What is a passing score on the Duolingo English Test?
120 is a high enough score to be admitted to most universities that accept the Duolingo English Test (DET).
Table of Contents
- How to determine what score you need on the Duolingo English Test
- What Duolingo English Test scores do schools generally require?
- Is it hard to pass the Duolingo English Test?
How to determine what score you need on the Duolingo English Test
Some English proficiency tests, like the Cambridge English Tests (CET), require you just to pass and that's good enough.
The Duolingo English Test (DET) isn't like that. Rather, you are given a specific score. Schools and universities decide which scores they require. Even within one university, different programs can have different score requirements!
The DET score that you need depends entirely on the schools you are applying to. If 100 is the highest minimum required among the schools you're applying to, then that's your passing score! Once you know the schools you're applying to, you should research their specific requirements. Write this down for each school so that you know exactly what scores you need.
What Duolingo English Test scores do schools generally require?
Most schools require DET scores that are no higher than 120. If you don't know which schools you will apply to but you still want to prepare for the DET, a safe bet is to aim for a 120.
That said, there are many schools and programs that require lower scores. There are many programs that require just 100. However, there are many schools that require a 130 or above! This is the case for many elite schools like Harvard, Stanford, or MIT. Also, Masters and PhD programs generally have higher required minimums than undergraduate programs.
Is it hard to pass the Duolingo English Test?
The average score on the Duolingo English Test is 110. The 75th percentile score is 125. (This means that 25% of test takers scored above 125.)
So, unless you are applying to a school that requires a 130 or above, it won't be too difficult to get the score that you need. But, of course, it will depend on your level of English, how much time you have to prepare, and how quickly you can learn.
One thing that can be difficult for students is when a school requires a certain minimum for the subscores. This can be a challenge for the Production subscore in particular because it measures writing and speaking, the two most difficult parts of any language. Some schools not only have a minimum overall score, but they require that no subscore be below a certain level as well.
The average Production subscore is just 89 😲 Many students have to work on their writing and speaking in order to meet the minimums required by the schools they're applying to.
For this, Arno is great. We give you an instant estimated scores and detailed feedback on your grammar and vocabularly anytime you answer a writing or speaking question. It's like having a private tutor there with you every moment that you practice.
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