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One-hour, adaptive, at-home English test accepted by thousands of universities
Set by Duolingo
Free to start · 21 lessons · 2 mock exams · about 23 h of study
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The Duolingo English Test (DET) is an online, computer-adaptive English proficiency test that you take at home, on demand, in about an hour. Thousands of universities and colleges worldwide accept it for undergraduate and graduate admission, and results usually arrive within about 2 days.
The test mixes 13 short question types: word-level tasks such as Read and Complete and Listen and Type, Interactive Reading and Interactive Listening sets, and timed writing and speaking responses, finishing with a Writing Sample and a video Speaking Sample that institutions can see. Everything is scored on a 10–160 scale in 5-point steps. The overall score is the average of four subscores (Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking), and the report also shows four integrated subscores (Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation, Production).
A top result is 155–160 (C2), but 130+ (C1, roughly IELTS 7) meets most university requirements and 145+ meets the most demanding. Courselo covers every question type in 21 focused lessons across Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking and cross-skill foundations. Practice items copy the real formats and timers, and writing and speaking are AI-graded against paraphrased versions of the official criteria. A diagnostic and a full one-hour mock show which subscore is holding you back, and your plan drills it until every subscore reaches 150+.
Format
1 h in total · 4 sections
The question types scored into Reading: Read and Complete (type the missing second halves of words in a paragraph, 3 min each), Read and Select (decide whether each word shown is a real English word, about 5 s each), Fill in the Blanks (complete one partly spelled word in a sentence, 20 s each), and two Interactive Reading sets (7–8 min each, six questions per passage: Complete the Sentences, Complete the Passage, Highlight the Answer ×2, Identify the Idea, Title the Passage).
Scoring
10–160
Top marks — Courselo target
The top band (C2, about IELTS 8–9). It needs a subscore average of at least 152.5, for example 160/155/150/150. On Courselo mocks that means about 96%+ in Reading and Listening and an average rubric level of about 5.8/6 in Writing and Speaking.
Syllabus
5 units · 21 topics · about 23 h of lessons and core practice
≈ 8%1 h 30 min
A C-test task: a short paragraph in which many words (roughly every other word after the opening sentence) have lost their second half. You type the missing letters within 3 minutes per paragraph. It usually appears several times, so it is one of the largest sources of Reading points.
Your course
AI-generated · reviewedParts of this course are generated from the official specification the first time they’re needed, then checked and kept.
Lessons
21
One for every syllabus topic, generated from the official specification and checked
Practice questions
Adaptive
Generated for each topic as you practise, checked before you see them, each with an explanation
Mock exams
2
Questions
About an hour: a short setup of about 5 minutes, an adaptive graded section of about 45 minutes, and about 10 minutes for the Writing Sample and Speaking Sample. There are no separately timed skill sections. Instead, each question has its own timer, from about 5 seconds (Read and Select) to about 8 minutes (an Interactive Reading passage), and you cannot go back.
Your Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking subscores are each on the 10–160 scale, and the overall score is their average, reported in 5-point steps. The integrated subscores (Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation, Production) are averages of pairs of individual subscores, so improving one skill lifts two integrated subscores and the overall score.
Set a target and a test date. You’ll take a diagnostic, see a predicted score with its range, and get a plan for every week until the exam.
Checked against official sources, Sep 2026Official site(opens in a new tab)
Question types
Read and Complete, Read and Select and Fill in the Blanks are scored right or wrong per word; Highlight the Answer earns partial credit by closeness to the correct span (Duolingo Scoring Guide). Question counts vary with the adaptive path.
The question types scored into Listening: Listen and Type (hear a sentence up to three times and type it exactly, 1 min each) and two Interactive Listening conversations. Each conversation opens with Listen and Complete (a spoken scenario followed by 3–4 fill-in-the-blank items) and continues with Listen and Respond (5–6 turns in which you choose the best reply). Both parts share a 6 min 30 s timer, and each conversation ends with a written summary that counts towards Writing.
Question types
Listen and Complete was added to Interactive Listening in 2025. Listen and Select, Listen, Then Speak and Read Aloud are no longer part of the test.
