The Duolingo English Test Score Calculator

DET reports an overall score from 10 to 160, in 5-point increments, plus four integrated subscores: Literacy (Reading + Writing), Comprehension (Reading + Listening), Conversation (Speaking + Listening), and Production (Speaking + Writing), each on the same 10 to 160 scale. The overall is computed by Duolingo's proprietary algorithm and approximates the average of the four subscores; this calculator estimates your overall as that average so you can sanity-check your published result and identify imbalances.

Most universities accept 100 to 130. Mid-tier US, Canadian, UK, and Irish undergraduate programs typically require 100 to 110. Top-tier and Ivy League programs (Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Yale, Princeton) usually expect 120 to 130+, especially for business and engineering. Below 85 is pre-academic and not accepted by most universities. CEFR mapping: 160 = C2, 140 to 155 = C1, 120 to 135 = B2, 95 to 115 = B1, 70 to 90 = A2, below 70 = A1.

Yes, by 5,800+ institutions worldwide, including 2,200+ US colleges and universities, plus most major UK, Canadian, Irish, Australian, and German universities for academic admission. However, DET is not accepted by IRCC for the Canadian Student Permit application, by the UK Home Office for Student Visa applications (you would need a SELT-approved test for the visa even if your university accepts DET for admission), or by Australian skilled migration. For visas, you may still need IELTS or PTE alongside DET.

DET scores are valid for 2 years from the test date for most universities. Some institutions set their own recency policy (typically requiring a test taken within 12 to 24 months of application). The score certificate is delivered within 48 hours.

DET reports four integrated subscores rather than per-skill scores: Literacy = Reading + Writing (your written communication ability), Comprehension = Reading + Listening (your input/understanding ability), Conversation = Speaking + Listening (your real-time interaction ability), and Production = Speaking + Writing (your output/expression ability). Each subscore is on the 10 to 160 scale. The integrated approach is designed to reflect how you actually use English in real life, where reading and listening usually go together, as do speaking and writing.

DET is the cheapest and fastest English test: $59 USD, fully online, results in 48 hours, no test centre needed. It is accepted by 5,800+ universities including most major US schools. IELTS and TOEFL are more expensive ($200+) and require a test centre, but are accepted virtually everywhere including for visas, immigration, and professional registration where DET is not. Take DET if your target programs accept it; take IELTS or TOEFL if you also need it for a visa or for institutions that do not accept DET.

The DET is approximately 1 hour total: about 45 minutes of adaptive testing across all four skills, plus a 10-minute video interview at the end. The adaptive engine adjusts question difficulty as you go: more correct answers lead to harder (higher-scoring) questions. There is no separate Listening or Reading section; tasks are interspersed throughout.

A large gap between subscores (more than 25 points) signals an imbalance: for example, if Comprehension is 130 but Production is 90, your input skills (Reading + Listening) are significantly stronger than your output skills (Speaking + Writing). Universities care about overall, but a large imbalance can hurt practical communication. The recommended fix is targeted study on the weaker dimension before retaking the test.