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Build a Duolingo English Test study plan from a score

B2Test strategy40 questionsUpdated

A practice score is only useful if it changes what you do next. This page turns a Duolingo English Test result into a plan: how to read the subscores honestly, which daily drills move which task, how long to give yourself, and when a retake is worth booking rather than hoped for.

What this task tests

  • Whether you can identify your weakest area rather than your least favourite task.
  • Understanding what each subscore draws on.
  • Setting a realistic target based on the requirement you actually need.
  • Designing a daily routine you will keep, not an ideal one you will abandon.
  • Measuring progress at sensible intervals instead of constantly.
  • Knowing which skills improve quickly and which take months.
  • Deciding when more practice will not help and something else will.
  • Planning around a real application deadline.
  • Recognising a plateau and changing method rather than adding hours.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Start from the requirement, not the score

    Find the score your institution asks for and the deadline you must meet it by. A plan without a target number and a date is an intention, not a plan.

  2. Step 2:

    Take one honest full-length practice run

    No pauses, no dictionary, correct time of day. A run with small allowances gives you a number you cannot use and a false idea of your pacing.

  3. Step 3:

    Find the lowest subscore and list its tasks

    Literacy points at reading and writing; comprehension at reading and listening; conversation at listening and speaking; production at writing and speaking. Work on the tasks that feed the weakest one.

  4. Step 4:

    Build a routine of twenty focused minutes

    Ten minutes of dictation typing, five of real-word practice, five of speaking to a timer will do more than a two-hour session once a week. Frequency beats duration for all of these skills.

  5. Step 5:

    Pick drills that match the task

    Dictation for listen and type. Daily reading for real-word selection. Recorded one-minute descriptions for the photo tasks. Home-made cloze for read and complete. Vague ‘studying English’ moves none of them.

  6. Step 6:

    Measure every two weeks, not every day

    Daily measuring produces noise and anxiety. A short check every fortnight shows real movement and keeps the practice itself the focus.

  7. Step 7:

    Expect different speeds from different skills

    Typing accuracy and dictation improve in days. Vocabulary breadth and speaking fluency take weeks or months. Plan the fast wins first when the deadline is close.

  8. Step 8:

    Change method at a plateau

    If two weeks of the same routine produce nothing, add difficulty or change the material rather than adding hours to a routine that has stopped working.

  9. Step 9:

    Decide the retake question in advance

    Write down what you would need to change for a retake to produce a different number. If you cannot name it, more practice at the same level is unlikely to help.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisPractising the tasks you enjoy for an hour a day.

    ThisPractising the weakest task for twenty minutes a day.

    Enjoyment is a poor guide to need. The subscores tell you where the marks are, and they rarely point at your favourite task.

  • Not thisTaking a practice test with pauses and a dictionary.

    ThisTaking one honest run under real conditions.

    A flattered score sends you to the wrong drills and hides a pacing problem you would rather find now.

  • Not thisBooking a retake the week after a disappointing result with nothing changed.

    ThisNaming what will be different, then booking.

    An adaptive test measures the same thing twice. Without a change in preparation, the second number usually resembles the first.

  • Not thisPlanning three hours a day around a full-time job.

    ThisPlanning twenty minutes you will actually do.

    An abandoned plan produces nothing. Consistency at a small scale beats an ambitious plan you drop after four days.

  • Not thisMeasuring your level every day.

    ThisMeasuring every fortnight.

    Daily measurement shows noise rather than progress, and the anxiety it creates reduces the quality of the practice.

  • Not thisTreating ‘reading more English’ as preparation for dictation.

    ThisTyping from audio every day for dictation.

    Skills improve along the lines you train them. Reading helps vocabulary; only listening and typing help listening and typing.

Language this task keeps reusing

baseline
your level before you start preparing
diagnostic
a test taken to find out what needs work
benchmark
a standard you measure yourself against
target score
the number your institution requires
plateau
a period when practice stops producing improvement
drill
a short, repeated exercise aimed at one skill
routine
a regular pattern of practice
milestone
a point of progress you plan to reach by a date
realistic
possible in the circumstances you actually have
consistency
doing something regularly rather than intensely once
retake
a further attempt at the test
deadline
the date by which something must be done
progress log
a record of what you practised and what changed
weakness
the area where you lose most marks

Practice: study plan

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 ‘your level before you start preparing’: base.
What should a study plan start from?

3Complete the word.

A word meaning ‘a test taken to find out what needs work’: diagnos.
Decide whether each statement about planning is true.
  • A practice run should be taken without pauses or a dictionary.
  • Twenty focused minutes a day beats one long session a week for these skills.
  • Your favourite task is usually the one that needs most work.
3 to go

5Complete the word.

A word meaning ‘a period when practice stops producing improvement’: plat.
Your lowest subscore is conversation. Which pair of tasks should you train?

7Complete the word.

A word meaning ‘a short, repeated exercise aimed at one skill’: dr.

8Write a twenty-minute daily routine for a candidate whose weakest area is listening.

Which drill matches the read and complete task most directly?

10Complete the phrase.

A word meaning ‘the number your institution requires’: target sc.

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

How long does it take to raise a score?

It depends on which part is weak. Typing accuracy and dictation can shift within days; vocabulary breadth and speaking fluency move over weeks or months. Plan the fast wins first if your deadline is close.

How many practice tests should I take?

Few, and honestly. One full-length run at the start, one midway and one near the end tells you more than weekly tests, which eat the time you should spend on drills.

Should I book a retake?

Only once you can name what will be different. The test measures the same thing each time, so preparation that has not changed tends to produce a score that has not changed either. Check the official rules on retake limits and timing before you book.

What if I have only one week?

Choose the fast-moving skills: daily dictation typing, timed photo descriptions, and read and complete practice. Then spend an evening on the setup and the rules so that nothing outside your English costs you anything.

How do I know whether I am improving?

Keep a short progress log — what you practised and what changed — and measure properly every fortnight. Day-to-day feelings about your English are unreliable; a fortnightly check is not.