English · Exam preparation
Duolingo english test preparation for the fast, cheap admissions route
The Duolingo English Test is quick, inexpensive and taken at home. It is also adaptive, which means early answers change how hard the rest of the test becomes.
- Duolingo
- CEFR B2
Who this is for
Is this the right course for you?
University applicants whose institution accepts the DET, and candidates who need a result quickly and cheaply.
What you cover
Inside the Duolingo English Test course
- How the adaptive format works and what that means for pacing
- The question types, including the ones with no equivalent in other exams
- Writing and speaking samples: what admissions officers actually see
- Vocabulary range, which the scoring weights heavily
- Test-day conditions, including the proctoring rules that void results
- Two full timed mock tests with score-level feedback
The Duolingo English Test is the cheapest and fastest of the mainstream English admissions tests, taken at home under remote proctoring.
Adaptive means pacing matters
Because difficulty responds to your answers, early questions matter more than later ones and guessing to save time is actively harmful. Understanding this changes how candidates approach the first ten minutes.
The unscored samples
Your video and writing samples go to institutions with your score. They are not marked, and they are read. Preparing them is cheap insurance on a borderline application.
Duolingo English Test questions, answered properly
Do universities accept the Duolingo English Test?
A large and growing number do, particularly in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, but acceptance is less universal than IELTS or TOEFL and some competitive programmes still decline it. Check the specific programme page and confirm with admissions before choosing it — the fee is low, but a rejected result costs you the application cycle.
Why does the test get harder as I go?
It is adaptive: the difficulty adjusts to your answers so the test can estimate your level in less time. That means finding it hard partway through is usually a sign you are scoring well. Guessing early to speed through backfires, because it sets the difficulty low and caps the score you can reach.
What are the video and writing samples for?
They are sent to institutions alongside your score, unscored, so admissions staff can see you speak and write. Candidates routinely ignore them because they do not affect the number, which is a mistake — for some programmes they carry real weight in a borderline decision. We practise them.
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