Duolingo English Test in 2026: Price, Format, Scores and How It Compares With IELTS and TOEFL

The Duolingo English Test (DET) costs US$70, takes about one hour at home on your own computer, and gives a score from 10 to 160 within two days. Duolingo says it is accepted by more than 6,500 institutions worldwide, and results are valid for two years. Compared with IELTS and TOEFL, it is cheaper, shorter and more convenient, but it is accepted in fewer places, especially for visas and professional registration. If every university on your list accepts it, it is usually the most practical choice. If even one does not, take the test that all of them accept.

What the Duolingo English Test is

The DET is an online English proficiency test made by Duolingo, the company behind the language-learning app. It is a separate product from the app: the app teaches, the test certifies. Universities and other institutions use the certified score as evidence that an applicant can study or work in English.

The test is computer-adaptive. Each answer you give affects the difficulty of the next question, which is how the test can measure your level in about 45 minutes of scored questions instead of the two to three hours that IELTS and TOEFL take. Because the test adjusts to you, two candidates never see exactly the same set of questions.

You take it at home, at any time, with no appointment. You need a quiet room, a computer with a working camera, microphone and speakers, and a valid ID. The session is recorded and reviewed for security before your score is certified.

How much the DET costs in 2026

Duolingo's official preparation guide, updated in October 2026, gives the price as US$70. That is the same in every country, plus any local taxes. Sending your score to institutions is free and unlimited: you can share it with as many universities as you like at no extra cost.

IELTS and TOEFL do not have a single global price. Each sets fees country by country, so the only reliable figure is the one on the booking page for your test centre or country. In most markets both cost substantially more than the DET, but check your own country before you assume the difference.

Cost item	Duolingo English Test	IELTS	TOEFL iBT
Test fee	US$70 worldwide	Set locally; check your test centre	Set by country; check ETS
Sending scores	Free, unlimited	Depends on centre and recipient	Some free reports; extra reports charged
Travel to a centre	None (at home)	Usually, unless taking IELTS Online	Depends on how you take it

The test format, step by step

Duolingo describes the test as a one-hour process in three parts:

Part	Time	What happens
Setup and ID verification	About 5 minutes	You check your equipment, follow the rules and show your ID to the camera.
Scored assessment	About 45 minutes	A mix of short adaptive tasks covering reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Writing and speaking samples	About 10 minutes	An unscored video interview and writing sample that are sent to institutions along with your score.

The scored part is fast-paced. Tasks are short and come one after another, many with a visible timer. Learners who are used to the long passages of IELTS or the old TOEFL often find this rhythm the hardest thing to adapt to, more than the language itself. Free practice tests on the DET website let you get used to it before you pay.

The final writing and speaking samples are not scored, but admissions officers can watch and read them. Treat them as a short introduction to the university: answer the question, speak clearly and stay on topic.

How the DET is scored

Every DET score is on a scale from 10 to 160, reported in 5-point steps. A certified test gives you an overall score and eight subscores:

• Four individual subscores: Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening. Duolingo states that these average to the overall score.
• Four integrated subscores, each the average of two skills: Production (Writing + Speaking), Literacy (Reading + Writing), Comprehension (Listening + Reading) and Conversation (Speaking + Listening).

The scale is aligned with the CEFR. On Duolingo's scoring page, scores from 10 to 55 correspond to A1–A2, and scores of 60 and above run up through B1, B2, C1 and C2. For a plain-English description of what each CEFR level means in daily life, see our English level test.

DET scores compared with TOEFL

Duolingo publishes concordance tables that compare DET scores with other tests. The table below shows its DET to TOEFL iBT comparison, which uses the TOEFL 0–120 scale. Since January 2026 TOEFL reports on a new 1–6 scale; our guide to the TOEFL 1–6 score scale explains how to convert 0–120 scores to the new bands.

DET	TOEFL iBT (0–120)	DET	TOEFL iBT (0–120)
160	120	105	70–75
155	119	100	65–69
150	117–118	95	59–64
145	113–116	90	53–58
140	109–112	85	47–52
135	104–108	80	41–46
130	98–103	75	35–40
125	93–97	70	30–34
120	87–92	65	24–29
115	82–86	60	18–23
110	76–81	10–55	0–17

Source: Duolingo English Test, Understand scoring, overall score comparison, read 9 November 2026. Duolingo also publishes an IELTS comparison on the same page; we have not reproduced it here, so check the original.