The question types scored into Writing: Write About the Photo (1 min, three times), Summarize the Conversation (75 s after each Interactive Listening conversation), Interactive Writing (5 min for the main response, then 3 min for a follow-up question) and the Writing Sample (30 s to prepare, 3–5 min to write; also sent to institutions). All are AI-scored on content, discourse coherence, grammar and lexis.
Question types
US and UK spelling are both accepted. The Writing Sample is taken at the end of the test, after the adaptive section.
The question types scored into Speaking: Speak About the Photo (20 s to prepare, 30–90 s to speak), Read, Then Speak (20 s to read a prompt, 30–90 s to speak), Interactive Speaking (about 6–8 spoken questions from an animated character, each heard once, 35 s per answer with no preparation) and the Speaking Sample (30 s to prepare, 1–3 min on video; also sent to institutions). All are AI-scored on content, discourse coherence, fluency, grammar, lexis and pronunciation.
Question types
Interactive Speaking was introduced on 1 July 2025 and counts towards the Speaking subscore. Speak into the computer microphone through speakers; headphones are not allowed.
Delivery. Online and on demand (24/7) at home on a Windows or macOS computer with a webcam, microphone and speakers, using Duolingo’s secure test application. Headphones and earbuds are not allowed. You must be alone in a quiet, well-lit room with your face and ears visible, and you must not look away from the screen, speak outside speaking tasks or use notes or paper. The recorded session is reviewed by human proctors supported by AI before the results are certified.
The DET is one sitting of about an hour, taken at home and recorded by webcam, screen capture and microphone:
| Question type | Time allowed | Per test (approx.) | Subscore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read and Complete | 3 min per paragraph | 3–6 | Reading |
| Read and Select | about 5 s per word | 15–18 words | Reading |
| Fill in the Blanks | 20 s per sentence | 6–9 | Reading |
| Interactive Reading | 7–8 min per passage (6 questions) | 2 passages | Reading |
| Listen and Type | 1 min per sentence (up to 3 plays) | 6–9 | Listening |
| Interactive Listening: Listen and Complete + Listen and Respond | 6 min 30 s per conversation | 2 conversations | Listening |
| Interactive Listening: Summarize the Conversation | 75 s | 2 | Writing |
| Write About the Photo | 1 min | 3 | Writing |
| Interactive Writing | 5 min + 3 min follow-up | 1 | Writing |
| Writing Sample | 30 s prep + 3–5 min | 1 | Writing |
| Speak About the Photo | 20 s prep + 30–90 s | 1 | Speaking |
| Read, Then Speak | 20 s prep + 30–90 s | 1 | Speaking |
| Interactive Speaking | 35 s per answer, no prep | about 6–8 questions | Speaking |
| Speaking Sample | 30 s prep + 1–3 min | 1 | Speaking |
Every question has its own timer, which is a maximum: you can submit early, unused time does not carry over, and you cannot go back to a question. The durations under each subscore below are Courselo’s one-hour budget for practice, not official section times, because the real test has no separately timed skill sections. There is no calculator, and no paper, notes or headphones are allowed.
Most demanding programmes
About IELTS 7.5 and old TOEFL 113–116 in Duolingo’s concordance. Clears the highest DET requirements set by selective universities and programmes; check any subscore minimums.
145
Competitive universities
C1, about IELTS 7. A common requirement for selective undergraduate and graduate programmes.
130
Typical university entry
About IELTS 6.5. A frequent requirement for undergraduate and many graduate programmes.
120
Common minimum
About IELTS 6. The lowest score many universities accept for direct admission; pathway and foundation programmes may accept less.
105
How Duolingo scores the test. Each response is scored by the DET’s AI: Read and Complete, Read and Select, Fill in the Blanks and the multiple-choice Interactive Reading and Listening questions are right or wrong; Listen and Type and Highlight the Answer earn partial credit (0 to 1) by closeness to the correct answer; and every writing and speaking response is rated on content, discourse coherence, grammar and lexis, plus fluency and pronunciation for speaking. Because the test is adaptive, answering harder questions correctly raises your estimated ability more than answering easy ones.
Subscores and the overall score. Weighted results from the relevant question types produce four individual subscores on the 10–160 scale: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. The overall score is the average of these four, reported in 5-point steps. The four integrated subscores are averages of pairs, rounded to the nearest 5: Literacy = Reading + Writing, Comprehension = Reading + Listening, Conversation = Listening + Speaking, Production = Writing + Speaking. Because of rounding, the average of the integrated subscores can differ slightly from the overall score.
