You will be assessed on four categories by Duolingo, similar to past competency exams: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Some institutions, but not all, have started to accept Duolingo’s English proficiency exam scores since then. Due to the global pandemic and the transition to digital platforms, numerous colleges began seeking alternatives to conventional English proficiency assessments. IELTS and TOEFL tests could not be given since the testing centers were closed. As a consequence, the number of educational institutions accepting Duolingo scores is steadily growing.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through every stage of the Duolingo English Test. It will assist you in comprehending the test’s structure and how to approach the Listen and Type question type.
What is the DET?
The latest English language competency exam is Duolingo. It’s becoming more popular among students and foreign educational institutions. Students, however, are unfamiliar with how to prepare for the Duolingo English Test since it is still relatively new. The Duolingo English Test analyzes the applicant’s English language abilities in a similar way to the well-known IELTS and TOEFL. The Duolingo English Test, however, differs from its predecessors in terms of approach and organization. As a result, preparing for the Duolingo English Test is different from preparing for the IELTS or TOEFL.
The Duolingo English Test offers a unique approach to testing since it can be completed from the comfort of your own computer. There are no available testing centers or appointments. The test is $49 USD and may be taken whenever you choose. It takes less than an hour, and the results are available in two days. After that, you may submit your findings to an infinite number of colleges at no further cost.
Furthermore, the Duolingo English Exam includes a video interview and a writing sample that is shared with your chosen institution. A video gives a better impression of an applicant’s English skills than a score alone. During the exam, you will be asked to reply to questions in English by a proctor. You’ll also be relieved to learn that the Duolingo English Test, like the others, is as safe and dependable as the others, thanks to the use of cutting-edge data forensic and biometric technology or the adaptive system. In addition, the exam is proctored remotely by a real person.
What is the DET Exam Pattern?
The Duolingo exam pattern is not too difficult or constrained. To practice, you may use any English content. You should first learn about the kind of questions that will be asked and then prepare appropriately. The following are the exact details of the exam pattern:
Adaptive testing
Following the start of the exam, you will be required to complete an adaptive test. This is a component of the Duolingo test that is assessed or scored. This test assesses your English reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities. You will be needed to take a series of short exams here.
- Read and Complete
- Read Aloud
- Write About the Photo
- Listen and Select
- Read and Select
- Listen, Then Write
- Read, Then Write
- Read, Then Speak
Video and Writing Sample
You’ll have to record a video interview and pass a written exam after the adaptive test. This segment of the exam will not be included in your overall score, but it will be shared with any institutions that get your results.
- Interview Sample
- Writing Sample
The following table summarizes the highlights of each question type within the Duolingo graded section:
| Question Types | Time Limit | Subscores | Frequency |
| Read and Complete | 3 minutes | Literacy, Comprehension | 3 – 7 times each (average of 6) |
| Read and Select | 1 minute | Literacy, Comprehension | |
| Listen and Select | 1 minute 30 seconds | Comprehension, Conversation | |
| Listen and Type | 1 minute | Comprehension, Conversation | |
| Read Aloud | 20 seconds | Comprehension, Conversation | |
| Write About the Photo | 1 minute | Production, Literacy | 3 |
| Speak About the Photo | 1 minute 30 seconds | Production, Conversation | 1 |
| Read, Then Write | 5 minutes | Production, Literacy | 1 |
| Read, Then Speak | 1 minute 30 seconds | Production, Conversation | 2 |
| Listen, Then Speak | 1 minute 30 seconds | Production, Conversation | 1 |
| Writing Sample | 5 minutes | 1 | |
| Speaking Sample | 3 minutes | 1 |
Question Type: Listen and Type
You will need to listen to an audio recording that pronounces an English sentence and type what you have heard. This test assesses your English language listening and writing abilities. You must write out the phrases you hear.
Highlights: Listen and Type
- Between 3-7 times on the test (6 on average)
- 1 minute to complete
- Listen three times in total
- You must write exactly what you hear
- Spelling and punctuation should be correct
- Contributes to your comprehension and conversation subscores
Tips in Answering the Listen and Type Question
Here are some helpful suggestions for the listen and type question to help your revision:
- Click the orange speaker to reply to the statement
- Listening at the first time, type out what you hear
- On your second and third listening, check your answers and fix mistakes
- You might be listening to a statement or a question
- You can use contractions such as isn’t, weren’t, aren’t, wouldn’t
- For test takers with a low English level, the statements are short and contain simple grammar structures
- For advanced test-takers, the statements are longer and contain more complex grammar structures
Ways to Improve Listening Skills
One of the most important components of communication is listening. It’s the way we interact with one another. In English, it’s just as crucial as it is in your own tongue.
