IELTS vs TOEFL vs PTE vs Duolingo - Which English Test to Take

Four tests, one goal: prove your English for a university abroad. IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and the Duolingo English Test are all widely accepted — but they differ sharply in format, marking, cost and speed, and the right choice depends as much on your destination and visa as on your English. Here is the honest comparison.

The four at a glance

• IELTS Academic — 4 skills, ~2h45m, band 0-9. Speaking is a live examiner interview; from mid-2026 the test is computer-delivered (with a handwrite-your-writing option in some markets). The default-accepted standard almost everywhere. Full IELTS guide.
• TOEFL iBT — 4 skills, ~90 minutes of testing (allow ~2 hours for the appointment) after the 2026 overhaul, scored on a new 1-6 band scale (overall = average of the four sections), with a transitional comparable overall 0-120 score for two years after Jan 2026. Adaptive sections. Strong US recognition. Full TOEFL guide.
• PTE Academic — 3 modules, ~2 hours, fully AI-scored on a 10-90 scale, integrated skills, results usually in 24-48 hours. Popular for Australia/NZ. Full PTE guide.
• Duolingo English Test — ~1 hour, at-home, adaptive, 10-160 scale, ~USD 70, results in ~48 hours. The cheapest and fastest; broad US university acceptance but limited for many student visas. Full DET guide.

Human vs AI marking — the real dividing line

This distinction shapes your whole preparation:

• IELTS uses human examiners for Speaking (live) and Writing. Fluency and natural communication carry you.
• PTE and DET are machine-scored. The algorithm rewards clear pronunciation, fluent pacing, and hitting expected content/keywords. Some candidates who freeze in a human interview score better talking to a computer — and vice versa. If you have strong pronunciation and dislike being watched, the AI tests can suit you.
• TOEFL now blends both (AI plus human review on Speaking/Writing).

Cost and speed

DET is cheapest (~USD 70) and among the fastest (~48h). PTE also returns results in ~24-48h. IELTS and TOEFL typically cost more and return results in several days to ~2 weeks. If a deadline is days away, PTE or DET are the practical choices — but only if your university and visa accept them.

The decision that actually matters: acceptance

Format preference is secondary to this: check what your specific universities AND your visa authority accept. The common trap is DET — thousands of universities accept it for admission, yet several major countries' student visa routes (and the UK's SELT requirement in particular) often do not, so an applicant can be admitted but stuck at the visa stage. Rules by destination in which English test for your country.

How to choose, in order

1. List your target universities' accepted tests and minimum scores — from their official pages, not forums.
2. Check your visa route's accepted tests — this is where DET and sometimes PTE get eliminated for certain countries.
3. Match to your strengths — live interview vs machine, essay vs short tasks, adaptive vs fixed.
4. Then weigh cost and speed among the tests that clear steps 1-3.

Whatever you choose, the preparation principle is identical: practise the real format under real timing with feedback on your weak skill. Myndaq runs full courses for IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and the Duolingo English Test — each in its real format with AI-scored practice, so you train on the exact test you will sit.

Formats and acceptance current as of July 2026, including the 2026 TOEFL overhaul. Always confirm scores and acceptance on official university and visa pages.