Master the New Duolingo English Test (DET) with Upgraded Question Types (April 2024 Update)

The Duolingo English Test (DET) is getting smarter! Starting April 2nd, 2024, new question types will be introduced to enhance your testing experience. This blog post provides a comprehensive breakdown of the exciting updates, including Fill in the Blanks, Interactive Writing, and Read & Select.

The Duolingo English Test (DET) stands as a global favourite among students today. A cost-effective and user-friendly choice for English language proficiency, the test utilizes AI and advanced assessment, for a convenient and accurate certification of English skills. Accepted by 5000+ global programs, including prestigious institutions like New York University and Yale, the DET stands as a trusted proficiency certification.

Updates to the Duolingo English Test

Starting April 2nd, 2024 the Duolingo English Test (DET) will introduce new and improved question types in the Duolingo English Test Pattern. These changes aim to enhance the testing experience for students by improving convenience, accuracy, and security, ensuring a more comprehensive evaluation of English proficiency. Test takers who prefer to take the test without these modifications can choose to do so before April 2, 2024.

New and Redesigned Question Types

• Fill in the Blanks - The Fill in the Blanks question in the Duolingo English Test now evaluates vocabulary depth and usage context. This section comprises 6-9 sentences with an unfinished word to be filled in within a 20-second time frame per question. Performance in this question type influences the overall test score, particularly impacting the Literacy and Comprehension subscores. Test-takers must read the entire sentence carefully before filling in the blank, and utilize context clues to achieve the best score.

• Interactive Writing - Building upon the existing 'Read, Then Write' question, the Interactive Writing feature prompts test takers to elaborate on their ideas. After reading a prompt, test takers write about it for 5 minutes. The new update is a follow-up prompt which provides an additional 3 minutes to expand on the idea.  To break it down, the total duration for this question includes a 30-second planning screen, then a first prompt for which you get 5 minutes and then the second one for which you’ll get 3 minutes, making for a total duration of 8 minutes 30 seconds.

• Read and Select - The Read and Select section requires test takers to identify real English words from multiple options on a single screen. After the update test takers will still select real words but they will be presented one by one on multiple screens and you will have 5 seconds to guess each. You can expect about 15-18 words in this section of your test. This enhances test efficiency and accurately evaluates the size of your vocabulary. 

To experience the new and redesigned question types, take a free practice test at your convenience. Candidates can get in touch with our Shiksha counselling services for assistance with university admissions on our website. 

About the Author

The Duolingo English Test is a modern English proficiency assessment for today’s international students and institutions. The test is available online, on demand. You don’t have to make an appointment or travel to a test centre—you can take the test from your home via a computer and webcam.  The test is administered using computer adaptive technology, meaning that the question difficulty adapts to each test taker. The test also integrates a video interview and writing sample, which are sent to an institution along with your proficiency score when you send your results. The entire test experience takes just under an hour. Test results are certified within two days, and they can be shared with an unlimited number of institutions.