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Duolingo English Test

Duolingo is an application that was launched in 2012 with the mission of creating learning easier the appliance helps people learn a bunch of foreign languages through a special methodology and also adapts the lesson consistent with the user’s end term goal or purpose. In 2014, Duolingo launched a web English proficiency exam so as to return out as an alternate for other English proficiency exams like IELTS/TOEFL. This blog covers all the Duolingo accepted universities across the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Europe, and New Zealand.

About Duolingo Exam
Just like other proficiency exams, Duolingo assesses candidates on four criteria which are reading, writing, listening and speaking. Since then a number of the schools have started accepting Duolingo English proficiency exam scores but not all of them. But, with the pandemic disrupting the entire world and everything shifting towards digital means, many universities started trying to find alternatives to the normal English proficiency tests. IELTS and TOEFL couldn’t be conducted thanks to the test centres being closed. So, at this point the amount of educational institutions accepting Duolingo scores is growing exponentially.

The cost of the test is $49 (INR 3605 approximately) and takes about 45-60 minutes. so as to require the test, candidates got to have a passport, driver’s license or a government ID proof able to identify on camera. a person with a camera, microphone, speakers, and reliable internet can take the test from the comfort of their home.

Benefits of Duolingo English Test
There are various benefits of taking the Duolingo test. we’ve listed them below for your reference.

Accessibility – the most important advantage of the Duolingo English Test is that it are often taken from the comfort of our home which could not be a plus earlier but with the pandemic entering our lives, Duolingo became the foremost feasible option at this point to conduct English proficiency tests. Although IELTS also recently launched its online test named IELTS Indicator but by this point Duolingo has already taken an enormous share within the market and has become one among the simplest options for college kids also as schools.
Affordability – While other English proficiency exams cost around $200 (INR 14,717 approximately) or above, Duolingo costs just $49 (INR 3,605 approximately). This comes as a serious relief to students trying to review abroad as they need to face many expenses and anything which will cut those expenses right down to even a touch bit makes tons of difference for them.
Faster Results – This test provides the result within 24-48 hours as compared to IELTS/TOEFL which takes about 4-5 days to announce the result. The results provided by Duolingo are much faster as compared to other english proficiency exams.
Time Duration – The duration of the test is 45-60 minutes as compared to IELTS which is 2 hour and 45 minutes. So, the time commitment is far lower as compared to other traditional tests.
Flexibility – Flexibility is yet one more factor that differentiates this English test from the opposite ones. A Duolingo test is often taken anywhere, anytime and you only need a reliable internet connection.
Mock Tests – This test also offers the choice of attempting multiple mock tests before taking the particular test which provides students all the relevant knowledge regarding the ultimate test.

Duolingo Exam Pattern
The test offered by Duolingo is an adaptive test which suggests that the test keeps on getting harder with more right answers and the other way around.

The test measures different aspects of English language through –

Completing missing letters from section of a text
Finding out real English words from the fake ones
Typing the statement which the candidates hear
Describing a picture

After this, the candidates are required to require a video interview wherein they will speak on anybody of the 2 topics and therefore the same process happens with writing also. The score comes on a scale of 10-160 within 2 days of completion of the exam. Aside from all this, even schools accepting Duolingo score enjoy a way larger applicant pool, providing them with a comprehensive approach to seem at the scholars by watching their video interviews, written samples and their score.

How is DET different from IELTS or TOEFL?

Let us understand the differences between DET and other traditional testing systems,

one among the simplest benefits of DET over IELTS or TOEFL is that you simply don’t got to visit the testing centre’s; instead, you’ll appear at your range in a quiet, well-lit room with an honest internet connection.
Cost for DET is nearly 1/4th of that you simply buy the opposite traditional tests. It costs only 49 dollars (3720 INR) against 180-200 dollars (14000-15500 INR) for IELTS and TOEFL.
it’s a really short duration test of just 45-60 minutes whereas IELTS and TOEFL take around 2-3 hours. within the case of IELTS, it’s given within the period of two days.
You’ll get your test results within 48 hours of giving DET whereas in IELTS and TOEFL it takes around 10-20 days for test results.
Before appearing for the most DET you’ve got the power of appearing for multiple mock tests to urge a particular idea of the testing system which isn’t available just in case of IELTS or TOEFL.

What are the contents of DET?
Duolingo English Test is split into 3 sections with different duration slots:

Quick Setup : within the first 05 minutes of the test you’ll be introduced to the DET and various rules and requirements.
Adaptive Questions : For next 45 minutes, there’ll be sets of questions which can test your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and skills which is that the main section as your grades are majorly hooked in to it. As we discussed earlier adaptive questioning are going to be done to check the proficiency on the idea of your ability.
Video Interview : Last 10 minutes will contains a video of the answers given by you for the questions displayed on the screen. supported your test performance you’ll tend a subject on which you would like to write down for around 3-5 minutes.

