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The Duolingo English Test is an online English proficiency test taken at home on a computer with a webcam, without an appointment, in about an hour. It is computer-adaptive, so the difficulty and the number of questions change with each answer, and it is proctored after the event by reviewers who watch the recording before a result is certified. Results arrive within two days and are accepted by more than 6,500 institutions, most of them in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, for admission rather than for visas.
The test was reshaped in July 2025. An Interactive Speaking task — a simulated conversation of six to eight questions with an animated character, each answered in 35 seconds — replaced Listen, Then Speak; Read Aloud was removed; and Interactive Listening was expanded with a Listen and Complete stage. The result is a test that spends more of its hour on connected speech and conversation than the older version did.
Duolingo English Test · checked 19 September 2026
The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.
Checked 19 September 2026
Duolingo, online at home with computer, webcam and a phone as a second camera
University admission at 6,500+ institutions; not generally accepted for visas
About one hour — 5 minutes of setup, 45 minutes of adaptive questions, 10 minutes of writing and speaking samples
10–160 in steps of 5, with subscores for Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation and Production
Overview
The certified test has three stages. Onboarding checks the camera, speakers and microphone, takes the government photo ID, and sets up the phone as a second camera recording the computer. The adaptive test then runs a sequence of question types — Read and Select, Fill in the Blanks, Read and Complete, Listen and Type, Interactive Reading, Interactive Listening, Write About the Photo, Interactive Writing, Speak About the Photo, Read Then Speak and Interactive Speaking — drawing from a large pool so that no two tests repeat. It closes with a Writing Sample and a Speaking Sample that are not scored but are sent to institutions alongside the result.
Scores run from 10 to 160 in increments of five. Four individual subscores — speaking, writing, reading and listening — average to the overall score, and four integrated subscores are each the average of two of them: Literacy (reading and writing), Comprehension (reading and listening), Conversation (listening and speaking) and Production (writing and speaking). Duolingo’s published comparison places 120 alongside IELTS 6.5 and TOEFL iBT 87–92, and 130 alongside IELTS 7.0 and TOEFL 98–103.
Many universities accept the Duolingo English Test for admission but visa authorities generally do not: Australia’s Department of Home Affairs excludes tests delivered entirely online, and UK Student visa applicants who need a Secure English Language Test cannot use it. A candidate who needs one score for both admission and a visa should check the visa rule before choosing this test.
Selection process
Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.
| Stage | Format | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Setup and identity | About 5 minutes | Camera, microphone and speakers are checked, a government-issued photo ID is photographed, the phone is positioned as a second camera showing the computer and desk, and the test rules are accepted. The test cannot be paused once started. |
| Adaptive test | About 45 minutes; question count varies | Read and Select (15–18 items), Fill in the Blanks (6–9), Read and Complete (3–6), Listen and Type (6–9), two Interactive Reading sets of six questions, two Interactive Listening conversations of eight to ten questions, three Write About the Photo tasks, one Interactive Writing set of two, one Speak About the Photo, one Read Then Speak and one Interactive Speaking conversation of six to eight questions. |
| Writing and speaking samples | About 10 minutes; unscored | A five-minute written response to a prompt and a spoken response of one to three minutes. Neither counts towards the score, but both are attached to the certificate that institutions see, so they are read. |
| Review and certification | Within two days | Proctors review the recording for rule breaches before the result is certified. The result appears in the account and can be shared with any number of institutions free of charge; it is valid for two years. A new test cannot be started until the previous result is released, and at most three tests may be bought in any 30-day period. |
Exam resources
Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.
Questions
It is taken online at home in about an hour: five minutes of setup and ID checks, 45 minutes of computer-adaptive questions across reading, listening, writing and speaking, and ten minutes of unscored writing and speaking samples. Proctors review the recording afterwards, and the certified result is released within two days, or within 12 hours with the paid Faster Results option.
From 1 July 2025 an Interactive Speaking task — six to eight questions in a simulated conversation, 35 seconds per answer — replaced Listen, Then Speak, and Read Aloud was removed. Interactive Listening gained a Listen and Complete stage of three or four gap questions before the Listen and Respond turns, with a single timer of 6 minutes 30 seconds and 75 seconds for the closing summary.
By Duolingo’s published comparison, 120 corresponds to IELTS 6.5 and TOEFL iBT 87–92, and 130 to IELTS 7.0 and TOEFL 98–103. Universities set their own minimums, often with subscore floors, so check the admissions page.
Generally not. It is accepted for admission by more than 6,500 institutions, but Australia’s Department of Home Affairs does not accept any test delivered entirely online, and it is not a UK Secure English Language Test. Candidates who need a score for a visa usually need IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL or a similar centre-based test.
Up to three tests may be purchased in any 30-day period, counted by looking back over the previous 30 days, and a new test cannot be taken until the result of the previous one has been released. Results are valid for two years.
The fee is set in US dollars and shown at purchase, with a discounted bundle of two tests and an optional Faster Results add-on. Duolingo describes it as a fraction of the cost of other tests; the current figure is on the purchase page after signing in.
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