Duolingo English Test Scores Explained: What Each Score Means, IELTS/TOEFL Equivalents and Who Accepts It

The Duolingo English Test is scored from 10 to 160 in steps of 5. Each score maps to a CEFR level and to an approximate IELTS and TOEFL iBT score in Duolingo’s official comparison table. Below, every score from 60 to 160 has its own page: what the score means, how many of the 1001 institutions with a published minimum list it, and how to raise it.

DET	CEFR	IELTS	TOEFL iBT	Institutions listing this minimum*
160	C2	8.5 – 9	120	2
155	C2	8	119	0
150	C1	8	117 – 118	1
145	C1	7.5	113 – 116	0
140	C1	7.5	109 – 112	2
135	C1	7	104 – 108	5
130	C1	7	98 – 103	43
125	B2	6.5	93 – 97	21
120	B2	6.5	87 – 92	103
115	B2	6	82 – 86	103
110	B2	6	76 – 81	139
105	B2	6	70 – 75	182
100	B2	5.5	65 – 69	124
95	B1	5.5	59 – 64	112
90	B1	5	53 – 58	61
85	B1	5	47 – 52	39
80	B1	5	41 – 46	33
75	B1	4.5	35 – 40	14
70	B1	4.5	30 – 34	6
65	B1	4.5	24 – 29	6
60	A2	4	under 24	5

* Minimum DET score stated on the institution’s own website, detected automatically from the official share list (October 2026). Always confirm with the program.

How the score works

Your overall score is the average of four subscores — Literacy (reading + writing), Comprehension (reading + listening), Conversation (listening + speaking) and Production (writing + speaking). Scores are valid for two years. Universities publish their own minimum, usually between 95 and 125; some also ask for a minimum subscore.

Not sure where you stand? Take the free level test, convert a score with the score converter, or search the directory of institutions that accept the DET.

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Last updated: November 2026