1.3 Security Protocol, Monitoring, & Proctoring Rules

1.3 Security Protocol, Monitoring, & Proctoring Rules

Quick Summary: The Duolingo English Test is taken at home, so its integrity depends on a locked-down desktop app, a mandatory second camera on your phone, automated monitoring of the video and audio feeds, and human review before certification. Duolingo publishes an explicit rules list; this section walks through it line by line and then explains the graduated consequences, from an uncertified result through a one-year suspension to a permanent account block.

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The Duolingo Remote Proctoring Architecture

For an at-home, on-demand examination to be accepted by top-tier academic institutions, medical licensing boards, and immigration authorities, its security infrastructure must be uncompromising. Traditional at-home testing solutions frequently rely on synchronous human proctoring, where a remote proctor monitors several candidates simultaneously via webcam over standard web conferencing software. This model suffers from human fatigue, inconsistent rule enforcement, language barriers, and significant privacy vulnerabilities.

Duolingo pioneers an asynchronous, multi-layered hybrid proctoring model that combines system-level application lockdown, automated artificial intelligence surveillance, and redundant blinded human forensic audits.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                   MULTI-TIERED PROCTORING PIPELINE                      |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| TIER 1: DEDICATED DESKTOP APPLICATION                                   |
| - The test runs only in the DET desktop app on Windows or macOS.        |
| - Virtual machines are prohibited; Chromebooks, tablets, phones,        |
|   ChromeOS and Linux are not supported.                                 |
| - Rules require closing all other programs and removing extra screens.  |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
                                     |
                                     v
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| TIER 2: TWO-CAMERA MONITORING + SETUP SCANS                             |
| - Computer camera: ears, eyes, and mouth must remain visible.           |
| - Phone camera: must capture head, shoulders, screen, and keyboard.     |
| - Room scan (since Sept 2025) and ear scan (since Dec 2025) via phone.  |
| - Audio is captured; the rules forbid speaking until instructed.        |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
                                     |
                                     v
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| TIER 3: HUMAN PROCTOR REVIEW BEFORE CERTIFICATION                       |
| - Off-topic or gibberish responses are flagged by AI and reviewed by    |
|   proctors; all spoken responses are reviewed for good-faith effort.    |
| - Non-English responses are automatically detected and disqualified.    |
| - Review is why results take up to two days rather than arriving        |
|   instantly.                                                            |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[!NOTE] Duolingo does not publish the internals of its monitoring systems, and this guide does not invent them. Everything above is drawn from what Duolingo states publicly: its rules and requirements list, its device-support article, its scoring article, and its help-center articles on the room scan, ear scan, and DET mobile app.

Tier 1: Operating System Lockdown

The test runs only through the dedicated Duolingo English Test desktop application. Duolingo's device article is specific: "You can take the test on a laptop or desktop computer Windows 10 or macOS 10.15 or later. The Duolingo English Test will not work on a Chromebook, iPad, tablet, or cellular device. The test also does not support the ChromeOS or Linux operating systems."

The published Computer Setup rules then tell you exactly what to do to your machine before you launch:

Tier 2: AI Computer Vision & Acoustic Analysis

Throughout the entire 60-minute session, both the primary computer webcam and secondary mobile camera feeds are processed by specialized computer vision and acoustic algorithms:

• Face and gaze monitoring: Duolingo's rules require you to "stay in the camera frame and keep your ears, eyes, and mouth visible" and to "not look away from the screen, except when typing." Sustained head turns and off-screen glances are exactly what this monitoring is built to surface for review.
• Audio monitoring: The rules require you to "not type or speak until instructed" and to "take the test in a room alone, and do not interact with anyone." Talking during a non-speaking task, or a second voice in the room, is the kind of event that gets a session flagged.
• Phone-camera monitoring: The rules require you to "capture your head, shoulders, screen, and keyboard with your phone camera" and to "not interfere with the phone camera recording." A phone that falls over, locks, or runs out of battery stops satisfying that requirement.

[!NOTE] Duolingo does not publish the technical internals of its monitoring — there is no public specification of its computer-vision models or thresholds. What it does publish is the behavioural rule set above, and that is what you can actually act on. Ignore prep material that quotes precise detection tolerances; follow the published rules instead.

Tier 3: Human Proctor Review

Duolingo does not rely on automation alone to certify a result. Once the session uploads, it enters a review pipeline before a certificate is issued — which is why results take up to two days rather than arriving instantly. Duolingo's scoring article states that "off-topic or gibberish responses are flagged by AI and reviewed by proctors" and that "all spoken responses are reviewed by proctors for good-faith effort."

Two consequences follow for you as a test taker:

• A flagged moment is not automatically a verdict. Review exists precisely because automated flags need human interpretation.
• Effort is itself monitored. Deliberately producing nonsense, staying silent through speaking tasks, or answering in a language other than English is detected; Duolingo states that non-English responses are automatically detected and disqualified.

