Frequently Asked Questions About the Duolingo English Test
Duolingo English test, with the ubiquitous owl mascot, has just been accepted more widely in recent years.
That’s why many candidates may feel confused as the test is quite different from traditional language exams.
LUME Test will list out frequently asked questions in the Duolingo English test with answers so that you’ll understand more about the exam.
Let’s follow us for more details!
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Duolingo English Test or DET is an online modern English proficiency test.
Candidates don’t need to make an appointment and go to a center to sit an exam.
All testing procedures will be done online at home.
You just need to ensure you have a good Internet connection, a computer, and a webcam.
DET uses computer adaptive technology, assigning questions whose difficulty depends on each candidate.
DET offers you a chance to approach a more accessible, convenient, and cost-effective English language assessment.
Other traditional English tests require candidates to book a schedule and travel to a test center.
Meanwhile, Duolingo allows students to sit the exam at home online.
It eliminates the cost of traveling and reduces stressful testing experiences.
Besides, the testing time is shorter (around 1 hour).
The result is available within a short period (usually, 2 days and 12 hours for Faster Result purchase).
You can also share your results with numerous institutions.
Your speaking sample (video) and writing sample will also be sent to the institutions together with your score to showcase your English ability.
DET is recognized worldwide, including numerous universities and secondary schools.
Visit this site to check if your dream institution is on the list.
Yes, you can.
There’s no guarantee 100% you can get a study visa to your dream destination.
However, you can use the DET certificate as a document in your visa application.
You can take the exam online any time you want within 21 days of purchasing.
It takes about 1 hour to complete the DET.
First, you need to create an account, purchase the DET, and take it within 21 days.
You can take the Duolingo English Test a maximum of 3 times within 30 days.
For example, if you sit your first exam on 1st June, then you’ll have 2 more chances until 30th June.
You need to prepare a computer with a properly working camera, microphone, and speaker.
Ensure your camera is in the top-middle of the screen.
Your result will be sent to the email you used for registration.
You can also find it on the DET website.
Go to the site and click on “My Test.”
Your results and history will be displayed on the screen.
Note that it’s only for official tests.
For practice tests, the estimated score will be shown at the end of each practice session only.
Once you close the window, the result will no longer be stored.
DET offers fast results.
You’ll receive your score within 2 days after completing the exam.
It can even be faster (within 12 hours) if you purchase the Fast Results service.
You’ll receive an email notification once the result is ready.
Just like other English proficiency tests (such as TOEFL or IELTS), your DET result will be valid for 2 years.
In theory, the highest score is 160, and the lowest score is 0.
Yet, in reality, based on test takers’ performance, the highest and lowest scores are 155 and 60, respectively.
Here’s a comparison table for your reference:
| DET | TOEFL | IELTS |
| 160 | 120 | 8.5 -9 |
| 155 | 119 | 8 |
| 150 | 117 – 118 | |
| 145 | 113 – 116 | 7.5 |
| 140 | 109 – 112 | 7 |
| 135 | 104 – 108 | |
| 130 | 98 – 103 | |
| 125 | 93 – 97 | 6.5 |
| 120 | 87 – 92 | |
| 115 | 82 -86 | 6 |
| 110 | 76 – 81 | |
| 105 | 70 – 75 | 5.5 |
| 100 | 65 – 69 | |
| 95 | 59 – 64 | |
| 90 | 53 – 58 | 5 |
| 85 | 47 – 52 | |
| 80 | 41 – 46 | 4.5 |
| 75 | 35 – 40 | |
| 70 | 30 – 34 | |
| 65 | 24 – 29 | 4 |
| 60 | 18 – 23 | 1-4 |
| 10 – 55 | 0 – 17 |
DET uses computer-adaptive technology, allowing the difficulty of the questions to change based on your performance.
The question types are various, assessing all 4 skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
Open-ended questions are also included to assess your flexibility in written and spoken responses.
Here are links to enable your microphone and camera:
No, you can’t.
If you open/ click on another program/ window during the exam, Duolinggo will cancel your performance.
In this case, you’ll lose one of your attempts and have to retake the test.
Therefore, ensure you only interact with the DET app during the exam.
Quitting the DET before completing it will take one of the attempts on your credit.
Duolingo will not return the lost attempts to you for this reason.
If freezing or canceling issues happen midway through, you need to take the exam again from the start.
Don’t open other windows/ programs or exit the DET app while uploading your test.
The uploading process may take several minutes, depending on your Internet speed.
If you fail to upload, you need to take the entire test one more time.
Your Internet is slow, leading to a long time to answer a question.
You may also not have enough time to complete all question types due to this reason.
To ensure you get an accurate score, you need to retake the DET.
No, cheating in DET is impossible.
There are cases when candidates did not cheat, but their scores are not certified.
They are asked to take the exam again.
It means Duolingo does everything to ensure that they don’t miss any suspicious cheating cases.
Human proctors will observe you while you record your performance.
Remember not to look away from the screen too many times since many people need to retake the DET due to this reason.
If there’s clear evidence of cheating, Duolingo will ban you for life!
It depends on the package you purchase.
If you buy a single DET, you’ll get 1 credit.
If you choose a test bundle, you can take 2 tests.
Yes, you can.
However, it’s not recommended.
For some reason, Duolingo may not accept your coupon, and you’ll lose money.
You need to:
Select USE COUPON to redeem it.
Yes. Someone else can buy the DET for you.
Yet, they need to use your DET account to make a purchase.
Make sure they enter the correct username and password to avoid confusion.
If they create an account to purchase the DET for you, you need to use this account to log in and access the credit that was bought.
If that person pays for you through a third party, DET is not responsible for accessing the account or for payment problems.
Note that Duolingo only gives a refund for the original payment method.
Once you use a third-party service, you need to work with them to receive a refund if required.
These are frequently asked questions in the Duolingo English test.
We hope you’re clear about the exam and ready for a real one.
If you still lack confidence, we suggest more regular and consistent practice to achieve a good result.
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Want to ACE the Duolingo English Test And Reach Your Goals? Get Your FREE Lume Account Today to Unlock… ✅ THOUSANDS of PRACTICE QUESTIONS with detailed answers ✅ FREE MOCK TESTS with fast & accurate AI scoring ✅ Get BETTER SCORES with a PERSONALIZED study plan (Limited seats available!) |
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