PTE vs Duolingo for Australia: Which Test Should You Take?

Can you use PTE or Duolingo for an Australia student visa?

Yes, to both. PTE Academic has been an accepted English test for the Australian subclass 500 student visa for years and is recognised by virtually all Australian universities. The Duolingo English Test is now also accepted for Australian student visas and by a large and growing list of Australian institutions. This means a Nepali student has a real choice, and the right choice depends on cost, convenience, and your specific university's requirement.

The most important rule before booking either test: check your offer letter or your chosen university's website. Acceptance is broad but not universal, and the minimum score required varies by course. Confirm that your specific institution and course accept your chosen test at the score you expect to achieve.

PTE vs Duolingo: cost comparison

Cost is where these two tests differ most dramatically.

The Duolingo English Test is the lowest-cost mainstream English test available to Nepali students. Through finduni.ai it costs NPR 8,500, against an official price of around NPR 10,500. There is no separate centre fee.

PTE Academic through finduni.ai costs NPR 31,000, compared with the official Nepal price of about NPR 36,500, a saving of up to NPR 5,500.

In pure cost terms, Duolingo is several times cheaper than PTE. For a student watching every rupee, that gap is significant, but cost is only one factor.

PTE vs Duolingo: format and where you take the test

PTE Academic is a computer-based test taken at an official Pearson VUE test centre. It runs for around 2 hours and uses AI-based scoring of all four skills, speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Speaking is recorded through a microphone, not a face-to-face interview. Results are typically returned quickly, often within a few days.

The Duolingo English Test is taken entirely online on your own computer at home, with no fixed centre and no fixed date, you book and sit it when you are ready. It is shorter, about 1 hour, and uses adaptive questions plus a video interview section. Because it is taken at home, it requires a quiet room, a working webcam and microphone, and a stable internet connection, and the session is recorded and proctored remotely. Results usually arrive within about two days.

PTE vs Duolingo: scoring

The two tests use different scales, so you cannot compare scores directly. PTE Academic is scored from 10 to 90. The Duolingo English Test is scored from 10 to 160. Each university sets its own minimum on each scale, so what matters is meeting the specific number your course asks for, not comparing one test's number to the other's.

Which test should a Nepali student choose?

Choose the Duolingo English Test if: you want the lowest possible cost, you want to test from home without travelling to a centre, you need flexibility on timing, and, critically, your target university and course accept Duolingo at the score you need. For many Nepali students applying to Australia, Duolingo is the most practical and affordable option.

Choose PTE Academic if: your chosen university or your specific visa pathway requires PTE, you prefer a controlled, distraction-free test-centre environment over testing at home, you do not have a reliable quiet space and strong internet at home, or you simply feel more confident with a longer, centre-based exam.

There is no single "better" test, the better test is the one your university accepts and that you can take comfortably and afford. Always let the university requirement decide first, then weigh cost and convenience.

What about IELTS?

IELTS Academic remains the most widely accepted English test of all and is worth considering alongside PTE and Duolingo, especially if you are applying to multiple universities or are unsure of every institution's policy. Through finduni.ai, IELTS Academic computer-delivered starts at NPR 32,000.