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The Mandatory Dual-Camera Protocol

In recent testing cycles, Duolingo instituted a mandatory dual-camera protocol to eliminate physical blind spots that legacy single-webcam systems could not monitor. Candidates must operate two synchronized cameras simultaneously throughout the examination.

                    DUAL-CAMERA SURVEILLANCE SETUP

        +--------------------------------------------------+
        | PRIMARY WEBCAM                                   |
        | - Positioned at eye level on laptop / monitor.   |
        | - Captures face, eyes, mouth, and ears.          |
        | - Enforces gaze tracking and facial recognition. |
        +--------------------------------------------------+
                                 |
                                 v
                      [Test Taker at Desk]
                                 ^
                                 |
        +--------------------------------------------------+
        | SECONDARY SMARTPHONE CAMERA                      |
        | - Positioned 2 to 3 feet away at 45-degree angle.|
        | - Continuously powered via charging cable.       |
        | - Captures hands, keyboard, laptop screen, and   |
        |   immediate side-desk perimeter.                 |
        +--------------------------------------------------+

Primary Webcam Rules

• Positioning: Mounted at eye level, centered on the primary display.
• Visibility requirement: Duolingo's rule is specific — "stay in the camera frame and keep your ears, eyes, and mouth visible." Ears are named explicitly because visible ears are the evidence that you are not wearing earbuds. Tuck long hair back before you start.
• Glasses and earrings: The published rules instruct you to "remove glasses and clip-on or magnetic earrings before completing the ear scan." Deal with this during setup rather than being asked mid-session.

Secondary Smartphone Camera Rules

• Pairing: During onboarding, the candidate scans a QR code shown by the desktop app. Duolingo has begun replacing the mobile-browser flow with a dedicated DET mobile app, which it describes as providing "a more stable, secure experience" during setup. The mobile app does not replace the desktop app for taking the test itself, and the rollout is gradual: if you are not directed to download it, you do not need it yet.
• Room scan and ear scan: The phone is also used for the room scan introduced in September 2025 and the ear scan introduced in December 2025. Budget setup time for both, and clear the room before you start rather than during the scan.
• Placement: The phone must be positioned 2 to 3 feet (60–90 cm) away from the candidate at an approximately 45-degree angle to the side, elevated on a stand, phone mount, mug, or sturdy stack of books.
• Field of View: The camera must continuously capture the candidate's hands on the keyboard/mouse, the physical laptop or desktop monitor, and the surrounding desk surface.
• Power & Connectivity: The smartphone must be plugged into a continuous AC wall charger (to prevent battery depletion) and configured to "Do Not Disturb" or Airplane mode with Wi-Fi enabled, preventing incoming telephone calls or push notifications from terminating the stream.

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Physical Conduct and Environmental Regulations

To ensure absolute exam validity, the candidate must abide by stringent physical and environmental rules throughout the session:

1. Gaze Discipline: Maintain Continuous Screen Focus

Candidates must keep their eyes fixed on the computer monitor at all times, with the exception of brief, natural glances down at the keyboard while typing during written production tasks. Looking away to think, gazing toward the ceiling, looking out a window, or staring at objects on the desk is strictly prohibited. In a remote proctoring context, proctors cannot distinguish an "innocent thinking glance" from an attempt to read unauthorized notes posted on a wall or receive non-verbal signals from an accomplice.

2. Acoustic Discipline: Absolute Silence During Non-Speaking Tasks

Candidates must remain completely silent during all reading, listening, and writing sections. Whispering, muttering, humming, or reading text aloud is strictly forbidden. Candidates who quietly vocalize reading passages or articulate words while typing c-tests will have their tests invalidated, as the acoustic monitoring engine cannot differentiate self-directed vocalization from covert communication with an external collaborator.

3. Room Isolation: Absolute Privacy

The examination must take place in an enclosed, fully private room with a closed door. No other individuals—including family members, roommates, children, or pets—may be present or enter the room during the session. Testing in public or semi-public spaces (such as coffee shops, university libraries, open-plan offices, or shared dorm rooms) is an automatic violation resulting in immediate session cancellation.

4. Zero Note-Taking & Desk Clearance

The Duolingo English Test enforces a strict zero note-taking policy. The published rules say "don't take notes or record questions" and, under Computer Setup, "remove paper and notes from the testing space." Unlike TOEFL or IELTS, where candidates may take scratch notes during listening and speaking tasks, DET test takers must process every listening item and formulate every spoken response entirely in working memory. Clear the desk completely before you begin — an unused notepad still violates the rule as written.

5. One Keyboard, One Mouse, One Phone

The rules also state: "use only one keyboard, mouse, and phone" and "remove extra screens and devices from the testing area." A docked laptop with an external keyboard and the built-in keyboard both present, or a second monitor left plugged in, breaches this before you answer a single question.

