows
you to send your results to five. After that, there’s a fee of $20 per report for the TOEFL
and a similar fee (which varies by location) for IELTS. Duolingo doesn’t charge for
additional score reports. So in many cases, it may actually be cheaper to take the
Duolingo test in addition to the TOEFL or IETLS.
Right now, Duolingo is primarily used in U.S. undergrad admissions. However, the test
has various purposes. Some businesses have also begun to use it to verify the English
levels of applicants, particularly in the hospitality field. Because it’s not focused either on
academia or the workplace per se, the test has a variety of applications to different
fields.

Finally, Duolingo could be a good option for you if you don’t do well on traditional
English exams. The format is completely different and may be more intuitive for you.
Furthermore, the test is a lot shorter—around an hour max, compared to around three
hours for TOEFL and IELTS—and that’s not even counting travel time for the latter
exams!

How Is the Duolingo English Test Different from the

TOEFL?
Even though they’re both computer-based tests, there are many differences between
the Duolingo exam and the TOEFL. Those differences go far beyond the location,
timing, and price!

The first thing you’ll notice is that Duolingo item types look totally different than
traditional test items (take a look at “What Does the Test Involve?” below for more
details). There aren’t long texts to read, listen to, or write about.
In fact, most of the items on the exam are relatively brief. As Jeffrey Tousignant,
Senior Marketing Manager at Duolingo, describes them, “Some of the items don’t look
anything like any English test you’ve ever taken.”

In comparison, the TOEFL focuses on scenarios you’re likely to encounter in the real
world, and particularly in academia. If you do well on traditional tests, you may prefer to
stay on (more) familiar ground with TOEFL’s academic texts and campus-based
scenarios.
In addition, TOEFL divides question type by section (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and
Writing), while Duolingo blends all questions into a single exam. You may encounter a
reading question following a writing question, for example! This can require thinking on
your feet and changing gears pretty quickly.

Like Duolingo, the TOEFL is primarily a computer-based test. However, the TOEFL is
not adaptive—the difficulty of the questions doesn’t have anything to do with your
previous answers. On the other hand, Duolingo is adaptive throughout the whole test,
so questions change in relationship to everything you’ve answered on the exam so far.

How Is the Duolingo English Test Different from the IELTS?

A big plus for those looking at Duolingo in comparison to IELTS is that IELTS is usually
given over a two-day period at a testing center. Beyond the practicalities of the exam,
there are lots of differences in the format that you should consider before choosing one
over the other.
Both test all four areas of language acquisition. However, you won’t see long texts on
Duolingo. Instead, the test works by measuring language ability through things like your
knowledge of idioms and your use of intonation. IELTS contains traditional item types,
such as multiple-choice, short answer, and essay questions, while Duolingo’s questions
take on new formats.

The major difference in terms of format is that Duolingo is adaptive, while IELTS’s

format is standard–in other words, it is not adaptive. This means that Duolingo has the
 capacity to evaluate your English skills in a pretty short amount of time—and only does
so on a computer, whereas IELTS is offered in both computer and paper-based forms.
Finally, while IELTS has two versions (Academic and General), Duolingo only has one,
its general test. However, it’s worth noting that Duolingo is accepted by some
universities, so it can still be used for academic purposes.

Who Accepts the Duolingo English Test?

Duolingo is heading into its fourth admissions cycle. According to Tousignant, about half
of top U.S. universities now accept it in place of the IELTS or TOEFL. This includes
Yale, Duke, Columbia, and many other leading schools.

However, it’s important to pay attention to how these schools accept Duolingo as you
review the Duolingo site. At the moment, it can be used to either “meet requirements”
(to meet any English requirements) or as “supplemental” (in combination with other
exams) at 465 institutions—Duolingo’s pretty clear about which schools use the test and
how, but it’s always a good idea to review the school’s admissions page, too.

What Does the Test Involve?

