Format, 10-160 scoring, proctoring rules and the DET's real acceptance explained plainly, including what it is NOT for. Plus the training with which ULIC avoids the most common mistake: losing the exam on the rules, not on the English.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Body | Duolingo, Inc. The exam is bought and taken directly at englishtest.duolingo.com, with no centres or agents. |
| What it measures | Integrated academic English: four areas (Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation, Production) and the four skills. |
| Format | Adaptive online test of roughly one hour, with around 19 task types that mix skills. |
| Proctoring | By artificial intelligence reviewed by human proctors, with strict rules on room, gaze and equipment. |
| Recognition | Over 6,000 institutions, including the vast majority of the main universities in the US and Canada. |
| Price | US$70 per test, or a two-test pack for US$118. Local taxes apply separately by country. |
| Attempts | One credit per purchase, with up to three attempts to complete the test and a single certified result, inside a 21-day window. Up to three tests per 30-day period. |
| Validity in Spain | It is not on the CRUE or ACLES lists: not valid for public exams, graduation or accreditation. It is the exam for leaving, not for staying. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
One test. The cheap door to international admission.
The Duolingo English Test is Duolingo's online English exam: a one-hour adaptive test taken from home, with no appointment or centre, proctored by artificial intelligence reviewed by human proctors. It scores 10 to 160 and delivers certified results in about 48 hours, which you can send free to as many institutions as you like. It costs 70 dollars, a fraction of any alternative.
Its ground is international university admission: over 6,000 institutions accept it, including the vast majority of the main universities in the US and Canada and many British ones for admission. Its limit is just as clear: it is not a SELT exam for visas that require one, and in Spain it is not on the CRUE or ACLES lists, so it does not solve public exams, graduation or accreditations. It is the exam for leaving, not for staying.
70 dollars and one hour. It is the only exam on the market where a real diagnostic attempt costs less than a preparation book.
From purchase to certified result can take three days. For an admission with a deadline looming, there is no faster alternative.
The difficulty adjusts to you and the report breaks down Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation and Production plus the four skills: universities see your profile, not just your number.
All online from home, in a session of roughly one hour, with strict proctoring requirements. The test is adaptive: no two exams are alike and the difficulty rises with your correct answers.
The test combines around 19 formats that mix skills. These are the main ones.
| Task | What is asked | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Read and complete | Complete words with missing letters in a text. | Reading and vocabulary |
| Listen and type | Transcribe sentences you hear. | Listening and written accuracy |
| Read aloud | Read sentences aloud. | Pronunciation and fluency |
| Describe the image | Describe an image in writing or speaking. | Production with visual support |
| Interactive Reading | Chained tasks on a text: complete, answer, summarise. | Deep reading |
| Interactive Listening | Follow and complete a simulated conversation. | Interactive comprehension |
| Writing sample | A long written response to a prompt. | Written argument |
| Speaking sample | A long spoken response to a prompt. | Sustained oral production |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
The DET's most common failure mode is not level, it is proctoring. Knowing and rehearsing it is part of the exam.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Room and equipment | Alone in the room, clear desk, camera and microphone active the whole session. |
| Gaze and conduct | Looking away from the screen for sustained periods, moving your lips without speaking or covering your mouth can invalidate the test. |
| Not allowed | Headphones, a second monitor, taking notes on paper, anyone entering the room. |
| Document | Official photo ID, shown to the camera. |
| Review | The AI flags incidents and human proctors decide: invalidation arrives days later, with the deadline already spent. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
Each purchase is one credit with up to three attempts to complete the test and a single certified result, inside a 21-day window; you can buy up to three tests in any 30-day period. To use one as a real diagnostic and the next for the score, the two-test bundle is the logical choice: buy it, train on the weak areas of the first report, and sit the second within its window.
The DET's most common failure mode is not the English, it is the proctoring: tests invalidated for looking off-screen, for noise, for someone entering the room. Invalidation is almost never successfully appealed and your admission deadline does not wait. A mock exam under real conditions (same room, same rules) is worth more here than in any other exam.
10 to 160, in steps of 5. No pass or fail: each university publishes its minimum, overall and sometimes by subscore.
| DET score | Practical reference |
|---|---|
| 140 – 160 | The band for the most demanding admissions; roughly equivalent to IELTS 7.5 or more. |
| 120 – 135 | The range most universities ask for (roughly equivalent to IELTS 6.5-7.0). |
| 100 – 115 | Enough for less demanding admissions and pathway programmes. |
| Menos de 100 | Below the usual university minimums. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
| Area | What it assesses | Common trap for Spanish speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Literacy (reading + writing) | Accuracy with texts. | The "Read and complete" tasks with calques from Spanish. |
| Comprehension (reading + listening) | Understanding quickly. | The adaptive pace: if it feels harder, you are doing well. |
| Conversation (listening + speaking) | Oral interaction. | Short answers in the Speaking samples: the system rewards sustained development. |
| Production (writing + speaking) | Generating language. | Repeated vocabulary: lexical variety scores, a template shows. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
Universities see the subscores. A 120 overall with Production sunk may not do where they ask for minimums by area. You train the full profile, not just the overall number.
