Meanwhile, the number of Chinese DET takers jumped by 180% in February alone, according to Dewar.Ĭhina sends the greatest number of international students to the US of any other country, and it was one of the first to be affected by English test suspensions as the coronavirus spread rapidly. By late February, that number had surged to more than 1,000, Jennifer Dewar, head of Strategic Engagement for the DET, told The PIE News. “We started looking at alternatives, and the DET – with its ability to be taken at home – rose to the top”Ĭonsidered by some to be a “disruptor” to the traditional testing field, the jump in both test-users and institutions comes at the same time that the agencies offering the TOEFL and IELTS announced that they would suspend exams in the countries affected by the coronavirus through the end of March.Īs of December 2019, more than 600 US colleges and universities were working with Duolingo. Unlike traditional tests, which require students to travel to proctored sites to take them, the DET can be taken anywhere in the world.

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