4. It is fun (At the beginning!)
Duolingo tries to make the game fun by giving you points and “lingots” and you can even compete against your friends. This can keep you motivated at the beginning and some people really enjoy this competition. I need to see real people and real conversation after some time so I got bored after a while.
The Problems with Duolingo
Most of the problems I have with Duoling come from the fact that Duolingo uses recordings that do not replicate real conversations.
No real speaking practice
My message when learning English is to speak as much as possible and study too. Speaking practice is one of the most difficult skills to practice alone. You will not improve your speaking skills if you watch Netflix, listen to podcasts on Spotify or use Duolingo. The only way to practice speaking is to speak with people, and that is why I recommend Cambly.
Learning a language without context
We use context so much when we are trying to understand each other. The language in Duolingo can be random and therefore can be interpreted in different ways by different people. People use English in different ways around the world and maybe a sentence could mean something different in different parts of the world but we don’t learn this with Duolingo.
I personally found Duolingo a bit boring after 15 hours using it. You want to connect with a real human and translating sentences for hours can get very boring. I wish there was something for more advanced learners that is a little different to understand the nuances of the English language. People learn from people(through emotional connections).
Is Duolingo worth it? Is it good?
Duolingo is a great start to learning a language and should be one of your first tools to use when you start learning English. I don’t think that Duolingo is effective in practicing the most important parts of English (Speaking, Listening, Grammar). If you have an intermediate level or above, I would recommend courses by Espresso English and classes on Cambly.
Pro Tip!
The stories are a great way to practice your listening skills. These stories use context and the dialogues they use are excellent.
Duolingo English test (Price)
Duolingo now provides tests to prove your level of English. You can take the test for $49. The test takes one hour to complete and you get the result in 2 days. It is accepted by more than 500 Universities around the world. You can find a quick practice test here.
I hope this review helps you with your language learning journey. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I will help you.
This test is bullshit and very subjective from point of view of evaluation. They can easily cancel your exam because of simple causes. İn this regard, ı do not recommend you to take it, otherwise, you ended up wasting your time and money, being pissed off.
Did they cancel your exam?