Each university publishes its minimum and that is the only number that rules. These are the market's rough references and the approximate IELTS equivalence that Duolingo itself publishes.
| Context | DET approx. | IELTS approx. |
|---|---|---|
| Very demanding universities (top US, selective UK) | 130 – 145 | 7.0 – 7.5 |
| Most bachelor's and master's degrees that accept the DET | 115 – 125 | 6.0 – 6.5 |
| Pathway and foundation programmes | 95 – 110 | 5.5 – 6.0 |
The equivalences are approximate and each institution publishes them in its own table. Before setting your target, find the exact minimum for YOUR university and programme (they publish it on the admissions site) and check whether they also require minimums by subscore. Your university's minimum is the only number that decides.
DET results are valid for 2 years, and universities apply this: the result must be current at the time of application. With an exam that costs 70 dollars and returns a result in 48 hours, the right strategy is obvious: take it when the application is near, not "just in case" years ahead.
DET acceptance is growing fast but is uneven: some universities accept it for admission but not for every programme, and some countries' student visas require other exams even when the university accepts the DET.
Check both layers (admission AND visa) before deciding this is your exam.
Admission to bachelor's and master's degrees in the US and Canada (where acceptance is massive), many British universities for admission, and international programmes that include it.
What it does NOT solve: it is not on the CRUE or ACLES lists, not valid for public exams, graduation or accreditation in Spain, and it is not a SELT for visas that require one.
The DET-versus-IELTS-or-TOEFL decision is made with two facts about your specific university: whether it accepts the DET for your programme and what the country's visa requires. If both answers favour the DET, it is unbeatable on cost and turnaround.
If either fails, the cheap option gets expensive: see our IELTS Academic and TOEFL guides, that is what they are for.
| Duolingo English Test | IELTS Academic | TOEFL iBT | Cambridge (B2 First / C1 Advanced) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of result | Score 10-160 with subscores. | Band 0-9 per skill. | Score 0-120. | Fixed-level certificate. |
| Best for | International admission on a tight budget or deadline. | The global standard: universities, professional bodies, visas. | US universities. | Prestige, long-established accreditation in Spain. |
| Approximate price | US$70. | €245-285. | ~€250. | €215-250. |
| Where and when | From home, 24/7, no appointment. | Official centre, frequent sittings. | Centre or online, wide calendar. | Fixed sittings. |
| Weak point | Not valid for SELT visas or Spanish procedures; strict proctoring that invalidates tests. | Price and travel. | Little use outside the US circuit. | Slow sittings and results. |
Swipe horizontally to see the full table.
When your destination university accepts it for your programme and the country's visa does not require another exam, when budget or deadline rule (70 dollars and a result in 48 hours), or when you want a cheap certified diagnostic before investing in a bigger exam.
When your procedure is Spanish (public exams, graduation, accreditation: it is not on CRUE or ACLES), when your visa requires a SELT or another specific exam, when your university asks for IELTS or TOEFL by name, or when your programme requires subscore minimums your profile does not yet cover.
The most expensive mistake a DET candidate makes is choosing the wrong exam.
Before buying, two questions decide everything: does your university accept the DET for YOUR programme, and what exam does the country's visa require? If your procedure is Spanish (public exams, graduation, accreditation) the DET does not work: Cambridge, Aptis, Linguaskill or LanguageCert is what you want. We would rather tell you straight before you buy the wrong exam.
Tell us your goal and we will tell you straight whether the DET is your exam or another suits you better.
In lesson number 8 the teacher told me I no longer needed any more classes. Many academies want you to stay as long as possible so you pay more.
He failed the C1 Advanced by one point and needed the certificate in weeks. He scored 135 on the Duolingo English Test.
The DET is lost three ways that are not the level of English: its own task formats (unlike any other exam), unbalanced subscores and the proctoring rules. All three are trained in individual sessions, the only format we offer for this exam.
You already know what it costs, how long it takes and what it is for (and what it is not). What is left is to reach your university's minimum with balanced subscores and the rules mastered. At ULIC we have trained it since 2010, with mock exams under the same conditions as the real exam.
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