TOEFL vs Duolingo English Test: Which Should You Choose?
TOEFL costs $180–200, takes 1.5 hours, and is accepted by 12,000+ institutions. Duolingo costs $65, takes 1 hour, and is accepted by 5,000+ institutions. Duolingo is cheaper and faster; TOEFL is more credible for top graduate programmes. Score conversion: TOEFL 100 ≈ DET 140, TOEFL 90 ≈ DET 130, TOEFL 79 ≈ DET 115.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Duolingo English Test accepted by universities?
Over 5,000 universities accept DET, including Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. However, some competitive graduate programmes and professional schools still prefer TOEFL or IELTS.
Is TOEFL harder than the Duolingo English Test?
TOEFL is more rigorous — extended academic passages, full lectures, and essay writing. Duolingo uses short adaptive tasks. TOEFL carries more credibility for research-intensive programmes.
How does the Duolingo score convert to TOEFL?
TOEFL 100–109 ≈ DET 140–149, TOEFL 90–99 ≈ DET 130–139, TOEFL 79–89 ≈ DET 115–129, TOEFL 61–78 ≈ DET 100–114.
Which is cheaper — TOEFL or Duolingo?
Duolingo ($65) is significantly cheaper than TOEFL ($180–200). Duolingo results are ready in 2 days vs TOEFL's 4–8 days. If your target programmes accept both, Duolingo saves significant cost.