Overview
About Duolingo English Test
The Duolingo English Test (DET) is an online English-proficiency test run by Duolingo, Inc., a language-learning company based in the United States. Duolingo developed it in 2014 as Test Center and launched it publicly in 2016. You sit it from home on a computer with a webcam, under remote proctoring, rather than in a physical test hall.
The test is computer-adaptive: questions get harder or easier as you answer, so the set you see is matched to your level. It measures reading, writing, listening and speaking together, and adds a short video interview and a writing sample that institutions can review alongside the score. Results are reported on a scale of 10 to 160.
Universities accept the DET as one form of proof of English proficiency for admission, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Thousands of institutions worldwide take it, and each sets its own required score, so the bar you need to clear depends on the course and university you apply to. It is offered on demand and year-round, so there is no fixed exam date to plan around.
Sources: Duolingo English Test - official (How it works) · Duolingo English Test - Wikipedia · Duolingo English Test for U.S. College Admissions - WTOP News (AP)
At a glance
Duolingo English Test highlights
Every figure traces to an official source.
| Full name | Duolingo English Test (DET) |
| Conducting body | Duolingo, Inc. |
| Level | UG and PG |
| Mode of exam | Online, computer-adaptive, taken at home with webcam (on-demand) |
| Frequency | On-demand, year-round (take anytime online) per year |
| Scope | International |
| Sections | An adaptive graded section (~45 min covering reading, writing, listening, speaking) plus a ~10-minute ungraded writing and speaking sample |
| Marking scheme | Overall score 10-160 in 5-point increments, plus sub-scores (Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation, Production). |
Deep dives
Everything you need to know
Eligibility
- ·No fixed eligibility; an online English-proficiency test. Accepting universities set their own required scores.
Exam pattern
- ·Sections: An adaptive graded section (~45 min covering reading, writing, listening, speaking) plus a ~10-minute ungraded writing and speaking sample
- ·160 total marks
- ·60 minutes
- ·Marking: Overall score 10-160 in 5-point increments, plus sub-scores (Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation, Production).
Syllabus
- ·Integrated English skills tested adaptively: reading, writing, listening and speaking, plus a video interview and writing sample for universities to review.
Help