TL;DR – What You Need to Know
- What it is: a fully online, adaptive English proficiency test, taken from home in about an hour, accepted by 6,000+ universities worldwide
- Cost: $70 officially, $60 via a discounted Comet voucher
- Results: as little as 24-48 hours, valid for 2 years
- Scoring: 10-160 scale; most competitive programmes ask for 105-130
- Best for: budget-conscious, time-pressured applicants whose target universities accept it – not necessarily a substitute for IELTS, TOEFL or PTE where a specific visa requires one of those tests
- This page is a high-level map of everything DET-related. Each section below links to a dedicated, much deeper guide on that specific topic
What is the Duolingo English Test?
DET is an online, AI-scored English proficiency exam that you take from home using a computer, webcam, and microphone. It takes about an hour, adapts its difficulty to your performance in real time, and delivers results within 24-48 hours. It’s recognised by more than 6,000 universities and programmes worldwide, including all eight Ivy League schools.
The core appeal is simple: no test centre, no travel, no fixed appointment slots, and a fraction of the cost of IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE. That combination has made it one of the fastest-growing English proficiency tests globally, particularly among students who are budget-conscious or working against a tight application deadline.
It isn’t automatically the right choice for everyone, though. Acceptance, while broad, isn’t universal, and DET generally isn’t recognised standalone for student visa purposes in several major destinations, even where the university itself accepts it for admission. The sections below, and the dedicated guides they link to, cover exactly where those distinctions matter.
How much does it cost?
The official price is $70 USD, the same in every country before local tax and currency conversion. Through Comet, an official Duolingo Global Partner Network voucher provider powered by Cialfo, you can get it for $60, delivered to your inbox in under a minute.
Score reports are unlimited and free, which matters more than it sounds: IELTS and TOEFL both charge roughly $20 per additional report after a handful of free sends, so applying broadly can add $100+ to their real cost. A two-test bundle exists at $118 ($59 per test), but only makes sense if you’re confident you’ll need both attempts, since there’s no partial refund on an unused second test.
The one cost students consistently underestimate is a retake: it’s a full second purchase, not a discounted resit, so proper preparation before your first attempt is the most reliable way to avoid paying twice.
→ Full breakdown, including rush results, retake economics, taxes, and refund policy: How Much Does the DET Cost?
How does scoring work, and what’s a good score?
DET reports an overall score from 10 to 160, in 5-point increments, alongside four integrated subscores: Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation, and Production. Universities see all of this, not just the headline number, so a lopsided profile (a high overall score with one very weak subscore) can raise questions even when the composite clears a published minimum.
There’s no single “good” score; it depends entirely on your target institution and programme. As a general guide: undergraduate programmes commonly ask for 90-110, competitive programmes for 105-130, and highly selective top-50 universities for 120-135. Scores are valid for two years, so plan your test timing around your actual intake date.
→ Full scale, CEFR mapping, IELTS/TOEFL conversion tables, and requirement tiers: DET Scores Explained
How does it compare to IELTS, TOEFL and PTE?
There’s no universally “best” English test; each is built differently and suits different situations.
DET wins clearly on cost ($60-$70 vs $200+ for the others) and speed (24-48 hour results vs 3-13 days for IELTS, 4-8 days for TOEFL). IELTS and TOEFL still have the broadest global and visa acceptance. PTE has particularly strong recognition for Australian immigration. If live, face-to-face speaking tests make you anxious, DET and PTE (both recorded, AI-scored speaking) are usually more comfortable than IELTS’s live examiner format.
The factor students overlook most often: DET generally isn’t recognised standalone for visa purposes in the UK or Australia, even where the university itself accepts it for admission. If your visa route specifically requires a government-approved test, check that requirement before assuming DET covers the whole process.
→ Full side-by-side comparison across cost, format, speed, and destination-by-destination acceptance: DET vs IELTS vs TOEFL vs PTE
Where is it accepted?
DET’s 6,000+ accepting institutions span more than 50 countries, but acceptance strength varies a lot by destination:
- United States: near-universal, including all Ivy League schools
- United Kingdom: 130+ universities, including several Russell Group institutions, though not on the UK’s approved visa test list
- Canada: 400+ institutions, and no separate visa-test requirement at the federal level
- Australia: 90+ universities, though acceptance sometimes varies by specific programme within the same institution
- Ireland: 15 of 18 universities, and officially recognised for the Irish student visa itself, one of DET’s strongest destinations
- Europe: more selective, expanding steadily at the individual programme level in Germany, the Netherlands, and beyond
Always verify at the programme level rather than relying on a country-wide figure, and check your visa requirement as a separate question from your university’s admissions requirement.
