DET Preparation for Adaptive Test and Video Interview

Written ByRituparna Nath Content Writer at Study Abroad Exams

DET preparation includes learning the basics of grammar as it tests the reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills. DET preparation strategies are slightly difficult to make as there is no specific syllabus of the exam. A proper DET preparation plan includes ample Duolingo English Test practice test sets, sample questions, and answers, books, and videos. DET preparation is important as it can help candidates prepare and perform better on the Duolingo English Test. By learning and following effective Duolingo English Test preparation tips, one can familiarize themself with the test format and build confidence, leading to a higher score and better representation of their English abilities.

Table of Contents

Test Preparation vs. Readiness
1.1 Starting Test Preparation
1.2 Day Before the Test
1.3 Test Day Preparation
1.4 During the Test
1.5 After the Test
Section-wise Preparation Tips
2.1 Strategies for Adaptive Test
2.2 Strategies for Video Interview
2.3 Strategies for Writing Sample

DET Preparation vs. Test Readiness

Duolingo English Test is one of the most high-stakes tests that are completely online and different from the other English proficiency tests. For DET tips, candidates don’t have to indulge in endless hours of preparation. Test-takers don’t have to purchase expensive preparation materials, enrol in classes, or mug up notes. Duolingo English test examines the actual English proficiency of candidates, and that doesn’t require severe DET preparation right before the exam. Candidates need to follow a ‘test readiness’ approach for Duolingo English test preparation tips. The following contains a few steps that candidates can follow for the Duolingo English test.

How to Start your DET Preparation?

The best way to start the Duolingo English test preparation is to know every detail about the exam pattern, score, and other rules. Duolingo English Test website offers helpful preparation materials in the form of videos, practice tests, and more.

Candidates need to have a clear understanding of Duolingo English test pattern, Duolingo English test scores, and question types from the ‘quick video walkthrough’ on the Duolingo English Test website.
Proceed towards the ‘Test Readiness’ page, check out the Duolingo English Test Official Guide, and a few of the Duolingo English practice test papers for understanding the difficulty levels of questions.
Candidates need to undergo the daily practice of reading, speaking, writing, and listening sections of English. The Duolingo English Test blog section contains helpful resources that provide candidates with English materials for everyday practice.
The ‘free Duolingo English practice test’ helps candidates analyze the difficulty level of the questions.

Day Before Taking DET Tips

It is important for candidates to prepare the space where they are planning to take the Duolingo English test. The following Duolingo English test preparation tips can be followed:

The place should be quiet and comfortable to be in. There should be proper lighting, a comfortable place to sit, and complete privacy.
The candidate should keep handy the passport or government-issued ID or driving license, a computer that is connected to a reliable internet connection.
It is advisable to purchase the Duolingo English Test website on the computer so that all the candidate needs to do is click on ‘Start the test’.
Candidates can take the Duolingo English test anytime, therefore, a perfect time needs to be selected. It can be during late night or even early morning.

DET Tips for Test Day

It is necessary for candidates to be prepared for the Duolingo English Test day. The below tips can be followed by the candidates while taking their test:

Test-takers should have one hour of uninterrupted time. They should inform everyone to not enter the testing area when the test is ongoing. If required, they can also hang a poster on their door.
Headphones are not allowed during the Duolingo English test. Candidates wearing headphones may find their tests uncertified. Candidates should keep their faces and ears properly visible.
Candidates are suggested to go through all the Duolingo English Test rules for maintaining security and validity during the test.
Test-takers are suggested to practice a Duolingo English practice test right before taking the test to get into the mindset. They should also practice speaking to a native English speaker, or watch an English show, or listen to an English podcast.

During DET Test

Candidates need to follow certain Duolingo English test preparation tips when taking the test. The following are the tips to be followed:

Duolingo English test is a proctored one, therefore, candidates need to constantly look at the screen. Though it is quite natural to look away for some time when thinking about the question, or getting distracted. Most of the time, the candidate needs to stay focused on the screen.
There is a single section in the Duolingo English test pattern. There are multiple small exercises in the form of adaptive tests found in Duolingo English Test. Therefore, candidates don’t have to answer lengthy questions.
It is important to keep a watch on the time limit. Candidates should aim to write or speak as much as possible during the given time limit.
Candidates also need to showcase their English proficiency in the video interview and the writing sections in the ungraded section. These are delivered to the universities alongside the scores.