How to use DET?
Follow the below-given steps to finish DET:

Firstly open the link – https://englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants and make your account by clicking on check in .
After that, you’ll check your skills by taking the practice test.
Once you’re confident enough to seem for the most tests, make the payment for DET which is 49 Dollars by Credit or open-end credit.
Before you begin the most tests, you would like to see your internet connection, check your computer’s microphone by recording short audio because headphones or earphones aren’t allowed. Check your webcam by taking your photo and also keep your passport and any of the government id proof ready with you.
Once everything is proper, you would like to travel ahead and fill the private details as per your government ID and for verification photo of your ID are going to be clicked.
After that, you’ll start your actual test by clicking on START and once you complete it you’ll have an choice to send the results on to the university or institute if you’ve got already applied before appearing for DET.

What is the DET scores requirement for Admissions?
Scoring in DET is different as compared to other testing systems as they provide an overall score for the entire test and not the separate score for every module as that of IELTS.

Different score levels justify the various levels of English proficiency of the scholars.

Score 10-55 : Can understand very Basic English words, phrases, straightforward information and express themselves in familiar contexts.
Score 60-85 : Can understand the most points of concrete speech or writing on routine matters like work and faculty and may describe experiences, ambitions, opinions, and plans, although with some awkwardness or hesitation.
Score 90-115 : Can fulfill most communication goals, even on unfamiliar topics, understand the most ideas of both concrete and abstract writing and interact with proficient speakers fairly easily.
Score 120-160 : Can understand a spread of demanding written and speech including some specialized language use situations, can grasp implicit, figurative, pragmatic, and idiomatic language and may use language flexibly and effectively for many social, academic, and professional purposes.

Study Abroad – Backlogs FAQ’S

What is a Backlog?

A backlog is an exam that you could not clear in the first attempt. Please note that it is mandatory to appear for the exam the next time under any circumstances in order to avail your degree from the institution of study.

Absenteeism : In an ideal situation, absenteeism should not be counted as a backlog. For instance, you did not appear for the exam due to sickness, accident, or any other genuine reason. However, in the case of absenteeism, you should always confirm from your academic institution whether they mark an ‘Absent’ or write ‘Zero’ in the score column against the exam subject that you could not appear for. It is essential to confirm this from the institute because ‘a zero in the score column’ would refer to Backlog, not Absent. If you have already received your academic transcript, then you should check in your mark sheet whether yours is marked as a Backlog or Absenteeism.
How are Backlogs Counted?
Some countries count the number of subjects as the number of backlogs, while some count the number of attempts you took to clear those backlogs. These are as follows :

In most of the countries, Number of Attempts ≠ Number of Backlogs!

In the rest of the world, the number of times you have appeared to clear a subject has got nothing to do with the number of your backlogs. For example, if you had to appear 5 times to clear a backlog in 1 subject, you would still have only 1 backlog (not 5). However, if you had to clear 5 subjects and you did that in 1 attempt each, you would have 5 backlogs. You cannot have 20 subjects and more than 20 backlogs, even if you failed in all of them 10 times each.

In Australia and Germany, Number of Attempts = Number of Backlogs

The universities in Australia and Germany count the number of attempts as the number of backlogs. These countries pay special emphasis to the attempts in order to judge a student’s sincerity towards examination. In other words, if you cleared 1 subject in 3 attempts, the number of backlogs would be ‘3’. Similarly, if you had backlogs in 2 subjects, 1 of which you cleared 2 attempts and the other in 3 attempts, then the total number of backlogs would be counted at (2+3=5). Likewise, if you had backlogs in 3 subjects, for which you took 1 attempt each, then it would be counted as 3 backlogs.

Can you study abroad with backlogs?
The answer to this question is ‘Yes’. Backlogs are accepted in almost every country. Nevertheless, there is always a limited number of backlogs that are accepted in every region. Every college, national or international, wants to select the best candidates for sure. What students need to understand in this regard is what makes their profile strong. There are many good universities across the globe that select average profile if they find them suitable for the kind of courses they have to offer.

How many backlogs are allowed to study abroad?
The minimum and maximum number of backlogs accepted by abroad universities varies with study destination. It would be ideal to say that every country accepts backlogs to an extent. There are both lenient and strict regions in the world that may or may not accept high number of backlogs respectively. The strict regions give high importance to the academic profiles of international students and consider their overall percentage strictly refusing to accept more than a limited number of backlogs.

