IELTS vs TOEFL vs PTE vs Duolingo: Which English Test Should You Take?

If your degree is taught in English and you’re not from a majority-English-speaking country, you’ll almost certainly need to prove your English with a standardised test. Four dominate: IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and the Duolingo English Test. They test the same four skills — reading, writing, listening and speaking — but they differ enough that the right choice can save you time, money and stress.

The quick version

• IELTS — the most widely accepted, the default for the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, and accepted almost everywhere else too. Speaking is a real conversation with an examiner.
• TOEFL iBT — very strong recognition in the United States, fully computer-based, academic in style.
• PTE Academic — computer-based and AI-scored, with fast results. Popular for Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
• Duolingo English Test — cheapest, fastest and taken at home, with rapidly growing acceptance, especially in the US and Canada.

How to choose

Start with where you’re applying — and what they accept. This is the single most important factor. A test is only useful if your target universities accept it and you can hit the score they require. Check each program’s language requirements first, then pick a test from the ones they accept. Never book a test before confirming this.

Consider how you perform. If you’re comfortable speaking to a person, IELTS’s face-to-face speaking section may suit you. If you’d rather speak into a microphone without someone watching, TOEFL, PTE and Duolingo are computer-based. If you freeze on long exams, Duolingo’s roughly one-hour adaptive format is far shorter than the others.

Factor in cost and speed. The Duolingo English Test is dramatically cheaper (around US$65) and returns results in a couple of days, which matters if you’re close to a deadline. PTE also returns fast results. IELTS and TOEFL cost more and take longer, but have the widest, most established acceptance.

Think about where you’ll take it. Duolingo is taken at home with webcam proctoring — convenient, but you need a quiet, well-lit room and a stable connection. The others are usually taken at a test centre (TOEFL and IELTS also offer at-home versions in some places).

Scores aren’t directly comparable

Each test uses its own scale — IELTS bands 0–9, TOEFL 0–120, PTE 10–90, Duolingo 10–160 — so a “good” score depends entirely on what your program asks for. Look up the exact minimum each university requires and aim comfortably above it, since some programs also set minimums for individual sections.

A simple decision path

1. List the universities you’re applying to and the English tests each accepts.
2. Keep only the tests accepted by all (or most) of them.
3. Among those, weigh cost, speed, format and how you perform.
4. Book early, and leave room to retake if your first score falls short.

Preparing well matters more than the test you pick

Whichever test you choose, the biggest score gains come from doing full-length, timed practice under realistic conditions, and from knowing the exact format so nothing surprises you on the day. Every major test provider offers free official practice material — use it before paying for anything else.

Test formats, fees and acceptance change over time. Confirm the current details, and whether your universities accept your chosen test, on the official test and university websites before you register.