Which English Test Should I Take?

You should take the Duolingo English Test. The DET is cheaper than other tests, more convenient, and you get your results in just 48 hours (or even faster depending on how you book)!

The Duolingo English Test is accepted by top universities worldwide.

When deciding which English proficiency test you should take, your first step should always be to check the tests accepted by the programs that you are applying to. Since its launch in 2016, the DET’s popularity has exploded, so it’s more and more likely that you will see the DET listed as one of the accepted tests. As of July 2025, it is accepted by over 5,700 programs around the world. The DET also meets the visa requirements for top study abroad destination countries.

The DET has several advantages over tests:

• Cheaper: The DET costs just $70 USD. This is as much as 75% cheaper than other tests like TOEFL or IELTS! Admissions officers don’t prefer one test over another, so why pay more? Also, it’s completely free to send your DET results to universities, which is not true of other tests.
• More convenient: The DET lasts around just 1 hour and you take it from home. Other tests last several hours and you also have to travel to a testing center.
• Faster results: You will get your DET results within 48 hours. However, you can get your results in just 24 hours and save 15% off the booking fee by booking through Arno! If you need your results even faster, you can book your test directly through Duolingo and pay $39 to get your results in just 12 hours.

If you have a hard time focusing, take the Duolingo English Test.

The DET lasts just 1 hour, compared to 3+ hours for TOEFL or IELTS. That means that on the DET, you're being tested on your English proficiency, not your physical and mental endurance.

Questions on legacy tests like TOEFL or IELTS are long and boring. You will have to read academic articles full of jargon, and you will get quizzed on buried details. In contrast, DET questions are short and engaging.

The DET can be so short because it is an adaptive test. This means that as you take the test, Duolingo will select questions at your level. If you get a question correct, you will get more difficult questions next and vice-versa. On the DET, you won’t waste time answering questions that are too hard or too easy for you.

Take the Duolingo English Test if you are on a tight deadline.

The maximum amount of time you have to wait to get your DET results is 48 hours. However, when you book through Arno, you will get your results in just 24 hours and you will save 15% off the booking fee. If you book through Duolingo directly, you can purchase the Faster Results upgrade for $39 and get your results in just 12 hours.

You can also get ready for the DET more quickly. For other tests like TOEFL and IELTS, you have to spend time decoding the test – learning the specific structures graders like, the specific words you have to use, etc. In other words, other tests measure your knowledge of the test instead of your English level.

The DET isn’t like that. DET questions are designed to be easy to understand. You can quickly familiarize yourself with the question types by watching a YouTube walkthrough and then taking a free mock test on the DET website. By preparing for the DET, you will be improving your general English skills, which will serve you well after you take the test and begin your studies!

If you can’t get the score you need from TOEFL or IELTS, take the DET.

Many students study and study but they simply can’t improve on tests like TOEFL or IELTS. Students who get stuck often find success switching away from the legacy tests and to the DET.

This is because the DET is a fairer measure of your English level. You don’t have to worry about answering questions in specific ways that graders like. On the DET, you simply have to use your general English skills – like avoiding grammatical mistakes and expressing your ideas in a logical manner – and you can get a high score.

What if the Duolingo English Test is not accepted?

If the DET isn't an option, the better choice for most students is IELTS. First, most students find IELTS questions more approachable because IELTS questions use more everyday English while TOEFL is more academic. This is especially evident for the speaking tasks.

On IELTS, you have to have a conversation. In contrast, on the TOEFL the speaking tasks require you to construct an argument and structure your response.

Another factor to consider is the dialects of English you are comfortable in. If you are comfortable with American English, take TOEFL. IELTS uses both British and American English.

TOEFL is more expensive for most students because it costs more to send your results to universities. Finally, TOEFL is not as widely accepted outside the U.S. compared to IELTS.