You’ll see a variety of test questions on Duolingo in formats that may be entirely new to
you. The tests includes:

 Listening to spoken words and selecting the real ones

 Reviewing written words and selecting the real ones
 Completing missing letters from a text
 Describing an image in writing or aloud
 Recording yourself saying a written sentence
 Verbally answering a spoken question
 Responding in writing to a written question (writing samples have a maximum of 500
words but are usually much shorter)
 Typing out a statement that you hear
In addition to the above items, Duolingo includes a “video interview” section of the
exam, in which you speak for 1-3 minutes on a topic you choose (they offer two). This is
ungraded, but goes along with your test results to universities—which can be a great
addition to your application!
How long is the test? Somewhere between 45 and 60 minutes. But to some extent, it
depends on your language level. Because the test is adaptive, Tousignant notes, “a
really proficient speaker will have a shorter test.”

How Should I Prepare for the Duolingo English Test?

It’s tricky to prepare for the Duolingo exam, as it measures everything from how natural
your intonation is to your ability to accurately describe a photo you’ve never seen
before! However, there are a few things you can do to ensure you’re ready to take it.

The best thing you can do for your score on the Duolingo exam is to work on your
overall English proficiency using high-level materials. This includes reading well-written
articles (think The New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal), listening to podcasts in
English, and having as many conversations as you can with native speakers.
Because the Duolingo English test will present you with unusual item types, it’s really
important to take the short (10-minute) practice test first. This will familiarize you with
what you’ll see on the actual exam.
Again, the Duolingo English test sample is also a great opportunity to understand how
the test interface works—it’s pretty intuitive, but still requires a little getting used to.
Furthermore, you’ll get used to working within the test’s constraints. Speaking of
which…

How Do I Take the Test?

Just because you’re at home, it doesn’t mean that rules go out the window! In fact,
Duolingo has some pretty stringent rules in place to make sure that you’re the one
taking the test—without any additional help.

You’ll need to be alone; nobody else can be in the room with you or speak to you during
the exam. You can’t navigate away from the browser window for the length of the test (it
may be helpful to go into full-screen mode to prevent this!). You have to show your ears
for the entire test, so get an elastic band ready if your hair is long. There are other
guidelines to follow, so make sure you read them through before sitting for the exam.

What may be most difficult for those used to other exams is that you can’t take any
notes. Because the exam questions are relatively short, you don’t need to take notes
during it. However, if you’re a life-long note-taker, this can be a hard habit to break! This
is another area where taking the practice test can really get you ready for the full
experience.

How Is the Test Scored?

The Duolingo test for English is primarily computer-scored. However, in order to ensure
that test-takers are following rules, Duolingo does use proctors. These proctors watch
the video of you taking the test, as every experience is recorded, down to your
keystrokes! Two independent reviewers will watch the screen for other faces,
background noise, and other red flags.

Once the exam is over, you’ll receive a score from 10-160. This is a holistic score, not
broken down by section. Top programs may require a score above 120, but
requirements vary, so check with each school. You can also see how your score on
Duolingo roughly correlates to TOEFL and IELTS scores after taking it!

What Happens After I Take the Duolingo English Test?

After you complete the exam, it’s sent to the proctors, and you’ll receive an email letting
you know when you’ll get your scores (48 hours, although mine arrived in 24—and over
the holidays, too). When your scores are ready, you’ll get another email notifying you,
though you’ll also be able to check into your home page on the site to check.

You can take two “certified” tests within a 30-day period. A certified test is any test you
complete and receive a score on. In other words, if you have technical glitches during
the exam, it won’t count against the two-test limit. Scores are then valid for two years.

Once your scores are in, you can send them to institutions right from the results page.
There’s no limit to how many reports you can send.

A Final Note
Is the Duolingo English proficiency test right for you? If you’re applying to primarily
schools that accept it—or a lot of schools, some of which accept it—then it could be a
good choice. However, if you’re a master of traditional testing and have trouble
switching gears easily, you might find it trickier than you think! There’s only one way to
tell: take the practice test and see if it’s right for you.