Duolingo

The Duolingo English Test is designed to assess your English language skills for academic and professional settings. Unlike traditional English tests that require you to travel to a center, this test is completely online — you just need a computer, webcam, microphone, and a good internet connection.

It’s created by Duolingo, the same company known for its popular language-learning app. It’s recognized by over 4,000 institutions worldwide, including many universities in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Australia.

Format and sections:
The test takes about 1 hour to complete and includes:

• Adaptive questions:
  These test your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in an integrated way. The difficulty adjusts based on how you answer — if you get a question right, the next one gets a bit harder, and if you get it wrong, it gets easier.

• Video and writing sample:
  At the end, you’ll answer open-ended prompts. You’ll speak on a topic for 1-3 minutes, and write a short passage (at least 50 words). These samples are sent along with your scores to universities so they can see your spontaneous English.

Scoring:
The overall score ranges from 10 to 160, with subscores in literacy, comprehension, conversation, and production. Most universities require a score between 105 and 125, depending on the program.

Why students like it:

• It’s affordable (usually about $59 USD).

• You can take it anytime, from anywhere — no need to travel to a test center.

• Results are available within 48 hours.

• You can send your scores to as many universities as you want for free.