Duolingo is a fun way to learn languages – that’s pretty much undisputed.
The app has innovated language learning with the goofy, unhinged antics of its owl mascot, along with an impressive social media presence and gamification galore that makes logging in not only a must-do, but a fun-to-do.
The fact that I’ve been practicing French or Spanish daily for almost three years is a testimony to how addictive and fun the app makes learning a foreign language. I generally don’t stick with things unless they’re fun!
But recently, I got to experience just how significant Duolingo’s language learning can be.
I was asked to take a two-hour online French exam to see how my daily language practice has moved the needle on my fluency. Duolingo offered me $100 for my time to take this proctored, college-level exam, but I probably would have said yes anyway. I was truly curious!
I practice with Duolingo between 5 and 15 minutes every day, 7 days a week, and have done so for almost three years. Does that small daily time investment add up to actual language fluency?
The test Duolingo paid for me to take was the Avant STAMP™ (STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency) exam. Avant STAMP 4S measures language proficiency in four areas: reading, writing, listening and speaking. It is an online test that allows students to demonstrate their proficiency level. Avant STAMP 4S has been validated by field testing and expert panels. It is a secure test that requires a proctor during administration.
The STAMP 4S test is not timed, though most students complete the assessment in two to three hours. A passing STAMP score is required in all four areas to meet the BA second language requirement at some universities.
On the evening of my exam, I was nervous. Would all my practice pay off, or would the test be too hard?
The online proctor required me to have my camera on, It started with the reading portion and I felt pretty confident. It felt similar to the practice lessons from Duolingo, but a little harder. Then came the writing portion and my confidence plummeted. It was SO HARD! The test required me to write college-level essays that would have been challenging to do in English; writing them in French felt next to impossible!
The third section had me feeling okay again – it was listening and I felt well-equipped by my Duolingo lessons. Then, the fourth section was the hardest part of the entire test: speaking. Here, I was challenged to debate college-level topics that would have been hard enough in English. Trying to do it in French felt impossible. I was sure I had flunked this section, if not at least half of the exam!
Within a week of taking the Avant test, Duolingo made good on their promise to send me $100. I was hoping that I’d get to see my test results, but since that had not been promised up-front, I wasn’t sure if I would ever hear anything. So I was delighted when I got an email from Avant with my results!
To my surprise, I did better than I had expected. In reading, my score was considered “advanced low.” In listening, I scored “intermediate high.” And in writing, I scored “intermediate mid” – this one definitely surprised me! I was not shocked to see a score of “intermediate low” in speaking – that is definitely one of the hardest areas for me. But it was rewarding to see these results and I’m glad I took the test.
Now, I’m trying to decide whether I should keep working on my French fluency with Duolingo or switch back to Spanish and build up some fluency there. I know I would get more use out of Spanish because I love going to Spanish-speaking restaurants and countries! I may set a goal to reach 75 in the Duolingo language scoring, and then I’ll switch back over to Spanish – or maybe I’ll make the switch for the new year. After that, who knows – maybe Thai!
Have you ever tried learning another language as an adult, and do you use Duolingo or another app? I’d love to hear your language-learning stories in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram!