Concordance tables are statistical comparisons, not exact conversions. A university that accepts both tests usually publishes its own required score for each, and that published number is the one that counts. For example, Tufts University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences generally advises a DET score of 120, IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 90 (4.5 on the new scale), as listed on its page on 9 November 2026.

How many universities accept the Duolingo English Test?

Duolingo's test-taker page says the DET is trusted by more than 6,500 institutions worldwide. That figure counts institutions, not only universities, and it includes organisations that accept the test for some programmes but not others. It is a large number, but acceptance is not universal, and the gap matters most in three places:

• Visas and immigration. Governments keep their own lists of approved English tests, and these do not always match what universities accept. Check the immigration authority of the country you are going to.
• Professional registration. Nursing, medical and other regulators often name specific tests and scores.
• Individual programmes. A university may accept the DET for most courses but not for a particular department or scholarship.

The only reliable check is the admissions page for your exact programme. Duolingo's website has a search tool listing accepting institutions, which is a good starting point but not a substitute for the university's own requirement.

DET vs IELTS vs TOEFL: which test should you take?

Here is how the three main academic English tests compare on the points students ask about most. All three were checked on their official websites on 9 November 2026.

	Duolingo English Test	IELTS Academic	TOEFL iBT
Length	About 1 hour	2 hours 45 minutes	About 2 hours, including directions
Where	At home, any time	Test centre on computer, or IELTS Online	See ETS for test centre and at-home options
Score scale	10–160	Bands 0–9	1–6 (since 21 January 2026)
Results	Within 2 days	Computer test usually 1–5 days; IELTS Online 6–8 days	Check ETS for current timings
Validity	2 years	Set by each institution, commonly 2 years	2 years
Price	US$70	Set locally	Set by country
Speaking	Recorded responses to the computer	Face-to-face with an examiner	Recorded responses to the computer

One recent change is worth knowing about: IELTS announced in March 2026 that from mid-2026 it would stop offering paper-based tests, with all IELTS tests delivered on computer, though timelines vary by country (IELTS, Updates to IELTS test delivery). In selected markets, candidates can choose to handwrite the Writing section.

A simple way to decide

1. Check what every institution on your list accepts. If one of them does not accept the DET, the decision is made for you.
2. Check visa requirements for the country you are going to. A university's acceptance does not guarantee immigration acceptance.
3. If all of them accept all three, consider how you perform. Candidates who freeze in long exams or have no test centre nearby often do better on the DET. Candidates who speak more naturally with a person than with a microphone may prefer IELTS, where Speaking is face to face.
4. Consider cost and timing. If budget and speed matter most, the DET's US$70 fee and two-day results are hard to beat.

How to prepare for the DET

Because the test is adaptive and fast, preparation is less about memorising question types and more about building general ability and getting used to the pace.

• Take the free practice test first to get a rough score and feel the timing. It is not certified, but it shows you where you stand.
• Train speed. Many DET tasks reward quick, accurate responses. Short daily timed practice, such as typing what you hear or describing a picture for one minute, is more useful than occasional long sessions.
• Practise speaking to a microphone. Record yourself answering a question for 60–90 seconds, then listen back. Our Speaking Lab lets you practise pronunciation and intonation for free.
• Build vocabulary in context. Learning words in useful phrases rather than single words helps across every task type; see our guide to learning vocabulary in chunks.
• Prepare your room. A large share of problems on at-home tests are technical or rule-related, not linguistic. Read the rules before test day and test your equipment.

If your current level is well below your target, a structured course will usually move you faster than test practice alone. Our English courses include exam preparation, and our free lesson library is a good place to start.

What this article cannot tell you

• Your institution's requirement. We give one real example, not a rule. Always use the score your university, programme or employer publishes.
• Visa acceptance in your case. Immigration rules are set by governments and change. Check the official source for your destination.
• Local IELTS and TOEFL prices. These vary by country, so we have not quoted figures that might not apply to you.
• Future changes. All facts were checked on 9 November 2026. Test providers update prices, formats and concordance tables from time to time.

This page is independent guidance from Oxford English Global. It contains no affiliate links or paid placement, and we receive nothing from Duolingo, IELTS or ETS.