Duolingo English Test format and pattern

Understanding the exam format is crucial for anyone planning to take the Duolingo English Test, whether you're a student aiming to meet university admission requirements or a professional seeking visa application approval. Familiarising yourself with the test’s pattern will help you prepare effectively and ensure that this test aligns with your specific needs and goals.

In order to score well, you’ll need to first understand the exam’s format and test pattern.

The Duolingo English Test is designed to assess your English language proficiency through a variety of tasks. This exam features 5 sections, each focusing on different skills:

1. Initial Comprehension (~10 minutes)

2. Comprehension (~10 minutes)

3. Interactive Comprehension (~15 minutes)

4. Production (~20 minutes)

5. Shared (~10 minutes)

Explore detailed insights into each test section along with expert tips and strategies to help you ace the Duolingo English Test and achieve your desired score.

The Initial Comprehension section of the Duolingo English Test is designed to assess your basic understanding of English vocabulary. This section features 2 types of tasks, both aimed at testing your vocabulary knowledge:

Read and Select

In the Read and Select task, you’ll be presented with a list of 15 to 18 words. Your job is to determine whether each word is a real English word or not. You’ll have 5 seconds to decide for each word.

Tips and strategies:

• Beware of fake words: Duolingo often includes fake words that look and sound like real words. Pay close attention to spelling, as slight misspellings are a common trick used to confuse test-takers.

• Practice regularly: Familiarise yourself with common English words and their spellings to improve your speed and accuracy.

Fill in the blanks

In the Fill in the blanks task, you’ll be given a sentence with a missing word, where some letters of the word are provided. Your task is to complete the word within 20 seconds. 

Tips and strategies:

• Use contextual clues: Understand the rest of the sentence to determine the missing word. Contextual clues are essential in figuring out the correct answer.

• Attempt every question: Duolingo doesn’t penalise you more for incorrect answers than for leaving a question blank. Therefore, always attempt to answer each question, even if you’re unsure.