How the Duolingo English Test works
About an hour, online, and adaptive.
10 minutes · A free lesson from Start here
The Duolingo English Test (DET) is taken online, at home, and takes about an hour. It is adaptive: the questions get harder or easier depending on your answers, so no two tests are the same.
You get an overall score from 10 to 160, with subscores for the different skills. Two parts of the test — the writing sample and the speaking sample — are not scored separately but are sent, as recordings and text, to the institutions that receive your results.
Task types you will meet (not all appear in every test):
- Reading: Read and Complete (missing letters), Read and Select (real words), Interactive Reading.
- Listening: Listen and Type, Interactive Listening.
- Writing: Write About the Photo, Read, Then Write, the Writing Sample.
- Speaking: Read Aloud, Listen, Then Speak, Read, Then Speak, Speak About the Photo, the Speaking Sample.
Quick check: What is the score range of the Duolingo English Test?
- 0–9
- 10–90
- 10–160
Show the answer
C: 10–160
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: Where do you take the Duolingo English Test?
- At a test centre, on paper
- With an examiner in the room
- Online, at home
Show the answer
C: Online, at home — It takes about an hour, and you are recorded throughout.
Quick check: What does “adaptive” mean in the DET?
- You can choose the questions
- The questions get harder or easier depending on your answers
- Every test is the same
Show the answer
B: The questions get harder or easier depending on your answers — So no two tests are the same.
Quick check: What happens to the Writing Sample and the Speaking Sample?
- They are sent to the institutions that receive your results
- They are deleted after the test
- They give a separate score
Show the answer
A: They are sent to the institutions that receive your results — They are not scored separately, but universities can read and hear them.
Quick check: Which of these can invalidate your result?
- Looking away from the screen or using notes
- Speaking clearly
- Taking the test in a quiet room
Show the answer
A: Looking away from the screen or using notes — Be alone in a quiet room, keep your face visible, and read the official rules before test day.