Duolingo English Exam Overview

Duolingo English Test (DET) is an English Proficiency Test taken by non-native speakers of the English language if they have to study abroad. It evaluates your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. The test contains multiple-choice questions as well as open-ended questions. These will analyse your spoken and written capabilities in the language. The popularity of this test has increased over the years. More and more universities have started to accept Duolingo in place of tests like TOEFL, SAT, ACT etc.

The Duolingo test is becoming popular in recent times. It checks how accurate you are in the usage of the English language. The test has a speciality; for every wrong answer you make, the difficulty of the test increases and vice versa. The Duolingo English Test can help not only in studies but also in fetching a good job abroad. You have the option to link your Duolingo test scores with your LinkedIn profile if you need to. There was once a time when IELTS was considered the only standardised test. From there, several universities now have even nullified the need to have IELTS. This has also led to the increased importance that Duolingo enjoys.  

Name of the test	Duolingo
Full form of the test	Duolingo English Test (DET)
Official website	https://englishtest.duolingo.com/
Accepted countries	UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada
Popular for	The study, work, migration
Mode of test	Online/internet-based
Duration	45 minutes
Conducted by	Duolingo
Test fee	USD 49/INR 3600 - INR 3800
Result	Within 28-48 hours
Validity	2 years

It is evident that students take the Duolingo test from their homes. As such, you need to follow a few rules to take the test, failing which you can even be disqualified. These rules are given below.

• You should not interact with anyone.
• You should not use a mobile phone or other devices.
• You should not use earphones.
• You should not look elsewhere.

It is not a tedious task to apply for Duolingo. You have to follow a few steps and do everything right. You can attend the test immediately after registration if you want to. The steps to register for Duolingo are as follows.

• Visit the Duolingo official website: To start with your registration process, you should first take the Duolingo official website. You can then open the “Take the test” page.

• Download the Duolingo app: You should now download the Duolingo application and instal it successfully. It is only with the app that you can take the test.

• Check the requirements: You should have read about and kept in hand the necessary documents you may need to submit at the time of registration. At this step, you may need to check the required documents.

• Test everything: Your speaker and microphone will be tested to ensure they work properly. Also, your photo will be taken.

• Upload the documents: You will need to provide basic details like name, age etc. After that, you will need to upload the required documents.

• Take a photo of your ID: A picture of your valid government ID will be taken here. You need to hold it properly in front of the camera.

• Create an account: You may next need to create a Duolingo account. For this, you will have to provide your email address, name, age, address, password etc.

• Choose answers for questions: You will next be asked the question “What are you interested in?” and you will have to choose the Program/job you are planning to do abroad. 

• Payment: The final step is to make the payment. You can pay the Duolingo test fee, which can come to around INR 3600.

When you compare Duolingo to other leading tests like IELTS and TOEFL, you will find that Duolingo is way cheaper than them. You need to spend only around INR 3600 for the Duolingo test fee. The Duolingo test fee in India is about INR 10,000 less than the other tests. This helps cut down your expense. But at the same time, you should note that there is no scholarship available for Duolingo.

After registering for Duolingo, you can take the test within 21 days. Though there is no limit on the number of times you can take the test, you can attend the test only twice within 21 days. If you cannot attend the test on a particular day, you can reschedule it to another day, which should be within 21 days of registration. You need not pay an extra fee for that.

If the candidate does not take the test within 21 days of registration, the test automatically gets cancelled. In such a case, no refund will be provided. At the same time, if you face any technical error during your test and cannot complete the test, you can contact Duolingo’s customer service and get a refund.

When you pay for the Duolingo test, you can make online payments in any of the following forms

• PayPal (Unique Online Payment Platform).
• Card Payment (Debit/Credit).

 

You take the Duolingo test from your home, and you need not travel to any examination centre. This proves that you can take the test whenever you are comfortable. After you register for the test, you can appear for it whenever you want. The only thing is to be prepared before the test.

The Duolingo test can be taken from within your house. You need not visit an examination centre for the same. The results will be available within 48 hours as well. You just need a desktop/laptop to take the test. You can take the test starting anytime, just after the registration.

 

You will get the result of your Duolingo test after 48 hours of taking it. You can take the result from the page and send them to the educational institutions you need. It is worth noting that you can use the score for unlimited colleges/universities for free.

The Duolingo test is accepted by almost all universities abroad. It has seen a surge in recent years, and it is a piece of good news for students who wish to take Duolingo over TOEFL/IELTS. The list of s few universities/colleges that accept Duolingo in the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are below.

IELTS, TOEFL and Duolingo are some of the most popular English language tests that you will come across. They are all different in certain aspects, and it is better to know the differences in detail before proceeding to apply for the test.

On a surface level, the notable differences are given below:

Features	IELTS	TOEFL	DET
Established	1980	1964	2016
Test fee	USD 149	USD 180	USD 49
Accepted by	10,000+ colleges & 400+ countries	11,000+ colleges & 150+ countries	3000+ colleges & 50+ counties
Mode of the test	Internet-based or paper-based	Internet-based & paper-based	Internet-based
Score scale	0 to 9	0 to 120	10 to 160
Test structure	Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening	Reading, Writing, Speaking (only for iBT), Listening	Quick Set-Up, Adaptive Test, Video Interview
Result	Within 3-13 days	Within 6-10 days	Within 28-48 hours
Duration	2 hours 45 minutes	PBT - 2.5 hours, iBT - 3 hours	45 minutes - 1 hour

The first peculiarity of Duolingo is that there is no fixed syllabus for the test. You will need to find ways to prepare yourself. A few tips to help you are given below

• Be a good reader. You can read novels, newspapers or anything that comes your way that is written in advanced English. This will help you gain a better understanding of playing with words. 
• You can practice yourself with the help of mock tests available both on the Duolingo website and elsewhere.
• Indulge in conversation with people who are fluent in English. You can even start conversing in English.
• Know the exam pattern, types of questions etc., in a detailed way.
• Go through the official website of Duolingo and read blogs and other related sections to get helpful resources.