What the numbers mean. Duolingo aligns the scale with the CEFR: roughly 155–160 = C2, 130–150 = C1, 100–125 = B2, 60–95 = B1, 30–55 = A2 and 10–25 = A1. Duolingo’s concordance puts 160 ≈ IELTS 8.5–9, 145–155 ≈ 7.5–8, 130–135 ≈ 7, 120–125 ≈ 6.5 and 105–115 ≈ 6. There is no pass mark: each institution sets its own minimum, sometimes with subscore minimums.
How Courselo estimates your score. Courselo mocks are fixed forms at medium-to-hard difficulty. Reading and Listening use the share of marks earned (for example 96% → 155 and 92% → 145 in Reading). Writing and Speaking responses are graded 0–6 per criterion against the rubrics, where each point mirrors an official score range (6 = 155–160, 5 = 130–150, 4 = 100–125, 3 = 60–95, 2 = 30–55, 1 = 10–25). The four subscores are averaged and rounded to the nearest 5, as on the real test. These conversions are Courselo estimates, not Duolingo tables.
Reaching the top band. 155+ needs every subscore at 150 or above with at least two at 155–160. In practice that means almost no Read and Complete or Listen and Type errors, near-perfect Interactive Reading and Listening, and 6-level writing and speaking on almost every task. Aim for 150+ on every subscore in two consecutive mocks before booking.
| Band | From |
|---|---|
| 155–160 · C2Top band, about CEFR C2 (IELTS 8–9, old TOEFL 119–120 in Duolingo’s concordance). Understands virtually everything read or heard and writes and speaks precisely, fluently and flexibly. | 155+ |
| 130–150 · C1About CEFR C1 (IELTS 7–8, old TOEFL 98–118). Handles demanding academic and everyday language with ease; writing and speaking are well developed with rare errors. 130+ meets most university requirements. | 130+ |
| 100–125 · B2About CEFR B2 (IELTS 5.5–6.5, old TOEFL 65–97). Understands the main ideas of complex texts and speech and communicates clearly, with noticeable but non-blocking errors. 105–120 is a common undergraduate range. | 100+ |
| 60–95 · B1About CEFR B1. Understands the main points of clear, standard language on familiar topics and produces simple connected text and speech. | 60+ |
| 30–55 · A2About CEFR A2. Understands and uses frequently used expressions and handles simple, routine exchanges. | 30+ |
| 10–25 · A1About CEFR A1. Recognises familiar words and very basic phrases. | 10+ |
≈ 3%45 min
Words appear one at a time and you have about 5 seconds to decide whether each is a real English word. The fake words are built to look and sound English, so the task measures the breadth and accuracy of your written vocabulary. Every wrong decision costs points.
≈ 4%50 min
One sentence with one unfinished word: the first letters are shown and you type the rest within 20 seconds. The task tests whether you know the word the context demands, its collocations and its exact spelling and form.
≈ 4%1 h 10 min
The first two parts of each Interactive Reading set. In Complete the Sentences you choose the best word for each gap in the passage; in Complete the Passage you choose the sentence that best fills a missing slot. Each set has one 7–8-minute timer for all six of its questions.
≈ 4%1 h 15 min
The comprehension parts of each Interactive Reading set: two Highlight the Answer questions (click and drag to highlight the words that answer a question, scored on how closely your span matches), one Identify the Idea (main idea) and one Title the Passage. These decide the upper Reading bands.
About 5 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 8%1 h 20 min
You hear one sentence (you can play it up to three times) and type exactly what you heard within 1 minute. Answers get partial credit by closeness to the original, so every function word, ending and spelling counts. It appears several times per test.
≈ 5%55 min
Added to Interactive Listening in 2025. Each conversation opens with a spoken scenario, followed by 3–4 fill-in-the-blank items about what you heard. It shares one 6 min 30 s timer with Listen and Respond.
≈ 8%1 h 20 min
You take part in a conversation with a professor, classmate or staff member. At each of your 5–6 turns you hear the other speaker once and choose the best reply from written options. The replies test comprehension, pragmatics and whether you can move the conversation towards its goal.