To what extent are backlogs accepted?
Colleges that accept average candidates from across the world have some or the other selection criteria for their profile evaluation. Some colleges focus on your clear academic records where there is no scope for backlogs, while some select you on the basis of your recent scores in the standardized exams such as GMAT, GRE, IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE. Also, as discussed above, the subject in which you had a backlog also matters while applying to universities abroad. Other criteria for getting selected by these colleges are your curricular and non-curricular achievements. Let us discuss the countries and explore universities that accept backlogs.

What is a Backlog Certificate?
Just as an academic transcript proves that you have completed your educational programmed in a particular institution, a backlog certificate serves as a proof that you have had ‘n‘ number of backlogs, which you may or may not have cleared until the date of issue.

What is the importance of a backlog certificate? What purpose does it serve?
Every country has its own way of counting backlogs. Some countries count the number of subjects, while some count the attempts made to clear a single subject. The admission committee of a university relies on the backlog certificate to count the number of backlogs. It is also required to prove that you have cleared all of them.

How to procure a backlog certificate?
The college authorities who create your academic transcripts/ degree/ mark sheet/ certificates/ diploma, etc. are the ones responsible for creating your backlog certificate as well. You need to procure your backlog certificate from the academic institution from where you completed your course/programme and received your academic transcript.

How to use a backlog certificate?
A backlog certificate is attached as a document of proof along with the rest of the application material that your send to the university. The entire application material includes:

Financial Documents to prove that you are financially capable of funding your education and stay abroad
Academic Transcripts for every qualification that you have undergone to serve as a proof of education
Standardised exams score: GRE/GMAT/SAT and IELTS/TOEFL/PTE as per the university requirements
Supporting Documents: SOP, LOR, Academic CV, Essay, etc. that are required by the university to evaluate you profile
Valid Passport

NOTE : If you have more than one backlog certificate, then you need to provide all of them to the admission committee. It is not necessary that university would settle with the latest backlog certificate unlike transcripts.

How does a backlog certificate differ from an academic transcript?

Academic transcripts consists of the score of all the subjects you have had in your course of study. Backlog certificate has scores of only the subjects you had a backlog in.

In most of the cases, you need to provide a combined transcript that contains marks of all the semester/years. In general, when the final-year mark sheet has all the scores of your three/four years of academic degree, you do not need to provide mark sheet for every semester/year. However, you need to provide as many backlog certificates as you have received throughout that course/degree.

Under what condition is a Backlog Certificate required?

The admission committee of any university across the globe may ask for a backlog certificate. It is irrespective of the fact whether you have a low or a higher number of backlogs. In some regions like Australia, these are required to serve as a proof of the fact that you have zero backlogs.

What to do if you have no backlogs?

A common question we come across is what needs to be done if a student has no/zero backlogs. In this case, you need to see which country you are applying to.

For instance, Canadian Universities do not ask for a backlog certificate if you had no backlogs. Your academic transcript in itself is a proof that you had passed all your exams.

On the other hand, in countries like Australia and New Zealand, you need to reach out your academic institute to procure a ‘zero backlog’ certificate to prove as a clearance of your academic records. This is mandatory in the universities of Australia and New Zealand.

Where the backlogs matter and where they do not?

If you have a few of backlogs, you may have the following doubts :

How backlogs are counted in every country?
Which countries are strict and which are lenient towards backlogs acceptance
How many backlogs are accepted in which country?

Which countries are strict towards backlogs?
To categorize the global universities region-wise, it would be ideal to say that backlogs play a huge role in your profile evaluation American, Canadian, or Australian Universities. Considering the fact that these are the most popular and cherish able regions for studying abroad, the universities in these countries demand the best profiles from across the globe.

Is it possible to study in USA with backlogs? How many backlogs are allowed in the USA?
As most of us know, the US universities give preference to candidates with zero backlogs, there is always a scope for students who can be selected with a maximum of 5 backlogs by some universities. In case of 7-8 backlogs, the loophole is to score well in the GRE exam (somewhere form 315–325) to get selected by a few reputed US universities. For students who want to study in USA with more than 8 backlogs, it is suggested to take some external help for finding some of the fine institutes before making an application to save their time, efforts and money.

Are Canadian Universities strict towards accepting backlogs? How many backlogs are allowed in Canada?
The Canadian universities may consider up to 5 backlogs in your under-graduation but only if you have a minimum score of 70%. Though there are always exceptions, for applicants with 7-8 backlogs, there are some universities that require you to have a minimum of 65% undergraduate score. For the PG aspirants with 10-12 backlogs, options are available in PG Diploma courses, not the Degree ones.

