Duolingo Reviews 116

Nothing but a scammers . They want a professional setting while they don’t support or provide anything while we try to set it up in our home environment .

I put one as 0 but it Is not allowed
Very difficult to set up
Impossible to respect the rules
Unless you go into a bunker
Do not use this test site
You will lose your money and get nothing

I would rather pay three times the price for a traditional English test than sit through a Duolingo exam ever again. The amount of stress, anger, and rage I felt during the setup alone is enough for a lifetime. It’s a ridiculous exam with an insufferable setup process. It made me want to smash my phone and my computer on the floor at every single stage. After three attempts (none of which could be certified) I gave up. I felt like I was losing my sanity, and on top of that, I lost my money. It’s absolute rubbish. Don’t ever take this test.

[Conversation escalated to an associate]
(2:57:42 PM) Moshe: Hello Yosvel, I understand you’re requesting a refund and I appreciate you reaching out about this matter. My name is Moshe, and I’m here to assist you with your request process as smoothly as possible.
(2:58:07 PM) Yosvel Martinez Denis: Hello, I need a refund of my money. I respect the way you conduct the test, but I do not agree with your security policies, and I would like my money to be refunded.
(2:58:12 PM) Yosvel Martinez Denis: thank you !
(2:59:05 PM) Moshe: I understand that you are requesting a refund, and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. It appears that you have started to use the test, which may complicate the refund process.
(3:00:35 PM) Yosvel Martinez Denis: I closed it within the first 3 minutes. If this seems complicated, let me know—I’ll leave the review you deserve and contact my bank.
(3:01:35 PM) Moshe: I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing this! Just a quick note: once the test has started, refunds aren't available.
(3:02:14 PM) Yosvel Martinez Denis: I’ll go ahead and contact my bank then. Goodbye, scammers!
(3:03:02 PM) Moshe: Please do not hesitate to start the chat again if you need our further assistance. Have a great day, bye!

If I could give 0 stars I would. I paid for two tests in case I didn’t achieve the score I wanted, but after hours of trying to take the exam, the system kept freezing. I even switched between two rooms and two different devices, and every single time the issue was on their end due to technical problems. Do not waste your money.

0 star experience, stupid AI screening, invalidated because of the AI ear scan, overtly strict AI protocol , not recommended, total scam, waste my time and money.

Honestly my experience has been pretty smooth. I'm an international student applying to U.S. undergraduate programs and it's widely accepted and testing was extremely smooth and high quality.

Horrible, Just read all the other reviews. I have exactly the same problem. Definetly a big scam.

Avoid at any cost!!! Save your money and take something like Oxford English Test online.

Charged insane money for one test. Scanning all room, records you while doing a test. And all that just to receive email that a test was invalid.

No final marks, no reasonable physical evidence of a failed test, just someone somewhere saying that test invalid and PAY AGAIN??!!!

Do not wasting your money,I did the test om my own, it came out invalid. I am so disappointed.

Scam alert. Their AI false-flags innocent students. I studied hard, memorized standard English structures, and they stole my money claiming 'plagiarism' without proof. Their support is a bot. Do not use this test; use IELTS instead.

Absolute garbage vid and mic keeps getting disconnected after 3 times and wants you to pay another 70$ are you shitting me ???

