Duolingo English Test

What it is

The Duolingo English Test is a newer-generation English proficiency test built by Duolingo (the app company) for the international student admissions market. It is computer-adaptive: each question's difficulty adjusts based on your previous answers, similar to the digital SAT.

The test takes about 60 minutes total:

• Adaptive section (~45 minutes): mixed Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking tasks
• Video interview (~10 minutes): open-ended speaking and writing prompts
• Setup + instructions (~5 minutes)

You take the test at home using your own laptop, webcam, and microphone. No trip to a testing center. A proctor reviews the video recording afterward, and results come back in 48 hours.

Why it exploded in 2020

Before 2020, almost nobody used Duolingo English Test. When pandemic lockdowns closed in-person testing centers for months, TOEFL and IELTS became hard to access. Universities needed an alternative for international applicants who could not reach a testing center, and Duolingo's at-home format filled the gap.

Universities kept accepting it because the test worked: reliable, fraud-resistant (the proctoring review catches cheating), and much cheaper for international families. By 2026, 5,000+ universities worldwide accept it, including all 8 Ivies, MIT, Stanford, Caltech, and virtually every other major US university.

Score requirements

Duolingo scores are not directly comparable to TOEFL or IELTS. Duolingo uses its own 10-160 scale. Rough equivalents:

• Duolingo 120+ ~ TOEFL 100+ ~ IELTS 7.0+ (top-20 US competitive)
• Duolingo 115-125 ~ TOEFL 90-100 ~ IELTS 6.5-7.0 (top-50 competitive)
• Duolingo 105-115 ~ TOEFL 80-90 ~ IELTS 6.0-6.5 (mid-tier)
• Duolingo below 105 narrows US options significantly

Most selective US universities publish a minimum DET requirement on their international admissions page. Top schools often want 120+ or 125+.

Advantages for international students

1. Cost: $65 per sitting is much cheaper than TOEFL ($220) or IELTS (varies by country). You can retake multiple times without costs adding up quickly.
2. Speed: 48-hour results means you can retake quickly before a deadline. TOEFL and IELTS take 13 days.
3. Flexibility: take it from home at any time of day, no need to book a slot at a distant testing center.
4. Retake limit: you can take the DET up to twice per 30-day period.

Disadvantages to consider

1. Not every school accepts it. Some US schools still prefer TOEFL or IELTS, especially for programs like English literature or journalism. Always check.
2. Adaptive format is stressful for some students. If one early question goes poorly, the algorithm adjusts difficulty down, which can hurt the achievable score ceiling.
3. Shorter test means less time to recover from a bad stretch. TOEFL gives you 3 hours to even out; DET punishes early mistakes more.
4. Fewer prep materials exist compared to TOEFL, which has decades of test-prep books and courses available.

When to choose DET vs TOEFL

Use the Duolingo English Test when: (1) cost matters, (2) you need fast results before a deadline, (3) you score above 120 in a free online practice run, (4) every school on your list accepts it.

Stick with TOEFL when: (1) your target schools are all HYPSM-level where TOEFL is the safer traditional choice, (2) you have already been prepping for TOEFL, (3) you want the advantage of more widely available practice materials.