Do Australian Universities have tough criteria for selecting students with backlogs? How many backlogs are allowed in Australia?
The private colleges of Australia do not consider students with more than 7-8 backlogs, while the leading colleges or the Go8 Universities accept at most 3 backlogs. If you have 8 or more backlogs, chances of being selected are higher in the non-private colleges of Australia.

Note : Australian universities count the number of attempts you have made to clear one exam/subject. For more information, read Australian Universities accepting backlogs.

Do backlogs matter in Germany?
German universities pertain to strict guidelines while accepting applications from students with backlogs, with renowned ones not accepting backlogs at all.

Note : Some of the lenient universities accept up to 5 backlogs, but likewise Australia, they count the number of attempts you had to make to clear a single backlog/subject.

Do Universities in Ireland give importance to backlogs?
Some colleges in Ireland may consider candidates with 4-5 backlogs, while some renowned institutions would still reject the applicants with 2-3 backlogs. For more details, read Irish Universities Accepting Backlogs.

Which countries accept maximum backlogs?
Everything has loopholes. Luckily, there are some lenient regions abroad that do not give much importance to backlogs. They can rather be impressed with students’ overall personalities and extracurricular profiles. Some of the popular study abroad destinations, that is the UK and New Zealand, do not have such difficult selection criteria for a profile evaluation. Universities do not give much consideration to the college backlogs.

Does United Kingdom accept backlogs?
The best part of the UK universities is that students can easily try out their luck even if they have 15 backlogs, however, they are required to have a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 along with a good GRE score. Find out which universities accept 5-10 backlogs and which universities accept more than 15 backlogs

Note : The influential UK universities do not have any scope for applicants with backlogs, even if they have an outstanding IELTS or GRE score.

Is it true that New Zealand Universities offer flexibility in accepting students with backlogs?
The universities in New Zealand may accept up to 4 backlogs, but colleges and institutes would consider your application even with 15 backlogs. In both cases, your score in IELTS and a list of extracurricular activities along with research projects would play a vital role. Read : New Zealand universities accepting backlogs

Irrespective of the region it falls in, each university has its own selecting procedure the candidates with backlogs, it is hence suggested to check the university prospectus to learn about their selection norms.

An interesting fact about the selection norms in some colleges is that there are numerous colleges that do not give much consideration to your previous academic failures but focus on your overall personality. They give consideration to your active participation in the extracurricular activities and non-academic achievements such as sports recognitions, presentational or leadership records, etc. Things like research projects, work experience or internships, training certifications, etc. also recompense for your backlogs.

All this can be well-explained through the supporting documents that you require during the application procedure, such as SOPs, Admission Essays, LORs, CVs, etc. which also prove helpful while applying for scholarships.

Will backlogs affect your Visa processing?
In general, backlogs will not affect the Visa processing and the visa interview for any country. As long your university accepts you and gives you a confirmed admission, you will not have any problems with a Visa. If any questions about your backlogs are brought up during the interview, be confident and honest with your answer.

Study in USA vs Canada

Over the past few years, various countries emerged out as popular study abroad destinations among international students. Two of those acing up within the race are Canada and therefore the USA. Though both US and Canada are dream destinations for college kids who aspire to accumulate education abroad, in recent times Canada has overtaken the US. a couple of the main contributing factors that students prefer Canada over US are speedy processing times for study permits, easy immigration, and lower costs.

The controversies around US F1 visa freeze amidst of COVID-19 pandemic resulted within the ultimate hit to the amount of scholars applying to review within the USA. Though the choice was revoked, the changes in H1-B student visa policies also affected the influx of international students to USA. Canada, on the opposite hand, didn’t experience and such a drastic change within the number of international students choosing education with them.

Visa Policy

As already known, the U.S visa application system is a particularly lengthy and sophisticated process that needs great scrutiny and many of waiting. as compared , the Canadian visa application process is comparatively simpler and shorter which inspires international students to review in Canada.

In addition, Canadian universities allow international students to remain back in Canada for employment opportunities. The Post-Graduation working papers allows international students to remain up to 3 years after graduating from a post-secondary Canadian institution, counting on their course duration. On the opposite hand, as an F-1 visa holder, international students within the US are allowed to remain back to finish up to at least one year of temporary employment directly associated with their major field of study.

During Optional Practical Training (OPT), international students can get a one-year work and stay-back permit after completion of a degree within the USA.

Eligibility Criteria

Though the admission process and therefore the eligibility criteria that international students got to fulfill for getting an education from the US and Canada are similar, yet there are certain major differences that make it slightly easier to urge into Canadian universities than US universities.

