Score field guide

Duolingo English Test score reference and limits

Learn what the provider’s calibrated four-skill result represents before comparing it with partial rehearsal evidence.

Format version
2026.2
Registry verified
Recorded scales
none · det-160

Conversion unavailable

A numeric field would create false precision for this exam. Use the source ledger and the diagnostic route instead.

What the result can—and cannot—mean

Compass refuses numeric conversion because the provider result combines calibrated adaptive evidence across all four skills. Compass does not assess Speaking or validated constructed Writing.

Speaking
Not assessed
Overall official result
Not produced
Source registry notice

The original 75-interaction four-skill draft delivers 40 Reading, 25 Listening, 6 Writing, and 4 Speaking interactions with uncalibrated Compass two-stage routing. The official DET changes difficulty continuously, can vary length, and uses calibrated IRT and response models across all four skills. Constructed Writing and Speaking are not assessed, so Compass produces no official score, no 10-160 estimate, and no overall or admission result.

Three interpretation rules

  1. A percentage correct is not an item-response score.
  2. Adaptive route difficulty changes the meaning of raw accuracy.
  3. Admission decisions require an official complete report.

Scale and support ledger

Generated transition rows from the score-reference functions
SectionRecorded scalesCompass support
Compass Reading rehearsalnoneSupported
Compass Listening rehearsalnoneSupported
Compass Writing rehearsalnoneSupported
Official four-skill adaptive testdet-160Outside scope

Official source ledger

Open the current provider or public-authority source before acting on a score.

Duolingo
  • DET Test Structuretestcenter.zendesk.com
    Open source
  • DET Test Structure and Questionstestcenter.zendesk.com
    Open source
  • How the DET Items Are Scoredtestcenter.zendesk.com
    Open source
  • How is the DET scored?blog.englishtest.duolingo.com
    Open source
  • DET research and technical materialenglishtest.duolingo.com
    Open source

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t objective accuracy become a provider score?

The secure test uses calibrated items, adaptive delivery, and response models that Compass does not possess.

Does taking an upper Compass route imply a score?

No. The route is a disclosed practice rule and has no provider-score conversion.

What does Compass report instead?

It reports objective rehearsal accuracy, task-family evidence, and clear unassessed rows for Writing and Speaking.

Turn interpretation into evidence

Use the free diagnostic to locate the skill gap, then rehearse the supported structure with its limits visible.