Investigating Duolingo English Test Washback

Washback is the impact tests have on teaching and learning activities. Ideally, success on language tests is pursued by developing skills that are broadly useful in real-world settings. However, traditional high-stakes admissions tests have often been associated with extensive practice/mock test taking and test prep courses focused on learning tricks and templates for responding to test questions. Test preparation that is too test-focused is not desirable, as it takes away opportunities for students to develop broadly applicable language skills. The Duolingo English Test (DET) is not a traditional high-stakes language test, and there is little research on how test takers prepare for it. In this study, we investigated test preparation practices through interviews (32 examinees, 7 coaches) and document analysis ( k = 161, e.g., YouTube videos, books) with a focus on East Asia, a region well known for test preparation and home to a substantial proportion of DET examinees. Our findings illustrate how DET features (e.g., short times for writing tasks) and (un)official resources influence preparation activities, ranging from developing typing skills to learning strategies thought to game scoring systems. We suggest that negative washback is minimized by promoting low-cost, short-term preparation focused on exam familiarization.