Years of Education Required: To pursue a bachelor’s in US and Canada, you want to have completed your high school and 12th with good academic scores. For masters courses, applicants must have a minimum of 16 years of education, for studying in Canada also as USA. this suggests having a four-year bachelor’s education.
Entrance Exams Required to review Bachelors: For studying bachelors within the USA, international applicants must appear for SAT or ACT exam. However, for pursuing bachelor’s courses in Canada SAT/ACT scores aren’t mandatorily required.
Entrance Exams Required to review Masters: to review for masters within the USA applicants must mandatorily have appeared for the GRE exam. Though it’s not required for all the schools , most of the US universities invite GRE scores to offer admissions to international students. On the opposite hand, for getting admission to masters in Canada, GRE scores aren’t required. There are only a few courses or universities that invite GRE scores from international students applying for Canadian universities.

Costs & Expenses

The cost of pursuing education in Canada is comparatively less in comparison to how expensive education in US is. the 2 major expenses incurred by international students while studying abroad are tuition fees and living expenses. Given below may be a comparison between study in Canada and study within the USA in terms of costs and expenses.

Financial Aid

Despite the high costs of tuition and living expenses, there are various aid options offered to international students to form their education affordable. However, Canadian universities are more likely to supply aid to international students, which is sort of rare within the us .

Few of the scholarships offered to Indian students studying within the us are:-

Tata Scholarship for Cornell University: Need-based scholarships offered to Indian UG students at Cornell University. The trust offers around 25 million USD to be awarded to chose students.
Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarships: the inspiration offers 7.5 million USD funding annually for UG and PG education.
Fulbright-Nehru Research Fellowships: Merit-based scholarships offered to students pursuing masters and research courses in USA. The award covers tuition fees and basic living expenses.
In laks Scholarships: Merit-based scholarship offered to pursue education at a number of the US colleges.
SN Bose Scholarships

Several sorts of scholarships, grants, and bursaries are available for international students who are getting to study in Canada, at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program: Offered at quite 20 universities in Canada, with Vanier scholarships students can avail awards of up to 37,000 USD (50,000 CAD).
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships: Offers recipients a gift sum of over 52,000 USD (70,000 CAD).
Canada Graduate Scholarships- Master’s Program: Offered to masters students at Canadian Universities.
IDRC Research Awards

Searching for scholarships to review abroad?

Determine here.

Employment Opportunities

One of the foremost important reasons for studying abroad may be a sizable amount of career opportunities it exposes. In the U.S, the foremost popular professions with the very best salary packages are management executives, medicine, dentist, programmer, finance, advertising, etc. While, on the opposite hand, jobs like program analyst, teacher, financial manager, pharmacist, NP , and construction manager are a number of the foremost coveted occupations in Canada.

One of the benefits Canadian international students have over international students studying within the US is that of Post-Graduation working papers (PGWP). The post-graduation working papers is an integral a part of Canada’s immigration system which allows overseas students to figure in Canada for up to three years after graduation. it’s also a gateway to permanent residence and eventually citizenship

Though jobs in USA offer better salaries, the investment involved in pursuing education is high. Additionally, the probabilities of obtaining a PR and going to stay back in USA are less than that in Canada, which make Canada a preferred destination, regardless of the wage gap.

Standard of Living

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Better Life Index, Canada performs exceptionally well in various measures of well-being as compared to other countries.

The average household net adjusted income per capita is $30,854 per annum, which is less than the OECD average of $33,604 a year.
When we mention employment, 73% of individuals between the ages of 15 to 64 have a paid job, above the OECD employment average of 68%. Around 76% of men are in paid jobs, compared with 71% of girls.
Quality education and work-related skills are prerequisites for locating add Canada. Around 91% of adults aged between 25-64 have completed upper education . The stats are well above the OECD average of 78%.
In terms of health, anticipation at birth in Canada is 82 years, which is 2 years above the OECD average of 80 years. Anticipation for ladies is 84 years, whereas, it’s 80 for men.

Canadians are far more satisfied with their lives than the OECD average. On a scale from 0 to 10, Canadians rate their general satisfaction with life a 7.4 on the average , above the OECD average of 6.5.

Healthcare

Some of the provinces in Canada offer medical coverage for temporary residents like international students. However, within the case of a province that doesn’t offer medical cover to international students, you’ll choose the school’s insurance plan or other private insurance. in comparison with US, the premium rates for personal healthcare are drastically low in Canada. This makes healthcare not only a feasible option for international students but also reduces the general financial burden.

With the low amount of tuition fees, high standard of living, and innumerable career opportunities, it’s safe to assume that Canada has proven itself to be one among the foremost coveted countries for international students.