Unfortunately, learning to listen to and comprehend a foreign language may be difficult. It is, nevertheless, far from difficult to master! To teach you how to enhance your English listening abilities, we put prepared some approaches for improving your listening skills if you choose to learn English on your own.
- Make a Listening Schedule
Listening exercises are an excellent approach to practice English listening skills in a safe setting. To strengthen their listening abilities, English learners should locate audios that they can listen to twice or three times. The listening exercises must be divided into portions with distinct objectives. Begin by acquiring a general sense of the sounds, then listen for specific details.
There’s a reason why students are given listening activities before they finish a listening exercise in English textbooks. The questions that learners must respond to while listening to an activity are designed to motivate the listener to pay attention. In the actual world, we seldom listen to anything unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
- Watch English-language films
While watching Netflix shows won’t necessarily increase your debate abilities or formal register, it will help you better grasp the language, get used to colloquial, conversational forms of English, and gain an implicit sense of the language. You might also attempt to pick out terms that seem really casual and check them up in a dictionary. Of course, there is a myriad of documentaries available online. Exposure to a language over the duration of a film may assist you in genuinely thinking in English.
- Immerse yourself with news written in the English language.
Make an effort to read a variety of English-language newspapers, including broadsheets, magazines, and tabloids. This collection of news sources will not only keep you informed about current events but will also help you increase your vocabulary. Another benefit is that you will get more familiar with how words are spelled and how they are used in different situations.
- Make a helpful word list in a vocabulary book.
Begin compiling a collection of helpful terms and phrases in a notebook or on your computer. Take note every time you hear or see a term you’re unfamiliar with. Don’t just look for the word itself; look for synonyms and sentences in which it’s used as well. After all, you may know what terms like “explicable” and “tantalizing” imply, but do you know how to correctly employ them?
- Have English-language chats.
As beneficial as listening and reading exercises are, you must also engage with English and develop your own speaking abilities. If you’re fortunate, you’ll know a few native English speakers who can assist you, but if not, attempt to meet up with someone who is learning English. Another alternative is to videotape yourself or chat to yourself in the mirror. Listening to the sound of your own speech may be uncomfortable at first, but you will be able to detect errors you were previously unaware of.
- Practice, practice, and practice some more
Let’s face it: academic words aren’t going to fall from the sky and into your head. Even if your English is excellent, don’t get comfortable and disregard stressful variables such as exam time pressure. Nevertheless, of how much time you have left before your big day, you must practice. Try coming up with a term of the day and then using it as often as possible. Don’t spend time on incredibly precise terms you’ll never use if you do this. Instead, concentrate on conversational English, which will most likely come up in the test.
- Remember to have fun while you’re learning.
If learning English seems like a chore, it will become tiresome, and you will not perform as well. This is why staying motivated and enjoying the process of learning a new language is critical. Find methods to include fun into your academics, such as playing word games with your pals to improve your critical thinking abilities.
FAQs about Duolingo English Test Question Types
What is the length of the Duolingo English Test?
It just takes 45 minutes to finish the exam. With the exclusion of the final two questions: a lengthy written answer (50 to 100 words) and a spoken response, the sequence in which each kind of question occurs is random (30-90 seconds).
You will have two tasks in this section of the test: first, react vocally to a subject of your choice for 1-3 minutes (while being video recorded), and second, respond in writing to a topic of your choice in 3-5 minutes. You will have 30 seconds to read, pick your subject, and prepare your answer for each activity.
The examination is divided into three portions.
- Duolingo’s Quick Setup provides an introduction that explains the rules and regulations in place with a duration of 10 minutes.
- Adaptive Questions is the meat of the exam, the graded portion that assesses your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills with a duration of 25 minutes.
- Writing Sample & Video Interview will ask you to react to a few open-ended questions here. Your replies will be submitted to the institutions that get your score, even if this component is ungraded with a duration of 10 minutes.
What does the Duolingo English Test assess?
These test questions are created to evaluate your skills and knowledge of English vocabulary, grammar, phonetics (how you pronounce English words), prosody (how you stress and intonate English words), reading and writing abilities, and listening skills.
What is the validity of DET results?
The Duolingo English test is valid for two years. You should deliver the score files from the results website to the academic institutions as soon as possible till you collect the scores. There is no time limit on providing the score files. You have the option of sending the score summary to as many institutions as you choose.
Is the Duolingo English Test easier than IELTS or TOEFL?
No, it is not. It is a popular misperception that Duolingo is easier to use than examinations like the IELTS or TOEFL. It, like both of the prior assessments, is designed to assess strong language ability.
Is it possible to cheat on a Duolingo test?
There were many precautions in place to guarantee that you would not cheat. You must provide identification to the camera, you may not use headphones, you must be the only person in a well-lit room, and you must be visible on video at all times. It would be tough to have someone aiding you or assisting you in cheating.