Misleading Support Caused Me Significant Financial Loss
I am writing this review to warn other students, especially those from low-income backgrounds, to be extremely careful when relying on information provided by Duolingo English Test support.
Before spending any money on university applications, I contacted Duolingo support with a very specific and clear question. I asked whether they could send my Duolingo English Test score to additional institutions if I provided proof that I had applied to universities. Their response clearly indicated that this would be possible if I shared the required proof.
Based on this confirmation, I proceeded to apply to multiple universities. I did this intentionally because applying to more universities increases the chances of receiving financial aid. Each application required a fee, and I paid these fees using money that I had saved slowly over a long period of time. I come from a financially weak background, and every dollar matters to me. This was not easy money for me to spend.
After paying the application fees, I sent Duolingo the proof they had asked for, expecting them to honor what they had already told me. Instead, I received a reply saying that they cannot send my score to additional institutions. This response directly contradicted the information they gave me earlier, the same information that influenced my decision to spend hundreds of dollars.
As a result of this misleading communication, I lost around $500 in university application fees. This loss has had a serious impact on me financially and emotionally. For a student like me, this amount is not small — it represents months of saving, sacrifice, and hope for a better future.
What makes this situation even more painful is that this could have been avoided entirely if Duolingo support had been honest and precise from the beginning. If sending scores to additional institutions was not possible, they should have clearly stated that before encouraging me to proceed.
I am not asking for special favors or exceptions. I am asking for accountability, transparency, and consistency. An education testing organization should understand how financially vulnerable many international students are and should take responsibility for the guidance they provide.
This experience has damaged my trust in Duolingo English Test. I hope they improve their support system so that no other student is misled into losing money they cannot afford to lose.

Avoid. They just claim they limit your test attempts to 3 even though your computer crashes or internet disconnects.

Plan yourself ahead and use regular test environments such as IELTS, Pearson or Toefl.

This one is a money trap.

Besides, I found out that in some of the countries they don't pay taxes, so they might do tax evasion as well so I informed some authorities as well.

Zero customer service. ZERO. Incredulous how a company potentially so large can provide ZERO customer support. Disgusting. There are many alternatives these days so avoid this like the plague.

I prepare setup for test 2 hours and after making the test 2 days later i get email that I was cheating by getting help from another person but that time i was home alone and I don't need to cheat. After that I wrote Email to recheck my test and I get the same answer. I really need test results for Assist Scholarship but right now it's done. I can't get any results, nothing. Also I was asking to send me a proof that i was cheating but they didn't send it. If AI checks you all time on test why it don't show during the test that i look like I am cheating why i must make a hard work and after that get a nonsense email?

I’m disappointed with my experience taking the Duolingo English Test. I paid once, and the test gives you 3 attempts, but all of mine were marked invalid even though I carefully followed every guideline.

The most frustrating part is that Duolingo’s own system approved my camera setup at the start, but later went on to invalidate the test saying the camera angle was incorrect. If the system approves it, it shouldn’t later claim it was wrong — and if something needs to be adjusted, they should be clear about it.

Their customer service was not automated, but the replies still failed to give any real solutions or clear explanations of what I needed to fix. I kept trying to understand what went wrong so I could correct it, but the answers were vague and unhelpful.

People rely on this test for important things like school, work, and immigration, and the lack of transparency makes the process extremely stressful. Duolingo needs to improve the review system and provide real human support that actually solves the problem.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend the Duolingo English Test.

Horrible, horrible, absolutely horrible.
I have taken exams thrice with duolingo, and everytime they have an excuse for cancelling/invalidating my exam, I will be doing a chargeback, this is a scam. I have taken other tests online like pearson test. And they never caused any problem, I am not the problem, your idiotic rules and system and lack of invigilator during the exam are the problem.
STAY AWAY, THEY WANNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR ANOTHER TEST

I’m only saying that I tried to take the test on more than 10 different computers, iPhones, and iPads, using every possible browser. After 22 days, it expired. I’ve been sending them an email every day for a month—still no reply. Don’t waste your €70; just go take the TOEFL or IELTS. At least you won’t lose anything and will gain both prestige and peace of mind.

I am submitting this complaint because my Duolingo English Test (DET) result was unfairly invalidated. I completed the test on 11/07/2025, and later received a message saying my result was canceled because I "looked away from the screen more than once."

This decision is unjustified. The only time I briefly looked away from the screen was to drink water, which is a normal and human action. I did not engage in any form of misconduct, and it is impossible to cheat on this test given the extremely short response times and strict monitoring system.

I asked your support team to review my case and allow me to see the test video to understand what triggered the invalidation, but I have not received a clear or transparent explanation. The support chat simply repeats the same automated response, telling me to buy another test, which I cannot afford. I have already spent a significant amount of money on English tests over the past few months and cannot pay again for something I did correctly.

It's very easy for them to say I cheated and refuse to show the video. It seems like they're doing it on purpose.