→ Full country-by-country breakdown with named universities and visa nuances: Universities That Accept DET
How do you prepare?
Most students need somewhere between one and eight weeks, depending on their starting level. DET rewards genuine proficiency under time pressure rather than memorised test tricks, so cramming the night before has limited impact; consistent practice over one to four weeks produces meaningfully better results.
The two areas students most often underprepare for are the Production and Conversation subscores, the speaking- and fluency-heavy parts of the test. A simple, high-value habit: use the full time limit on every speaking and writing prompt, since a fuller response consistently scores better than a shorter, “cleaner” one that stops early.
Duolingo’s own free practice test and Official Guide for Test Takers, both available directly at englishtest.duolingo.com, are the best starting point and don’t cost anything.
→ Full one-week and one-month study plans, section-by-section tips, and test-day logistics: How to Prepare for the DET
How do you get a discount and redeem a voucher?
Comet, powered by Cialfo, is an official Duolingo Global Partner Network partner offering DET vouchers at $60 instead of $70, delivered to your inbox in under a minute via secure Stripe checkout.
Redeeming your code is a five-minute process: log in at englishtest.duolingo.com (not the regular Duolingo app), click “Buy a test,” paste your code into the voucher field, click “Apply,” and complete your $0 booking. The single most common redemption issue is an extra space or line break copied along with the code, easily avoided by copy-pasting directly from your confirmation email rather than retyping it.
→ Full step-by-step redemption walkthrough and troubleshooting for every error: How to Redeem a DET Voucher Code
A realistic step-by-step journey, start to finish
Putting the whole process together, here’s what most students actually do, in order:
- Decide DET is right for your situation by checking your target universities’ requirements and your visa pathway. See the comparison guide if you’re still deciding between tests.
- Identify your target score based on your specific universities and programmes. See the score guide.
- Prepare for one to four weeks, focusing on your weakest subscore. See the preparation guide.
- Buy a discounted voucher through Comet once you’re genuinely ready to test soon, since vouchers expire within 21 days of redemption.
- Redeem your code at englishtest.duolingo.com. See the redemption guide if you hit any errors.
- Take the test from a quiet, private space with a stable internet connection, a working webcam and microphone, and a secondary device for the required second camera angle.
- Receive your results within 24-48 hours and send them to as many universities as you like, completely free.
- If your score falls short, target your weakest subscore specifically before retaking, rather than resitting immediately with the same preparation gaps.
Frequently asked questions
A fully online, adaptive English proficiency test you take from home in about an hour, accepted by more than 6,000 universities worldwide, with results in as little as 24-48 hours.
$70 officially, or $60 through a discounted Comet voucher. Score reports to any number of universities are free.
It depends entirely on your target university and programme, but most competitive programmes ask for somewhere in the 105-130 range on the 10-160 scale. See the score guide for requirement tiers.
Not universally; each suits different situations. DET wins on cost and speed; IELTS and TOEFL have broader visa acceptance; PTE is strongest for Australian immigration. See the full comparison.
Very likely if you’re applying to the US, Canada, or Ireland; check carefully for the UK, Australia, and parts of Europe, where acceptance varies by institution and programme. See the full university list.
One to eight weeks, depending on your starting level, with most students needing one to four weeks of focused practice. See the preparation guide.
A discounted voucher through Comet brings the price down to $60 from the official $70.
Copy-paste it directly from your confirmation email rather than retyping it; extra spaces are the most common cause of failure. See the full redemption troubleshooting guide for every other error case.
Usually not on its own. Many visa systems don’t require a separate English test if your university has already confirmed admission, but where one specifically is required, it’s often IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE rather than DET. Always check your specific visa route.
You can retake the test, ideally after one to two weeks of targeted preparation on your specific weak subscore, rather than resitting immediately. A retake costs the same as a first attempt: $70 officially or $60 through Comet.
Next steps
Ready to get started? Get a discounted DET voucher through Comet for $60, delivered in under a minute, then work through the preparation guide before you sit the test.
