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Duolingo English Test (DET) Syllabus
Online English proficiency test accepted by many U.S. colleges for international applicants.. The complete Duolingo English Test (DET) outline — 7 subjects, 28 chapters and 96 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Duolingo English Test (DET) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
4 chapters · 16 topics · 23 sub-topics
Reading Skills4 chapters · 14 topics · 10 sub-topics
Listening Skills4 chapters · 13 topics · 4 sub-topics
Speaking Skills4 chapters · 13 topics · 8 sub-topics
Writing Skills4 chapters · 13 topics · 5 sub-topics
English Language Foundations4 chapters · 14 topics · 6 sub-topics
Preparation, Practice, and Institutional Use4 chapters · 13 topics
Duolingo English Test (DET) flashcard decks
352 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
How to work through the Duolingo English Test (DET) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Test Format, Scoring, and Strategy carries 16 topics while Preparation, Practice, and Institutional Use carries 13. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Duolingo English Test (DET).
The ~85 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Duolingo English Test (DET) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Duolingo English Test (DET) syllabus?
Duolingo English Test (DET) covers 7 subjects: Test Format, Scoring, and Strategy, Reading Skills, Listening Skills, Speaking Skills, Writing Skills, English Language Foundations and Preparation, Practice, and Institutional Use. Together they contain 28 chapters and 96 named topics.
How big is the Duolingo English Test (DET) syllabus?
The full Duolingo English Test (DET) outline breaks down into 28 chapters, 96 topics and 56 sub-topics. Test Format, Scoring, and Strategy is the largest single subject with 16 topics across 4 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Duolingo English Test (DET) syllabus?
Roughly 85 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 4 weeks.
Are there Duolingo English Test (DET) flashcards?
Yes — 352 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Duolingo English Test (DET) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Duolingo English Test (DET) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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