Duolingo English Test guide: format, scores, results and acceptance
The Duolingo English Test is a one-hour online test of English, scored on a 10-160 scale, with results in about two days. It tests English only: we found no Duolingo French test, and IRCC lists TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French.
This guide covers the Duolingo English Test in one place: how the hour is spent, how it is scored, how results arrive, and where it works. It also answers two common questions, about a French test and about results. Every fact comes from Duolingo, IRCC or Home Affairs, with a quote.
What the Duolingo English Test is
An online English test you take at home.
The Duolingo English Test, or DET, is an English proficiency test that you take on a computer at home. Duolingo, the company behind the language-learning app, runs it. Duolingo says you need no appointment, the test process takes one hour in total, and results come in 2 days.
"Test online, get results in 2 days Test online, no appointment needed Get results in 2 days A fraction of the cost of other tests"
It is a test of English. The test, its scoring and its certificate are all about English proficiency, and Duolingo's guide calls it an online English proficiency test.
"Yes. The DET is taken entirely online from home, as long as you meet technical and environment requirements."
Is there a Duolingo French test?
The short answer is no, and here is what to use for French.
Readers ask about a Duolingo French test because Duolingo the app teaches French. The English test is a separate product. Duolingo's own post about Canada mentions French only in connection with the learning app.
"as an added bonus, the Duolingo learning app can be your companion to help you learn French (or another language) to enrich your Canadian experience!"
So the app can help you study French, but we found no French language test on the Duolingo pages we read. If you need French proof for Canadian immigration, IRCC lists two French tests for Express Entry. They are TEF Canada and TCF Canada, and both are on its designated list.
"Test d’évaluation de français pour le Canada (TEF Canada)"
"Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada (TCF Canada)"
Our English tests accepted by IRCC page covers the English side. For French, go to IRCC and the two test owners.
How the hour is spent
Five minutes of setup, 45 scored, 10 of samples.
| Part of the hour | Time Duolingo gives |
|---|---|
| Setup and ID verification | 5 minutes |
| Scored assessment | 45 minutes |
| Writing and speaking samples | 10 minutes |
The scored part is adaptive. Duolingo says the test changes with your performance: if you do well it gives you harder items, and if you struggle it offers easier ones. That is how it measures your level in fewer questions than a fixed test.
"Put simply, if you're doing well, the test gives you more difficult items; if you're struggling, it adjusts to offer more accessible ones."
At the end of the graded part you record a video interview and write a sample. Duolingo says these are not graded but are shared with institutions.
What you need on the day
- A computer with a working camera, microphone and speakers.
- A smartphone with a working camera.
- A stable internet connection.
- A government-issued ID.
- One uninterrupted hour, in a private room, with your face and ears visible and no headphones.
Scores, subscores and results
A score from 10 to 160, in steps of 5.
Duolingo reports an overall score on a 10-160 scale, in 5-point increments. Alongside it you get four subscores, one for each skill, and four integrated subscores that combine two skills.
"All scores are reported on a 10–160 scale, in 5-point increments."
| Integrated subscore | Made from |
|---|---|
| Literacy | Reading and Writing |
| Comprehension | Reading and Listening |
| Conversation | Speaking and Listening |
| Production | Speaking and Writing |
How the marks are decided
Duolingo says reading and listening items are scored in real time with fixed rules, not with AI models. Speaking and writing are scored by AI models trained on thousands of expert-rated samples. It also says all spoken responses are reviewed by proctors for good-faith effort.
"These responses are scored using AI models trained on thousands of expert-rated samples."
Reading your results
Your results come as a certificate with the overall score and the subscores. Duolingo says certified results are typically available within two days, and in just 48 hours, or 12 if you pay for fast-track invigilation. It says you can send them to unlimited institutions for free, and the certificate is valid for two years from the date you take the test.
Duolingo also publishes its own comparison of DET scores with CEFR levels, IELTS bands and TOEFL scores on its score page. Treat that as Duolingo's own mapping, and check the institution's own requirement before you rely on it.
Where it is accepted, and where it is not
Schools, Australia and Canada.
Duolingo says more than 6,500 institutions trust the test, and keeps a list of accepting institutions. Each institution sets its own requirement, so the list is where you start, not where you finish.
Government immigration rules are separate. In Canada, IRCC's Express Entry list names five other tests and IRCC does not accept other third-party tests for citizenship. See Duolingo English Test for Canada. In Australia, Home Affairs does not accept tests delivered completely online, and the DET is taken entirely online from home.
"The department does not accept evidence from English language tests that are delivered completely online (also known as 'remote-proctored' or 'at-home')."
Our reading: the DET is not a route to an Australian visa. Home Affairs' list of accepted tests names other tests, and the DET is not among them. Check the Home Affairs page yourself before relying on any test.
Test rules in brief
From Duolingo's terms.
Register with your real name and bring a form of ID. Duolingo may invalidate results, even certified ones, if it finds a rule was broken. You have 72 hours to appeal an invalid result.
"You must register for the DET using your real name and provide a form of identification from this list when you take the DET."
"Any appeal of an invalid or invalidated result must be submitted to Duolingo within 72 hours."
The price and refund rules are on our Duolingo English Test fees page.
Common questions
We found no French language test on the Duolingo pages we read. The Duolingo app can help you learn French, but the Duolingo English Test measures English. IRCC lists TEF Canada and TCF Canada as French tests.
Duolingo says certified results are typically available within two days, and in just 48 hours, or 12 with fast-track invigilation. You get an overall score on the 10-160 scale plus subscores.
On a 10-160 scale in 5-point increments. Reading and listening use fixed rules, and speaking and writing use AI models trained on expert-rated samples. All spoken responses are reviewed by proctors.
Duolingo says the test process takes one hour: 5 minutes of setup and ID verification, 45 minutes of scored assessment and 10 minutes of writing and speaking samples.
Yes. Duolingo says it is taken entirely online from home, as long as you meet the technical and environment requirements.
Duolingo's terms say your certificate is valid for two years from the date you take the test.
Yes. Duolingo says you can send certified scores to unlimited institutions for free.
Not for Canadian permanent residence on the IRCC pages we read, and not for Australian visas: Home Affairs' list of accepted tests does not include the DET, and Home Affairs does not accept tests delivered completely online. Many schools accept it for admission.