What Is the Duolingo English Test?

The Duolingo English Test is an online exam that you take on your personal computer. Like the TOEFL and IELTS, it tests all four language skills: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing.

How Is the Duolingo English Test Different from the TOEFL?

Even though they’re both computer-based tests, there are many differences between the Duolingo exam and the TOEFL. Those differences go far beyond the location, timing, and price!

In comparison, the TOEFL focuses on scenarios you’re likely to encounter in the real world, and particularly in academia. If you do well on traditional tests, you may prefer to stay on (more) familiar ground with TOEFL’s academic texts and campus-based scenarios.

In addition, TOEFL divides question type by section (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing), while Duolingo blends all questions into a single exam. You may encounter a reading question following a writing question, for example! This can require thinking on your feet and changing gears pretty quickly.
Like Duolingo, the TOEFL is primarily a computer-based test. However, the TOEFL is not adaptive—the difficulty of the questions doesn’t have anything to do with your previous answers. On the other hand, Duolingo is adaptive throughout the whole test, so questions change in relationship to everything you’ve answered on the exam so far.

How Is the Duolingo English Test Different from the IELTS?

A big plus for those looking at Duolingo in comparison to IELTS is that IELTS is usually given over a two-day period at a testing center. Beyond the practicalities of the exam, there are lots of differences in the format that you should consider before choosing one over the other.

Both test all four areas of language acquisition. However, you won’t see long texts on Duolingo. Instead, the test works by measuring language ability through things like your knowledge of idioms and your use of intonation. IELTS contains traditional item types, such as multiple-choice, short answer, and essay questions, while Duolingo’s questions take on new formats.

Who Accepts the Duolingo English Test?

Duolingo is heading into its fourth admissions cycle. According to Tousignant, about half of top U.S. universities now accept it in place of the IELTS or TOEFL. This includes Yale, Duke, Columbia, and many other leading schools.

What Does the Test Involve?

You’ll see a variety of test questions on Duolingo in formats that may be entirely new to you. The tests includes:
• Listening to spoken words and selecting the real ones
• Reviewing written words and selecting the real ones
• Completing missing letters from a text
• Describing an image in writing or aloud
• Recording yourself saying a written sentence
• Verbally answering a spoken question
• Responding in writing to a written question (writing samples have a maximum of 500 words but are usually much shorter)
• Typing out a statement that you hear
In addition to the above items, Duolingo includes a “video interview” section of the exam, in which you speak for 1-3 minutes on a topic you choose (they offer two). This is ungraded, but goes along with your test results to universities—which can be a great addition to your application!