19 Duolingo English Test Question Types You Should Know
Test takers need to understand Duolingo English test question types to eliminate confusion and get familiar with the test structure.
This article will provide details on each task with clear instructions on how to complete them.
Let’s scroll down, and LUME Test will explain them all to you!
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Let’s get to know the details of each pattern in DET:
Literacy
In DET, literacy means your ability to understand written English.
You’ll face various contexts in various forms, such as newspapers, email, social posts, short stories, etc.
Based on the content, you’ll be asked different types of questions.
It can be about the main idea, tone of the text, purpose of writing, or identifying details.
Production
This section tests your speaking skills.
You need to show fluent speech, as well as the ability to organize and deliver your thoughts coherently.
You will be asked to communicate your ideas when seeing a picture or reading a short prompt, or passage.
Comprehension
Here, you need to listen to a passage or conversation and then answer questions about its main idea, arguments, and supporting details.
Conversation
This category combines speaking and listening skills.
Test takers will be given a picture or a short prompt.
They need to discuss the content, showing their ability to understand and respond correctly.
In this question type, you need to identify whether a word is an English word or not.
You’ll see about 15-18 items, each appearing one by one.
And there’ll be 5 seconds for you to answer for each word.
The timer and instructions will also be displayed on the screen.
Your performance in this task will affect your Literacy and Comprehension score.
This question type focuses on vocabulary and grammar in context.
Test takers need to complete a sentence with the correct word to ensure proper grammar and intended meaning.
There will be 6-9 sentences, and you’ll have 20 seconds to answer each.
You’ll increase your score in Literacy and Comprehension for each correct response.
Another task that affects your Literacy and Comprehension score is Read & Complete.
Now, instead of a sentence, you’ll need to read a passage and find out the correct letters to complete the words in blanks.
The time for this task is 3 minutes, and this question type can appear 3-6 times in DET.
This task asks you to record yourself saying a written statement on the screen.
You’ll have 20 seconds to speak.
Ensure your microphone works properly so your voice is recorded.
You’ll see this question type 3-6 times during the test.
If you do well, the task will add scores on your Comprehension and Conversation.
This task tests your ability to transcribe spoken English.
You’ll listen to a statement and then need to type exactly in the box what you’ve heard.
The statement will be played 3 times.
The total time to finish typing is 1 minute.
You’ll meet this question type 6-9 times in the test.
In this task, you’ll be given a paragraph with missing words in each sentence.
You need to choose the best option that fits the content and the overall flow of the passage.
It means that you should focus on both the grammar and meaning of the response.
This question appears 2 times in DET.
Similarly to the previous task, you also need to read a passage in this question type.
However, instead of missing words, you need to deal with a missing sentence.
Your job is to find the best sentence to complete the passage with logic and smooth flow.
You’ll meet this question type 2 times during the test.
You need to read a passage and a question on the screen.
Please answer the question by finding the answer in the passage itself.
You can select the words containing the response by using your mouse/ cursor to highlight them.
You’ll see the selected section in a separate box.
The task’s subscores are Literacy and Comprehension.
You will face this question 4 times.
Test takers need to read a passage and select an option that best summarizes its main idea.
You’ll have about 7-8 minutes to complete this task.
The question type will appear twice.
A passage will be displayed on the screen.
You need to read it and choose the best title for it among the given options.
You will be tested with this Title the Passage question type twice.
You have about 20 seconds to read a prompt about a topic that you need to discuss.
Then, you’ll need to talk about it for at least 30 seconds and not more than 90 seconds.
There will be 10 questions of this type.
After listening to a conversation, you’re required to summarize its main idea.
Your written summary should contain the key points of the dialogue without unnecessary information.
You’ll be shown an image and need to write a description (of at least 1 sentence) for it.
The time limit for this task is 1 minute.
You will face this question type 3 times.
Your performance will contribute to your Product and Literacy scores.
It’s one of the most challenging DET question types.
The task consists of 2 steps.
First, you’ll have 5 minutes to write your answer to a prompt.
Then, the next 3 minutes are for follow-up questions based on your previous answer.
A prompt on a topic will be given to test takers through text and audio.
You have 20 seconds to review it and 90 seconds to speak about the topic.
Ensure a working microphone to record your voice properly.
This task assesses your Conversation and Production.
You will have 20 seconds to see an image on the screen.
After that, you need to record yourself talking about the photo.
You can click Next if you want to speak before the 20-second end.
The minimum speaking time is 30 seconds, and the maximum is 90 seconds.
This task happens only once.
Read, Then Speak is another task to get scored for Conversation and Production.
Instead of a photo, you’ll read a prompt for 20 seconds.
Then, use your microphone to record your response.
Though you can speak for a minimum of 30 seconds, it’s advisable to speak for a maximum of 90 seconds.
It’s a timed writing task that tests your Literacy and Production.
Instructions and a topic will appear on the screen.
You’ll have 30 seconds to read and prepare.
Then, you’ll need to write a response relevant to the topic.
The time to complete the task is 5 minutes.
In this task, you have 30 seconds to read a prompt and 3 minutes to speak about it.
The question type assesses your Conversation and Production.
Note that it’s a video recording.
Your writing and speaking samples in these two tasks will be sent to the recipients of your results.
So, ensure you stay focused for the best performance.
Duolingo English test question types are quite numerous, but most of them are not too complicated.
With regular and consistent practice, you will get used to them and can ace each task with ease.
We wish you luck in your DET!
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