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Duolingo English Test · Listening

Duolingo Listening Exercises: Free Practice for Listen and Type and Interactive Listening

Listening on the Duolingo English Test comes in two forms: Listen and Type, a fast dictation task, and Interactive Listening, a campus conversation you take part in. This page explains both, then gives you free practice — 12 dictation sentences and a complete Interactive Listening-style set with answers.

Rules from Duolingo's DET Question Guide (2026) and help center, read 3 October 2026. All practice material here is written by LingoLeap and is text only: ask a friend to read it aloud, or paste it into your phone's text-to-speech. LingoLeap is not affiliated with Duolingo.

The two DET listening question types

Listen and Type

  • 6–9 questions, 1 minute each; adaptive; Listening subscore.
  • You hear one sentence and type exactly what you hear. You can play it up to three times.
  • Scored by how close your answer is to the sentence — the right words, spelling and punctuation all count.

Interactive Listening

  • 2 sets (Duolingo's guide says 2–3). Each starts with a short situation: at least one conversation is between two students and one between a student and a professor. Topics include asking for help, giving advice, planning study, asking for information and making requests.
  • Listen and Complete (3–4 items): type the missing part of sentences about the situation. Replay as often as you like; spelling is not important if the idea is right.
  • Listen and Respond (5–6 items): choose your best reply at each turn of the conversation. Each clip plays once; after a wrong choice you see the right one.
  • These two parts share 6 minutes 30 seconds.
  • Summarize the Conversation (75 seconds): write a short summary in full sentences. It counts toward Writing and Listening.

Listen and Type practice: 12 sentences

Have someone read each sentence once at natural speed (or use text-to-speech) while you look away. Type it, listen up to two more times, then check against the text: one point per correct word, minus one for each spelling or punctuation error.

Warm-up

  1. Sentence 1 — show the text after you type it

    The library closes early on Fridays.

    Check: Capital T, final period.

  2. Sentence 2 — show the text after you type it

    Could you send me the notes from today's class?

    Check: Apostrophe in today's; question mark.

  3. Sentence 3 — show the text after you type it

    My roommate is learning to play the guitar.

    Check: "the guitar" — small function words are easy to drop.

  4. Sentence 4 — show the text after you type it

    We should leave now if we want to catch the bus.

    Check: "if we want to" is often heard as one sound.

Middle

  1. Sentence 5 — show the text after you type it

    Although the lecture was long, most students stayed until the end.

    Check: Comma after the opening clause.

  2. Sentence 6 — show the text after you type it

    The deadline for the scholarship application has been extended by a week.

    Check: "has been extended" — hear all three verb parts.

  3. Sentence 7 — show the text after you type it

    I'd rather study in the morning, when it's quiet.

    Check: I'd and it's are contractions; keep the comma.

  4. Sentence 8 — show the text after you type it

    Researchers measured how quickly the ice melted at different temperatures.

    Check: "measured", "melted": the -ed endings are quiet.

Harder

  1. Sentence 9 — show the text after you type it

    Had the experiment been repeated, the results might have been different.

    Check: Inverted conditional; "might have been" sounds like "mightuv bin".

  2. Sentence 10 — show the text after you type it

    The museum's newest exhibit, which opened last month, focuses on ancient trade routes.

    Check: Possessive museum's; two commas around the which-clause.

  3. Sentence 11 — show the text after you type it

    Neither the professor nor her assistants were aware of the scheduling conflict.

    Check: Neither... nor; "were" agrees with assistants.

  4. Sentence 12 — show the text after you type it

    It's not that I disagree with the proposal; I just think it's too expensive.

    Check: Semicolon or period both read naturally; spell "too", not "to".

Interactive Listening practice set

Give yourself 6 minutes 30 seconds for steps 1 and 2 together, then 75 seconds for step 3. For audio, have a partner read the professor's lines; read Daniel's options silently.

The situation

A student, Daniel, visits his biology professor during office hours. He was sick last week and missed a lab session, and he wants to know how he can make it up before the lab report is due.

Step 1 — Listen and Complete

Listen to the whole conversation in step 2 first (partner reads it with the correct replies), then fill in:

  1. Daniel missed the lab because he ______.
    Answer

    was sick (last week)

  2. He can make up the experiment in the ______ section.
    Answer

    Tuesday afternoon (2 p.m.)

