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Duolingo English Test proctoring rules and requirements

B2Test strategy40 questionsUpdated

Because the Duolingo English Test is taken at home, it is recorded and reviewed rather than watched in a hall. Results can be withheld or invalidated when the conditions are not met, so the rules are worth reading on the official site before you book — and the practical setup is worth doing the day before, not five minutes before.

What this task tests

  • Whether your equipment and connection meet the requirements before you start.
  • Whether your room can stay quiet and private for the whole sitting.
  • Identity verification with acceptable photographic identification.
  • Behaviour during the test: where you look, what you say, who is present.
  • Whether you have removed the devices and materials that are not allowed.
  • Understanding that the session is recorded and reviewed afterwards.
  • Knowing what to do if the connection drops or the software fails.
  • Awareness that rules change, so the official page is the only current source.
  • Planning the hour before the test so nothing interrupts it.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Read the current rules on the official site before booking

    Requirements for identification, equipment and environment change. Anything you read second-hand, including here, should be checked against the official page for the version that applies to your test.

  2. Step 2:

    Do the system check the day before

    Camera, microphone, speakers, browser and connection. Discovering a driver problem an hour before your slot turns a manageable fix into a lost booking.

  3. Step 3:

    Prepare the room, not just the computer

    A door you can close, no second screen, a clear desk, nothing on the walls you might be seen reading. Tell the people you live with the exact hour you must not be interrupted.

  4. Step 4:

    Have your identification ready and valid

    Check the accepted document types and that yours has not expired. The name on it should match the name you booked with.

  5. Step 5:

    Keep your eyes on the screen

    Looking away repeatedly is one of the most common reasons a recording is questioned. If you think while looking up, practise thinking at the screen instead.

  6. Step 6:

    Remove every other device from the room

    Phone, tablet, smart speaker, second laptop. ‘Switched off but on the desk’ is not the same as ‘not in the room’.

  7. Step 7:

    Do not read the questions aloud

    Speaking when the task does not ask you to speak looks like communicating with somebody else. Keep silent except when a task requires your voice.

  8. Step 8:

    Know what to do if something fails

    Find the official support route before test day so that a dropped connection is an inconvenience rather than a panic. Do not improvise by restarting devices at random.

  9. Step 9:

    Build the setup into your practice

    Do at least one full practice run in the same room, at the same desk, with the door shut and the phone elsewhere. Familiar conditions remove a layer of nerves.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisLeaving your phone face down on the desk.

    ThisLeaving it in another room.

    A visible device in the recording is a problem regardless of whether you touched it, and it is the easiest possible thing to fix.

  • Not thisLooking up at the ceiling while you think.

    ThisThinking with your eyes on the screen.

    Repeated glances away are among the most common triggers for a recording to be questioned, and most candidates do it without noticing.

  • Not thisMuttering the questions to yourself as you read.

    ThisReading silently unless the task asks you to speak.

    Unexplained speech looks like communication with another person, which is exactly what the recording is reviewed for.

  • Not thisTesting the equipment ten minutes before the booking.

    ThisRunning the full system check the day before.

    Driver updates, permissions and browser problems take longer than ten minutes, and the booking does not wait.

  • Not thisTaking the test in a shared room ‘because nobody will come in’.

    ThisUsing a room with a door you can close.

    Another person appearing briefly in the recording can put the whole result at risk, and you cannot retake the moment.

  • Not thisRelying on advice from a forum about what is allowed.

    ThisChecking the current official requirements yourself.

    Rules are updated. Second-hand summaries are often out of date, and the consequence of following an old one falls on you.

Language this task keeps reusing

proctoring
the supervision of a test, here by recording and review
invalidate
to cancel a result so that it cannot be used
identity verification
proving who you are, usually with photographic identification
system check
the short test of your equipment before you begin
breach
an act of breaking a rule
malpractice
cheating or otherwise breaking the rules of a test
third party
a person other than the candidate
test environment
the room conditions required for a valid test
electronic device
a phone, tablet, watch or second computer
withhold
to hold back a result pending review
certification
official confirmation that a result is genuine
schedule
to book a time to take the test
bandwidth
the capacity of your internet connection
requirements
the conditions that must be met

Practice: proctoring rules

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Complete the word.

A word meaning ‘the supervision of a test by recording and review’: proc.
Where should your phone be during the test?

3Complete the word.

A word meaning ‘to cancel a result so it cannot be used’: inval.
Decide whether each statement about proctoring is true.
  • The session is recorded and reviewed rather than supervised in a hall.
  • Another person appearing in the room can put the result at risk.
  • Rules are fixed permanently, so second-hand advice is reliable.
3 to go

5Complete the word.

A word meaning ‘proving who you are with photographic documentation’: identity verif.
When should you run the full system check?

7Complete the word.

A word meaning ‘the short test of your equipment before you begin’: system ch.

8Write the checklist you will work through the day before your test.

You need a moment to think during a task. Where should you look?

10Complete the phrase.

A word meaning ‘a person other than the candidate’: third p.

Keep going

30 more questions on this page

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Note

Pick Two Activity is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the British Council, IDP, ETS, Duolingo or any other exam board. Exam names are trademarks of their owners and are used here only to describe the exam you are preparing for. Every question on this page is original practice written by us: we do not provide, copy or reproduce official exam papers.

Frequently asked questions

What can invalidate a test?

Broadly, anything that breaks the conditions: another person in the room, a second device, leaving the screen, unexplained speech, or identification that does not check out. The official site lists the current rules and is the source to trust.

What identification do I need?

Valid photographic identification of an accepted type, in the name you booked with. Check the accepted documents on the official page before you book, not on the day.

What happens if my connection drops?

There is an official support route for interrupted sessions. Look it up before test day so that you follow a procedure instead of improvising, and do not start restarting devices at random.

Can I take notes on paper?

Do not assume so. What you may have on your desk is set by the current proctoring rules, so check them, and practise without notes so that you are not depending on something that may not be permitted.

Is a quiet flat enough, or do I need a separate room?

You need a space you can control for the whole sitting: a door you can close, no one else present, and no interruptions. Quietness alone is not the requirement — privacy is.