English Proficiency Tests (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.): Other English Proficiency Tests

Cambridge English exams

Cambridge English (a.k.a. ESOL) is a department of the University of Cambridge. They offer a number of qualifications and tests appropriate for higher education purposes. Two of these are the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) and the more advanced Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE).
 

Unlike IELTS and TOEFL, the Cambridge English exams award you either a pass or fail. Candidates with passing grades over 65% (letters A, B or C) will receive certificates. The certificate and score do not expire, however, many academic institutions have a requirement that you have to have taken the test within the past two years.

Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC^®)

TOEIC^® is a placement test for assessing non-English speakers' command of language skills needed in the workplace. Like TOEFL^®, the test is developed and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS). Many companies, especially ones based in Asia, use TOEIC^® scores to measure whether their employees are able to work with English-speaking clients. TOEIC^® scores are valid for two years.

Duolingo English Test

Duolingo is an online English language test that candidates can take on their personal computers. Similar to IELTS or TOEFL^®, this test is designed to check a candidate's ability to speak, listen, write and read English.  The test can be finished in 1 hour and candidates can get the result in 2 days. The biggest difference is that for Duolingo, candidates can take the exam from anywhere anytime. All they need is a computer and a reliable internet connection.

Duolingo is now accepted as a substitute for the TOEFL^® and IELTS at a growing number of institutions. As of October 2021, over 2,700 institutions accept the Duolingo score, and many of them now accept it as a primary way of proving English proficiency.

To find out which institutions accept Duolingo, see Duolingo’s official searchable list of all the schools that use Duolingo scores.