Overview
The DET takes about an hour online. After a short setup, an adaptive section presents many brief questions whose difficulty changes with your answers, followed by a writing sample and a speaking sample that are sent to institutions with your score. Results are reported on a 10–160 scale with subscores, usually within a couple of days.
In mid-2025 Duolingo introduced Interactive Listening, in which you take part in a simulated academic conversation and then write a summary, and an interactive speaking task in which you answer a series of spoken questions from an AI interviewer. Other question types include word recognition (Read and Select), completing missing letters in a passage, dictation, interactive reading, writing and speaking about photos, and short timed writing. Because formats change, we check the official practice test before planning.
Preparation focuses on the underlying skills the tasks sample — vocabulary recognition, spelling, reading speed, listening accuracy and organized spontaneous writing and speech — and on test management: using preparation time, keeping answers relevant and avoiding rule breaches that lead to an uncertified result.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Undergraduate and graduate applicants to institutions that accept the DET
- Applicants who need a result quickly or cannot easily reach a test centre
- Candidates retaking the DET to raise a specific subscore
- Students who want admissions staff to see a strong writing and speaking sample
Common problems we help with
- Read and Select or letter-completion questions reveal spelling and word-recognition gaps
- Your written responses are short and generic because the timer feels tight
- The interactive speaking task feels unpredictable and you answer too briefly
- You worry about proctoring rules, such as eye movement or background noise, affecting certification
- You are unsure how the DET compares with IELTS or TOEFL for your target programs
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Diagnostic using the official free practice test and our own targeted tasks
- Vocabulary and spelling work drawn from your errors, not generic word lists
- Timed writing practice for short responses, photo descriptions, interactive writing and the writing sample
- Speaking practice for photo, reading-based and listening-based prompts, the interactive speaking conversation and the speaking sample
- Interactive Listening practice: following a conversation, choosing responses and writing a concise summary
- Test-environment rehearsal against the official rules for room, equipment and behavior
- Guidance on presenting yourself well in the unscored samples institutions may watch or read
Not included
- Any help during the actual test, including remote assistance
- Tricks aimed at gaming the adaptive algorithm or proctoring
- Promising a score, certification or admission
- Leaked or recalled question banks
What you receive
- Diagnostic summary
- Estimated performance by skill and question type, with the error patterns to fix first.
- Two- to six-week plan
- Short daily practice blocks plus weekly sessions, matched to your test date.
- Writing and speaking feedback
- Comments on relevance, development, range and accuracy for timed responses and the samples.
- Test-day checklist
- Equipment, room setup and behavior rules to review the day before, based on the official guidance.
How it works
Check acceptance
You confirm that your targets accept the DET and what overall or subscore minimum they set.
Diagnose
You take the official practice test; we add targeted tasks to see why errors happen.
Short, frequent practice
The DET's short items respond well to daily practice; sessions review patterns and build strategies.
Full rehearsal
A complete timed run in your real testing space, including the samples, followed by feedback.
Practice by question family
- Word recognition and completion
- Read and Select and letter-completion tasks: spelling, prefixes and suffixes, and recognizing real English words quickly.
- Listen and Type
- Dictation for accurate spelling, punctuation-free transcription and attention to small grammatical words.
- Interactive Reading
- Completing sentences, selecting the best answer and identifying main ideas in a passage.
- Interactive Listening
- Following a simulated campus conversation, choosing appropriate responses and writing a short summary afterward.
- Writing tasks
- Photo description, timed responses, interactive writing that extends an answer, and the unscored writing sample.
- Speaking tasks
- Speaking about photos and prompts, an AI-led interactive conversation, and the unscored speaking sample.
Adaptive testing, in plain terms
An adaptive test picks the next item based on how you did on the previous ones. It feels harder when you are doing well, so difficulty is not a sign of failure. The practical lesson is to keep a steady pace and avoid spending too long on one item, because each response contributes a small amount of evidence.
The samples admissions staff may review
The writing and speaking samples at the end are not scored, but institutions can view them alongside your result. A relevant, organized, natural response creates a better impression than a rehearsed speech. We coach you to answer the actual question clearly in a steady voice.
Where the DET is and isn't used
Many universities accept the DET for admission, but acceptance is set by each institution and sometimes by program. It is not generally used for visa purposes where governments list specific tests, such as UK Secure English Language Tests. Check your target programs' published lists before booking.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Sample feedback on a DET-style writing response
A fictional applicant writes a timed response to 'Describe a skill you learned outside school and why it matters to you.' The response is 48 words.
Relevance and development
You named the skill (cooking) but gave only one general reason. Add a specific moment — the first meal you cooked for your family — and one effect on your independence.
Range and accuracy
Sentences are all simple subject–verb patterns. Try one sentence with 'because' or 'which' and one with a time clause. Fix: 'I have learn' → 'I have learned'.
Timing habit
Spend the first seconds deciding your example, then write continuously; aim for a noticeably longer, complete response.
Illustrative example with an invented response. Our comments are coaching feedback, not a Duolingo score.
What you’ll need to provide
- Target institutions and their DET requirements
- Results from the official practice test
- The device, camera and room you will use for the real test
- Timed writing and speaking homework
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Number of sessions and the length of the plan
- Amount of writing and speaking feedback
- Whether a full timed rehearsal with feedback is included
Turnaround depends on
- How soon you plan to test — the DET can be taken at short notice
- The gap between your practice-test estimate and your target
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Is the Duolingo English Test accepted everywhere?
No. It is accepted by many institutions for admission, but each decides for itself and some programs within a university differ. It is generally not a visa test. Check the official requirement for each target.
Does using the Duolingo app prepare me for the test?
The learning app and the test are different products. The app can build general vocabulary, but test preparation should use the official DET practice test and task-specific practice.
What if my result is not certified?
Uncertified results usually relate to rule or technical issues. We rehearse the official rules with you to reduce that risk, but decisions about certification belong to the test provider.
How long should I prepare?
Some candidates only need a few weeks to learn the format; others need longer to build vocabulary and writing speed. The diagnostic tells us which applies to you.