Changes to the Duolingo English Test
This article lists out all of the changes that have been made to the Duolingo English Test, in order of most recent to oldest.
Table of Contents
- Ear Scan Required
- Test Takers Must Use The DET Mobile App
- Room Scan Required
- New Interactive Speaking Question
- New Listen and Complete Question in Interactive Listening
- No More Read Aloud Question Type
- Minimum Time Requirement Removed for 5 Questions
- New Subscores for Writing, Speaking, Reading, and Listening
- New Interactive Writing Question Type
- New Fill in the Blanks Question Type
- Read, Then Write Question Type Removed
- Updated Format for Read and Select
- Updated Scoring Criteria for Writing and Speaking Questions
- The Speaking Sample is Now Graded
- New Interactive Listening Question Type
- The Interactive Reading Question Type Was Added
- The Writing Sample is Now Graded
Ear Scan Required
Starting 2 December 2025, Duolingo rolled out a new requirement in which you need to use your smartphone to scan your ears before starting the test. This is to ensure that you are not wearing earbuds. (Source)
Test Takers Must Use The DET Mobile App
Starting 2 December 2025, test takers are now required to use the DET mobile app when setting up their test environment. (Source)
Room Scan Required
In September 2025, Duolingo rolled out a new requirement in which you need to use your smartphone to scan your room before starting the test. (Source)
New Interactive Speaking Question
Starting 1 July 2025, there is a new Interactive Speaking question on the test. (Source)
New Listen and Complete Question in Interactive Listening
As of 1 July 2025, you now have to listen to the scenario (previously you read it) and you have to answer a series of questions to test your comprehension of it. (Source)
No More Read Aloud Question Type
As of 1 July 2025, there is no longer the Read Aloud question type on the test. (Source)
Minimum Time Requirement Removed for 5 Questions
As of 1 July 2025, there are no longer minimum amounts of time for which you have to respond for the following questions:
- Speak About the Photo
- Read, Then Speak
- Interactive Writing
- Writing Sample
- Speaking Sample
(Source)
New Subscores for Writing, Speaking, Reading, and Listening
Starting 1 July 2024, you will now see four new subscores on your score certificate (Writing, Speaking, Reading, and Listening) in addition to the existing integrated subscores of Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation, and Production. (Source)
New Interactive Writing Question Type
The Interactive Writing question was added to the test starting 2 April 2024. (Source)
New Fill in the Blanks Question Type
Starting 2 April 2024, the Fill in the Blanks question type was added to the test. Similar to Read and Complete, test takers have to fill in a word that is missing letters. The difference is that Fill in the Blanks gives you just one broken word that you need to complete. In Read and Complete, you have to complete multiple words. (Source)
Read, Then Write Question Type Removed
As of 2 April 2024, the Read Then Write question type was removed. It was effectively replaced by Interactive Writing. (Source)
Updated Format for Read and Select
Starting 2 April 2024, the Read and Select question type now shows you one word at a time. Previously, it showed you several words at a time. (Source)
Updated Scoring Criteria for Writing and Speaking Questions
Duolingo slightly updated the scoring rubric for writing and speaking questions on 2 April 2024. (Source)
The Speaking Sample is Now Graded
Starting on 1 May 2023, the Speaking Sample is now graded. (Source)
New Interactive Listening Question Type
Also on 1 May 2023, the Interactive Question type was introduced. (Source)
☝️ The Interactive Listening question type was updated on 1 July 2025. See above for more information.
The Interactive Reading Question Type Was Added
Starting 30 March 2022, the Interactive Reading question type now appears on the DET. (Source)
The Writing Sample is Now Graded
Since 28 February 2022, the Writing Sample has been graded. Previously, it was not. (Source)