About 3 h 35 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 4%50 min
You write about a photo for 1 minute; the task appears three times. Short but scored on the same four criteria as long writing, so precision and accuracy in one or two sentences matter.
≈ 4%55 min
After each Interactive Listening conversation you have 75 seconds to write a summary of it. It counts towards Writing and tests whether you understood the whole exchange and can report it accurately and concisely.
≈ 7%1 h 30 min
You answer a prompt in 5 minutes, then answer a follow-up question on a related angle in 3 minutes. It is the longest scored writing task in the adaptive section and the best place to show range, development and control.
≈ 5%1 h
At the end of the test you get 30 seconds to read a prompt and 3–5 minutes to write. The response is scored and is also sent to institutions, so it doubles as a writing sample for admissions officers.
About 4 h 15 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 4%50 min
You get 20 seconds to look at a photo, then speak about it for 30–90 seconds. It rewards an organised description that keeps going for most of the time.
≈ 4%1 h
You read a prompt, usually a topic with two or three guiding questions, for 20 seconds, then speak for 30–90 seconds. Answering every guiding question with developed reasons is what separates the top bands.
≈ 6%1 h 20 min
Introduced on 1 July 2025. An animated character asks about 6–8 questions on one theme. Each is heard once with no text on screen, and you have 35 seconds to answer with no preparation. Questions move from personal experience to broader opinion.
≈ 4%1 h
The final task: 30 seconds to read a prompt, then 1–3 minutes of speaking recorded on video. It is scored and also sent to institutions, so it doubles as an on-camera impression for admissions officers.
≈ 3%1 h
The delivery skills scored on every speaking task: intelligible sounds, word and sentence stress, intonation, chunking and a steady rate of speech, plus the recording set-up that lets the AI hear you clearly.
About 5 h 10 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 5%1 h 30 min
Vocabulary breadth and exact spelling underpin Read and Complete, Read and Select, Fill in the Blanks and Listen and Type, and lexis is a scoring criterion on every writing and speaking task.
≈ 4%1 h 20 min
The grammar that powers grammatical cueing in the reading and listening tasks and the Grammar criterion on every production task.
≈ 3%1 h
Fast planning and clear organisation for all open-response tasks, which are scored on content and discourse coherence.
≈ 3%45 min
How the adaptive engine, per-question timers and certification rules work, so that no points are lost to pacing mistakes or an uncertified result.
About 4 h 35 min of study, lessons and core practice
1 diagnostic · 1 full-length, timed and scored like the real test
Strategy guides
7
Pacing, section strategy and test-day guides
Free to start
Every lesson and guide is free, with 40 practice questions a day and the diagnostic. Pro removes the limits.
Compare plansYes. Duolingo’s scoring guide lists both with the same grading criteria as the other writing and speaking tasks, so they count towards Writing and Speaking. They are also sent to every institution that receives your results, and the Speaking Sample is a video, so treat them as your admissions writing and speaking samples too.
Each institution sets its own minimum. Many accept 105–120 for undergraduate entry. Selective and graduate programmes often ask for 120–135, and the most demanding ask for 140 or more, sometimes with subscore minimums. Duolingo’s concordance puts 120 at about IELTS 6.5 and 130–135 at about IELTS 7. Courselo trains you towards 155–160 so that every requirement is covered with a margin.
No. Headphones and earbuds are not allowed, so you listen through the computer speakers. You cannot write notes on paper, use your phone or have anyone else in the room. Your face and ears must stay visible, and you should keep your eyes on the screen. Breaking a rule can lead to an uncertified result even if your English is excellent.
You can take the test up to twice in any 30-day period. Results are valid for 2 years and usually arrive within about 2 days. Sending results to institutions is free and unlimited.
It is shorter, cheaper and taken at home, but not easier to score highly on. The adaptive engine keeps raising the difficulty, and the word-level tasks punish every spelling and grammar slip. Reaching 155+ needs C2-level accuracy and vocabulary breadth, just as IELTS 8.5 does.
In 2025 Duolingo added Interactive Speaking, a simulated conversation with 35-second answers, and expanded Interactive Listening with Listen and Complete. Older task types such as Read Aloud, Listen and Select and Listen, Then Speak no longer appear, so avoid preparation materials built around them.