Did the Duolingo English Test (DET) change in 2026?
🚫 No change — Not in 2026. The "second camera" requirement and the subscore updates that prep sites label "2026" are actually 2024 Duolingo rollouts. The current format — adaptive, about an hour, scored 10–160 with four subscores — is unchanged.
What's confirmed (from the official source)
- The DET is computer-adaptive, about 60 minutes, scored 10–160 in 5-point steps, with four Integrated Subscores (Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation, Production) and four Individual Subscores (Speaking, Writing, Reading, Listening).
- A secondary camera (a phone or tablet) is required for certified tests — this was announced by Duolingo in October 2024 and enforced for all certified sessions since around September 2025, not a 2026 change.
- The subscore update ("new and updated subscores") was August 2024.
What's just folklore
These claims circulate on prep and AI-tool sites but aren't in the official documentation:
- "DET changed in 2026 (second camera / reweighted scoring)" — the underlying facts are real, but they're 2024 rollouts relabeled "2026" by third-party sites for freshness.
blog.englishtest.duolingo.com — scoring (Oct 2025), subscores (Aug 2024), secondary-camera requirement (Oct 2024). Verified July 2026. Note: DET is not accepted for Canadian immigration.
Related:DET format guide