  3. Because he is behind, the professor moves the report deadline to ______.
    Answer

    Wednesday

Step 2 — Listen and Respond

  1. Professor: Come in, Daniel. What can I do for you?

  2. Daniel — choose the best reply:

    1. I need you to give me the lab results from last week.
    2. Thanks for seeing me. I was sick last week and missed Thursday's lab, and I'm worried about the report.
    3. Hey, what's up? I didn't come to the lab, so whatever.
    4. Good morning. I would like to register for your biology course next semester.
    Answer

    B. It explains the situation politely. A is too demanding, C is too informal and dismissive, D does not fit the scenario.

  3. Professor: I'm sorry to hear that. Are you feeling better now? The report is due next Monday, so we don't have much time.

  4. Daniel — choose the best reply:

    1. Yes, much better, thanks. Is there another lab session I could join this week?
    2. Yes, the report is due next Monday.
    3. No, I don't like biology very much.
    4. Monday is fine. I already finished the report.
    Answer

    A. It answers the question and moves toward a solution. B only repeats the professor, C is off topic and rude, D contradicts the scenario (he missed the lab).

  5. Professor: The Tuesday afternoon section has two open benches. If you go at 2 p.m. and tell the teaching assistant I sent you, you can do the experiment there.

  6. Daniel — choose the best reply:

    1. Can I go on Wednesday morning instead?
    2. Tuesday at 2 works for me. Should I bring anything?
    3. I'll ask the teaching assistant to write my report.
    4. Who is the professor of the Tuesday section?
    Answer

    B. It accepts the offer and asks a relevant follow-up. A ignores the only option offered, C misunderstands the TA's role, D asks something irrelevant.

  7. Professor: Just your lab notebook and safety goggles. And since you'll be a few days behind, I can give you until Wednesday for the report.

Step 3 — Summarize the Conversation (75 seconds)

Write 3–4 full sentences: the situation, the main points, and how it ended. Then compare:

Model summary

Daniel went to see his biology professor because he had been sick and missed a lab session. The professor told him he could join the Tuesday afternoon section at 2 p.m., where there are two free benches, and that he should bring his lab notebook and goggles. The professor also gave him until Wednesday to hand in the lab report.

Listening strategy

  • Listen and Type: type on the first play, fix on the second, proofread on the third. Use leftover seconds for capitals, commas and the final period.
  • Rebuild what grammar requires. If you hear "she has finish the report", you probably missed a quiet -ed: finished.
  • Read the scenario carefully. It tells you who is speaking and what they want, which removes most wrong replies before you hear them.
  • Eliminate replies by type. Duolingo lists the usual reasons a reply is wrong: it does not fit the scenario, does not match what was said, uses the wrong words or pronouns, is too formal or too informal, or adds or leaves out information.
  • Learn from the red cross. When you see the right answer after a mistake, use it to follow the rest of the conversation.
  • Save time for the summary. Reread the conversation before the 75-second timer, then cover the situation, main points and outcome.
  • Daily drill: five minutes of dictation from a podcast or lecture clip with a transcript. Duolingo's tests use campus situations, so university podcasts and office-hours style dialogues are the closest match.

Free Duolingo test practice

Duolingo's official practice test is free with an account: about 45 minutes, the same question types, adaptive, and you can repeat it as often as you like (help center). More from us: fill in the blanks · speaking topics · full DET guide. Taking TOEFL instead? Try our TOEFL listening practice.

Official free DET practice test

FAQ

What listening questions are on the Duolingo English Test?

Two types. Listen and Type (6–9 questions, 1 minute each) asks you to type a sentence you hear, and you can play it up to three times. Interactive Listening (2 sets) plays a campus situation, then asks you to complete sentences, choose replies in a conversation, and write a 75-second summary.

Does spelling matter in Duolingo listening?

In Listen and Type, yes: your answer is compared with the sentence, and the right words, spelling and punctuation all count. In Interactive Listening's Listen and Complete, Duolingo says spelling is not important as long as your answer gives the right idea.

How many times can I listen?

Up to three times in Listen and Type. In Listen and Complete you can listen as many times as you want; in Listen and Respond each audio clip plays only once, though you can reread the scenario.

Where can I practice the Duolingo test for free?

Duolingo's own practice test is free with an account. It takes about 45 minutes, has the same question types as the real test, adapts to you, and gives an estimated score range. You can take it as many times as you like.

Is the Interactive Listening summary part of the Writing score?

Yes. Summarize the Conversation counts toward Writing and also affects Listening, because it checks whether your summary matches the conversation.

Sources

Read 3 October 2026. Practice sentences, conversation and answers © LingoLeap.