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Prohibited Equipment and Software Restrictions

Candidates must ensure their physical workspace and operating system are completely free of the following prohibited items:

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                   PROHIBITED HARDWARE & SOFTWARE MATRIX                 |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Prohibited Audio Equipment        | Headphones, earbuds, AirPods,       |
|                                   | Bluetooth headsets, wired headsets, |
|                                   | external clip-on microphones.       |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Prohibited Wearables              | Smartwatches, Apple Watches,        |
|                                   | fitness bands, digital watches,     |
|                                   | smart glasses, augmented reality.   |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Prohibited Desk Materials         | Paper, notebooks, pens, pencils,    |
|                                   | sticky notes, textbooks, study      |
|                                   | guides, water bottles with labels.  |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Prohibited Background Software    | Grammarly, LanguageTool, spell      |
|                                   | checkers, auto-correct, dictionary  |
|                                   | apps, translation extensions.       |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Prohibited System Tools           | Virtual machines (VMware, VirtualBox)|
|                                   | Remote desktop (AnyDesk, TeamViewer)|
|                                   | Screen capture/recording software.  |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Prohibited Network Utilities      | Virtual Private Networks (VPNs),    |
|                                   | web proxies, network tunneling tools|
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

[!CAUTION] Grammarly and Spell-Check Utilities: Many candidates leave automated grammar assistants (such as Grammarly, LanguageTool, or browser-level spell checkers) running as background services. The DET desktop app actively searches for these process hooks. If active, the test will either refuse to launch or be flagged post-test for utilizing unauthorized linguistic assistance software, resulting in immediate invalidation.

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Invalidation vs. Permanent Ban: Disciplinary Matrix

Duolingo's security protocol cleanly distinguishes between unintentional, environmental, or technical non-compliance and deliberate academic dishonesty.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    DISCIPLINARY OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK                      |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| OUTCOME A: TEST INVALIDATION      | OUTCOME B: PERMANENT BAN            |
| (Retake Credit Issued)            | (Account Revoked, Schools Notified) |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Triggers:                         | Triggers:                           |
| - Looked away from the screen     | - Impersonation / proxy test taker  |
| - Face or ears left the frame     | - Another person present in room    |
| - Phone camera fell or locked     | - Using a phone or notes mid-test   |
| - Prohibited software running     | - Hidden earphones / earbuds        |
| - A second voice in the room      | - Outside help or reference tools   |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Consequences:                     | Consequences:                       |
| - Result is NOT certified         | - Account suspended (1 year) or     |
| - Explanation email sent          |   permanently blocked               |
| - Retest allowed if ATTEMPTS      | - Credit expires immediately        |
|   REMAIN ON THE CREDIT            | - Previously certified results may  |
| - Two rule violations on one      |   be invalidated                    |
|   credit expire that credit       | - Appeal available in some cases    |
+-----------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

Category 1: Rule Violation — Result Not Certified, Retest If Attempts Remain

When a result is invalid because of a broken rule and your account is not blocked or suspended, Duolingo's published policy is that you may retake the test:

• You receive an email explaining that the result could not be certified.
• Rule Violations allow you to test again at no additional cost if you still have attempts remaining on the credit. This is the part most summaries get wrong: the retest is not free in the sense of being consequence-free — it consumes one of the three attempts attached to your credit.
• Two tests with Rule Violations on the same credit expire that credit, even if you have used only two of your three attempts. At that point you must buy a new credit, and you are not eligible to appeal, because you have already had at least two chances.

Category 2: Possible Misconduct, Suspension, and Permanent Blocks

Duolingo escalates in clearly defined steps:

• Possible Misconduct immediately expires the credit, even if attempts remain. You may appeal, and you may purchase a new credit.
• A pattern of Rule Violations or Possible Misconduct across multiple tests within 365 days can suspend the account for one year from the date of the earliest broken rule. While suspended, the credit expires and you cannot test on any account.
• Evident Misconduct — Duolingo's example is "having an impersonator take the test for you" — results in the account being permanently blocked. The credit expires and you can no longer take the test regardless of remaining attempts. You may appeal in this case.
• Separately, Duolingo publishes a decertification policy: it can remove access to a certificate, block the person from testing again where appropriate, and inform any institution that already received the result.

[!WARNING] A myth worth killing: "an invalidated test doesn't count against you." Duolingo's published policy says the opposite. An invalid result consumes an attempt on your credit, two rule violations on one credit destroy the credit, and repeated incidents within 365 days can suspend the account for a year. Treat every session as your only session.

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Comprehensive Test-Room Setup & Security Audit Checklist

Before initiating the examination, execute this comprehensive 10-point operational security audit to guarantee a smooth, certifiable testing session: