Explained: Duolingo English Test Scores

The Duolingo English Test uses its own scoring system, and it can be a little confusing. In this blog post, you will learn everything you need to know about Duolingo English Test scores.

Table of Contents

• How is the Duolingo English Test Scored?
• The Duolingo English Test Subscores
• What is a good score on the Duolingo English Test?
• How do Duolingo Scores Compare to TOEFL and IELTS?
• How Long Does It Take to Get Your Score?
• Can You See Your Score on Each Question?
• How to Get an Estimated Score
• How to Improve Your Score
• Conclusion

How is the Duolingo English Test Scored?

DET scores are between 0 and 160. When you take the test, you will be given 5 scores: 4 subscores and 1 overall score that is an average of the 4 subscores.

Here is what your score certificate will look like:

The Duolingo English Test Subscores

There are 2 kinds of subscores on the DET. The first are the standard components of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.

You also have the integrated subscores, each of which is an average of 2 standard subscores.

Here is how each integrated subscore is calculated:

1. Literacy = Reading and Writing
2. Comprehension = Reading and Listening
3. Conversation = Speaking and Listening
4. Production = Writing and Speaking

Here is the official diagram provided by Duolingo to help explain as well:

Duolingo explains that they use these categories because, “While reading, writing, speaking, and listening are important language components, research shows that combined skills can better represent how language is used in real life. Effective language use requires people to employ multiple skills simultaneously.” (Source)

What is a good score on the Duolingo English Test?

The definition of a “good score” really depends on what school or program you are applying to. Some schools require higher scores than others. You can see all the places that accept the DET here to learn about the required scores at different schools.

In general, many schools require scores around 115. So, if you don’t know where you will be applying yet, 115 is a good score to aim for.

115 is a highly attainable score. In 2023, the average score of all test takers was 110.

In their official technical manual, Duolingo provides some helpful statistics.

Average score (mean):

• Overall = 110
• Comprehension = 110
• Conversation = 110
• Literacy = 110
• Production = 110

Duolingo also provides the 25th and 75th percentile scores. For instance, the 25th percentile score for Comprehension was 95, while the 75th percentile was 125. This means that 25% of test takers scored lower than 95 and 25% scored higher than 125.

25th and 75th percentiles:

• Overall = 95; 125
• Comprehension = 95; 125
• Conversation = 100; 125
• Literacy = 95; 125
• Production = 95; 125

How do Duolingo Scores Compare to TOEFL and IELTS?

Here is a chart provided by Duolingo that shows how your DET score corresponds to scores on TOEFL and IELTS:

The average score of 110 on the DET corresponds to approximately 75 on TOEFL and a 6 on IELTS.

How Long Does It Take to Get Your Score?

One of the great things about the DET is that you will get your scores within 2 days of taking the test!

You can also share your score with as many places as you would like for no extra charge.

Can You See Your Score on Each Question?

Unfortunately, no. You can only see each subscore.

How to Improve Your Score

If you have the money, we recommend that you take the test one time to get an accurate overall score and, more importantly, accurate subscores. If you need to raise your score, then you can focus on raising your lowest subscore by focusing on those questions.

If you don’t want to pay to take the test twice, then you can also take a full mock test in Arno. Your first one is completely free and we give you integrated subscores and detailed feedback on each of your responses. In Arno, you can also get unlimited practice questions for every question type for free!

Arno is a great way to improve at every area of the test, but it's perhaps best to help you improve at writing and speaking (i.e. the Production subscore). Here's how:

1) Go to duolingo.goarno.io. Create your free account.

2) You will get access to unlimited practice questions for every question type, including all Production questions.

3) Once you answer a question, Arno will give you an instant, estimated score and feedback. For example, here is a response to a “Write About the Photo” practice question:

And here is the feedback I got from Arno:

4) You can click into each score range to see the words you used that fall into the level. By clicking the “See grammar feedback” button, you can also get grammar feedback with explanations about how your writing could be improved.

5) By clicking “See vocabulary tips” and “See rewritten version,” you can also get suggestions for how to improve your vocabulary and a rewritten, high-scoring version of your response.

Conclusion

Now you understand how the Duolingo English Test is scored, how that compares to other English proficiency tests, and how you can improve your scores.

To use Arno to start raising your scores, just click below!