Which English Tests Each Country Accepts, and Tips for a Multi-Test Strategy

I'm David,

founder of Ace DET (DET 155/160) and co-founder of SK2 TOEFL (TOEFL iBT 119/120).

Lately, the Duolingo English Test (DET) has been gaining acceptance: 6000+ institutions worldwide accept it, and the number is still growing.

Before long, it may well stand on equal footing with the TOEFL and IELTS,

and it might also be used for some schools' graduation requirements or for exemption from English courses.

For school applications, based on my experience helping students apply, I've put together a quick summary of how different countries accept the various study-abroad tests:

US: Acceptance of the DET is high overall, and DET score conversions/concordances with the TOEFL and IELTS generally look "good." TOEFL conversion scores also tend to be higher than IELTS?

UK/Australia: Relatively conservative about newer tests; some schools don't accept the DET. IELTS conversion scores are higher.

Europe: Varies a lot by country. Overall, the number of schools accepting the DET is growing fast.

Asia: Varies widely by school. For example, some of Singapore's top universities don't accept the DET right now, but many second-tier schools and below do.

Also, some schools don't accept results from online tests (for example, some schools don't take the TOEFL Home Edition),

so they may not take the DET either. Be sure to check each one.

How do you check whether a school accepts it? Three steps:

1. Check the DET's official website:

https://englishtest.duolingo.com/institutions

2. Go to the website of the department you're interested in and look for terms like "English proficiency." If the page has no information, email the Admission/Program Coordinator, state clearly which degree you want to apply for, and ask whether they accept the Duolingo English Test and what the minimum score is.

3. If they reply, also confirm whether there are subscore minimums for the Production / Literacy / Conversation / Comprehension integrated skills.

Here's my honest advice: if you haven't started preparing yet and plan to apply next year, consider preparing for the DET + TOEFL on two tracks at once, because the TOEFL after next January's revamp shares many question types with the DET. You can actually prepare for both tests together.

The DET's advantages are that it's much cheaper and scores come out fast, but some schools or departments don't accept it.

The TOEFL's advantage is that it's accepted everywhere, but it's sooo expensive.

So if a school accepts both, the DET can be your backup for "taking it a few more times" or "seeing if I can score higher."

Let's look specifically at which question types are the same on the new TOEFL and the DET, so you can prepare for them together.

1.

(TOEFL) Complete the Words

(DET) Fill in the Blanks／Read and Complete

Both have you fill in missing letters of words in a passage, testing your feel for the language and spelling.

Difference: the TOEFL has you complete 10 words in a short passage at once; the DET has two levels, single sentences and passages, and the difficulty adapts to you.

2.

(TOEFL) Read in Daily Life

(DET) Interactive Reading (divided into these question types: Complete the Sentences／Complete the Passage／Highlight the Answer／Identify the Idea／Title the Passage)

Both use short non-academic or semi-academic texts and test details, inferences, main ideas and so on.

Difference: the format. The TOEFL has more variety and may show an everyday text as an image, like a notice or a social media post; the DET uses a short passage of about two paragraphs with a set of six questions. But the reading and problem-solving skills you use are basically the same.

3.

(TOEFL) Listen and Choose a Response／Listen to a Conversation / Announcement / Academic Talk

(DET) Interactive Listening

Both are set in conversations or academic situations and ask you to choose the best response. Some test details, and others test how to continue the conversation.

Difference: the DET has listening fill-in-the-blank and a summary writing task (Summarize the Conversation); the TOEFL doesn't.

4.

(TOEFL) Virtual Interview

(DET) Interactive Speaking (6–8 questions, 35 seconds each)

Both are interactive, multi-turn speaking Q&As, and the questions and skills tested are much the same, so you can definitely prepare for them together.

Difference: how long you have to answer.

5.

(TOEFL) Write for an Academic Discussion

(DET) Interactive Writing, Writing Sample

Both are short argumentative pieces that ask you to state a position and give reasons and explanations, so you can definitely prepare for them together.

Difference: mainly the time limits.

Notice how similar they really are? Only a few question types differ between the two:

For example, the TOEFL asks you to "repeat what you hear," while the DET asks you to "type what you hear,"

or the DET has extra "describe the image" and "write about the photo" tasks, while the TOEFL has you write an e-mail, and so on.

So if you prepare for the new TOEFL and the DET together, 87% of the question types and skills overlap.

Some schools may only accept the TOEFL, so your TOEFL score goes to them only;

other schools also accept the DET, so if your extra DET score is higher than your TOEFL, it comes in handy;

or if you need to make up a score at the last minute, you can use the DET (cheap and fast).

10/24 Ace DET free open class on the Duolingo English Test, with a prize draw for one DET intensive course and one DET exam!

https://forms.gle/vPzZJ2Sk9bMSdS6v7

That's all. Questions and discussion are welcome!