After Completing DET Test

There are certain Duolingo English test steps that the candidates need to follow after they are done with their test. They are as follows:

It is important to check if all the answers are uploaded to the Duolingo English Test website. Candidates will get a notification once all the answers are uploaded.
After the exam ends, it is important to relax and enjoy. Duolingo English test scores are received within 2 days.
Once candidates receive their Duolingo English Test scores, they can send them across to multiple academic institutions.

Section-wise Duolingo English Test Preparation Tips

Duolingo English Test exam pattern is divided into two sections: Adaptive Testing and Video Interview. The former is the graded section, and the latter is the ungraded section. The adaptive Duolingo English test pattern comprises all four sections merged into one. The question’s difficulty level changes based on the performance level of the candidate. The ungraded section or the video interview section measures the writing and speaking skills of the candidates.

DET Preparation Strategies for Adaptive Test

This section of the Duolingo English test contains a mixture of the four sections along with a variety of question types. The preparation tips for the adaptive test of the Duolingo English Test website contains strategies for dealing with all the question types:

Read and Complete: Begin with reading the passage then moving towards the missing letters. Once you get an overall idea of the passage, it will become easier to fill in the missing word or letter.
Read and Select: For this section, test-takers need to believe in their knowledge of English. There may be more than one English word in some questions, and some words may appear real but have one or two letters altered. Candidates can make changes like selecting or deselecting the words if they want.
Listen and Select: Similar to the previous one, candidates need to focus on the syllables of the word for understanding the differences. It is also suggested to double-check the words before proceeding to the next one. Duolingo English test practice will help candidates develop their skills.
Listen and Type: While answering any question, write down the statement when you hear it once. Then make alterations when you hear it the second and third time.
Read Aloud: Duolingo English test preparation for this question type includes reading different books, articles, magazines, journals, and more. Look for the punctuation in every sentence, and enunciate accordingly.
Write about the Photo: It is suggested to go extra and write more than one sentence when describing the photo. Also, never forget to check the grammar and spellings before proceeding to the next Duolingo English Test questions.
Speak about the Photo: It is suggested to take the 20 seconds time allotted for preparation for forming the speaking response. Duolingo English Test recommends candidates describe the picture as if they are explaining it to a blind person in front. Don’t stop if you hesitate, simply continue speaking.
Read and Write: Candidates can write as much as they want in this section. It is advisable to check the grammar, spelling, and punctuation before clicking the ‘Next’ button. Going through a few of the Duolingo English test sample questions and answers will help candidates get an idea of the type of answers to be written. To practice writing, candidates need to practice from different Duolingo preparation books as well.
Read and Speak: Candidates need to speak with confidence and continuously. They need to focus on enunciation while speaking. Constant practice from the Duolingo practice test papers will help candidates develop their speaking skills.
Listen and Speak: Similar to the previous one, candidates need to have a clear idea of what the question demands. They need to speak continuously for 30 seconds.

DET Preparation Strategies for Video Interview

This section of the Duolingo English test pattern is ungraded and only examines the writing and speaking proficiency of the candidates. The following are a few of the tips to know how to prepare for Duolingo English test’s video interview section:

The candidate needs to speak on one of the topics for 1 to 3 minutes as provided by Duolingo English Test examiners. The examiners in the video will test their speed, fluency, enunciation skills, and also confidence. Therefore, the candidate needs to work on all of these.
If the candidate wishes to speak longer than the given time, they can.
According to Duolingo English test preparation, candidates are not advised to focus on the timer. It may distract them and cause them to stammer leading to rejection.

DET Preparation Strategies for Writing Sample

Along with the video interview, Duolingo English Test ungraded section also has a writing sample section. Universities and colleges consider the writing section for assessing the candidate’s writing proficiency. Below are the tips to boost your writing skills:

For the Duolingo writing sample, candidates will receive two topics to choose from. They will get 30 seconds to prepare for the topic. It is recommended that they use this time to carefully structure the essay.
Test-takers need to practice from different Duolingo practice tests to understand the wide range of topics.
They need to work on vocabulary in order to keep changing the word choices.
Work on expressing different thought processes.

DET Preparation Practice Test

Practice papers are essential to ace the DET preparation. It helps to examine your weak points and work on them. Here are DET preparation practice questions with PDFs for candidates to practice:

Duolingo Practice Test 1	Duolingo Practice Test 2
Duolingo Practice Test 3	Duolingo Practice Test 4
Duolingo Practice Test 5	Duolingo Practice Test 6

The best way to prepare for Duolingo English Test is a daily practice. Apart from that, watching English movies, and having conversations with a native English speaker also helps.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.