The Duolingo English Test blog
Guides that stay current, and articles answering the questions a single guide does not own — written from the engine data, not recycled advice.
- Built for the current July 2025 DET format, including the new Interactive Speaking task
- Guides on top, dated articles below
- Search and filter by what you need
Start with the guides
The permanent reference pages, kept current as the test changes.
How the DET is scored
The 10–160 scale, all eight subscores, and what the adaptive engine is doing while you take the test.
Read the guide → Question typesAll 11 question types
Every task, what it measures, how it is scored, and what loses people marks.
Read the guide → ComparisonDET vs IELTS vs TOEFL
How the three compare on cost, length and format — and why conversion tables mislead.
Read the guide → PreparationHow to prepare for the DET
What actually moves a score, and what to sort out before test day.
Read the guide → Score reportWhat a score report shows
A complete worked example of an eight-subscore DET report.
Read the guide → FAQDuolingo English Test FAQ
Validity, retakes, cost, proctoring rules and what a good score is.
Read the guide →From the blog
Dated articles on the questions people actually type. Search or filter to find one.
Duolingo English Test scores explained
You have your results — now what do all the numbers mean? A plain-English walkthrough of the overall score, all eight subscores, and the error band.
How long is the Duolingo English Test? Format and timing, explained
About one hour, start to finish — but the hour is built out of three very different parts. Here is exactly what each one is.
Scores & resultsWhat is a good Duolingo English Test score?
There is no single answer — it depends entirely on where you are applying. Here is how to read the scale and find your real target.
PreparationIs the Duolingo English Test hard? An honest answer
Not tricky — but relentless. Here is what actually makes the DET feel hard, what does not, and the fastest way to make it easier.
Format & logisticsHow much does the Duolingo English Test cost?
One fee, one attempt, unlimited score reports. Here is exactly what the price covers, how retakes work, and how it compares.
PreparationHow to describe a picture in the Duolingo English Test
Two tasks ask you to describe an image — one written, one spoken. The picture is never the hard part. Running out of things to say is. Here is a method that never does.
Scores & resultsDuolingo English Test vs IELTS: which should you take?
They test the same language and lead to the same universities, but almost everything around them is different — cost, length, where you sit it, and how fast you get a score. Here is how to choose.
No articles match that yet. Suggest a topic and it moves up the list.
Three things, and not much else
There is a great deal of DET advice on the internet and most of it is the same twenty tips rewritten. We only publish when we have something the engine told us that we could not have guessed — so the archive grows slowly and each piece has a reason to exist. The guides above are the backbone; the posts are where we answer one specific question in depth.
Questions about the blog
What is the difference between the guides and the blog here?
The guides at the top are permanent reference pages — scoring, the question types, comparisons — that we keep updated as the test changes. The blog below is dated articles answering specific questions no single guide owns, like how long the test takes or what a good score is.
How do I find a specific article?
Use the search box in the blog section to filter by keyword, or tap a category chip — Format & logistics, Scores & results, or Preparation — to narrow the list. The search matches titles, summaries and tags as you type.
Are the articles kept up to date with the July 2025 format?
Yes. Everything here reflects the current post–July 2025 DET format: 11 question types, Interactive Speaking added, and Read Aloud and Listen, Then Speak retired. When the format changes again, the affected pieces are revised rather than left to go stale.
How often do you publish?
Rarely and deliberately. We publish when the engine or the grader has shown us something we could not have guessed — not on a content calendar. Most of the long-form material lives as permanent, updated guides instead.
Where does your information about the test come from?
Duolingo's own published material for anything about the official test — format, timings, scoring structure, CEFR alignment. Anything that is our observation or our estimate is labelled as ours in the sentence. Our full source list.
Do you update posts when the test format changes?
Yes, and that is the main reason we favour permanent guides over dated posts. Everything currently on the site is written to July 2025 format.
Can I republish or quote your material?
Quote it with a link, yes. Wholesale republication, no. If you are writing something and want to check a claim, ask us — we would rather you got it right.
Do you accept guest posts?
No. Everything here is written from our own data, and a guest post is almost always a link placement wearing a hat.
Are these articles written by AI?
The content is ours and every factual claim is checked against a source. We use models heavily inside the product — writing and speaking are AI-graded — and we are not going to be coy about it, but the guides are not spun output.
Why is there no post about "10 tips to boost your DET score"?
Because the honest version of that article is short and unsatisfying: find your weakest subscore and work on it. That is the whole method, and padding it to ten tips would make it worse.
Do you cover the official Duolingo practice test?
We point at it. Duolingo publishes its own practice test and it is authoritative about the format in a way we cannot be. Use both.
Can I get notified when something new goes up?
Not yet — there is no mailing list, because we would rather not run one badly. Say so if you want one and it will move up the list.
Do you write about IELTS or TOEFL?
Only where it helps you place a DET score. The comparison page is as far as that goes; we do not prepare people for those tests.
Why do your guides say what they cannot tell me?
Because a practice platform that claims to predict your official score is lying, and the limits are part of the information. Knowing a score has error bars changes how you should act on it.
How do I suggest a topic?
Email us. Questions people cannot find a straight answer to are exactly what we want to hear about.
Walk into the DET already knowing the room
Every guide and post here is written from the engine data and updated when the format changes. Missing something? Tell us what to cover next.
Browse the guides