DET Course: Your Path to Duolingo English Test Success

Read and Select: Test-takers are shown a series of words and must identify whether the ones are real English words. This task evaluates vocabulary recognition and the ability to distinguish between valid and invalid words, reflecting real-world word comprehension.

Fill in the Blanks: Candidates are presented with sentences containing missing words. They must select the correct words from a list to complete the sentences meaningfully. This task assesses grammar, vocabulary, and the ability to understand contextual clues.

Interactive Reading: This component involves reading passages followed by various question types, such as completing sentences, selecting the appropriate sentence to fill a gap, highlighting answers within the text, identifying main ideas, and choosing suitable titles for passages. It gauges your comprehension, critical thinking, and ability to interpret written English in various contexts.

Read and Complete: This question type presents a passage with missing letters within words. Test-takers must deduce and restore the complete words. It focuses on spelling, contextual understanding, and vocabulary application.

In the Listen and Type question type, test-takers listen to spoken sentences and must accurately transcribe them. This format not only gauges the ability to understand spoken English but also evaluates spelling and punctuation skills, which are crucial for effective written communication. Typically, this question type appears 6 to 9 times throughout the test, reflecting its significance in assessing comprehension and conversation skills.

Conversely, the Interactive Listening section simulates real-life conversations, often set in academic contexts. Candidates engage in dialogues between peers or between a student and a faculty member, answering questions that test their understanding of the content. This section emphasizes active listening and the ability to synthesize information from discussions, essential for academic success. Overall, these question types collectively enhance the DET's goal of measuring a candidate's readiness for English-speaking environments in both academic and everyday settings.

In the Speak about the Photo task, candidates describe an image in detail, which tests their ability to articulate thoughts and use descriptive language. This question typically lasts up to 90 seconds and evaluates both fluency and vocabulary.

The Read, then Speak and Listen, then Speak tasks require test-takers to respond to prompts based on written or spoken content, respectively. These formats assess comprehension and the ability to convey ideas clearly and coherently within a time limit.

The Read Aloud question challenges candidates to read a provided text aloud, focusing on pronunciation and intonation.

Lastly, the Speaking Sample allows candidates to showcase their speaking skills, providing institutions with additional insight into their proficiency. Collectively, these question types ensure a comprehensive evaluation of speaking skills necessary for success in English-speaking environments.

Write About the Photo requires candidates to observe an image and compose a descriptive paragraph within a one-minute timeframe. This task assesses the ability to articulate visual details and express coherent thoughts, emphasizing vocabulary and grammatical accuracy.

Interactive Writing, introduced in early 2024, presents a two-part challenge. Initially, test takers respond to a prompt for five minutes, followed by a second prompt generated based on their first response, requiring an additional three minutes of writing. This format tests not only creativity and coherence but also adaptability in writing, as candidates must build upon their initial ideas.

The Writing Sample question asks test takers to write a structured response to a given topic within a limited time. This task evaluates overall writing skills, including organization, clarity, and argumentation. Collectively, these question types ensure a comprehensive assessment of candidates' writing abilities in real-world contexts, reflecting their readiness for academic or professional environments.