The Duolingo English Test (DET), a English proficiency assessment platform, has announced the rollout of new and improved question types, live for all test takers starting July 1. These updates are designed to make the test fairer, faster, and more reflective of real-world academic communication. Aspiring students can explore these enhancements firsthand by taking a free practice test conveniently available on all digital devices, including laptops and mobile phones.
What’s new on the DET:
- New: Interactive Speaking:
- Designed to better assess a wide range of speaking skills including clarity, fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar, this section offers a more dynamic and authentic evaluation of spoken English.
- Each session features 6 to 8 questions with prompts that build on one another. Test takers have 35 seconds to record each response, encouraging real-time thinking and natural expression.
- This new format is built to assess a student’s ability to speak clearly, stay on topic and communicate ideas effectively in the moment.
- Improved: Interactive Listening
- The Interactive Listening section now features a new “Listen and Complete” question type.
- Test takers listen to a short audio scenario and answer three to four fill-in-the-blank questions to demonstrate their comprehension. This is followed by the existing listen and respond task, followed by writing a short summary of the conversation.
- This updated design provides a more accurate way to assess academic skills such as listening for detail, understanding academic vocabulary and summarising key information, just like students are expected to do in a lecture or seminar setting.
- Removed: Read Aloud and Listen, Then Speak
- To improve test efficiency and keep the test under one hour, the Read Aloud and Listen, Then Speak question types have been removed.
- Minimum response time requirements have also been removed from several questions (Listen, Then Speak; Speak About the Photo; Read, Then Speak; Writing Sample; Speaking Sample; Interactive Writing).
Recognized by over 5,900 institutions worldwide including all eight Ivy League universities, the DET continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of students and institutions. This latest upgrade marks a significant step forward in how the test measures English proficiency, placing a stronger emphasis on practical communication skills essential for academic and professional success.
