When it comes to high-stakes exams, we understand that students are under pressure. A strong score can unlock university admissions, scholarships, and other life-changing opportunities.
Unfortunately, that pressure can also make students vulnerable to agencies or individuals who prey on their fears, promising guaranteed results in exchange for money. These services often market themselves as harmless shortcuts, but their real goal is profit—not your success.
At Duolingo, we’ve built one of the most secure English proficiency exams in the world, not just to protect institutions, but to protect honest test takers. And for those who attempt to cheat? The consequences can be far more serious than most people realize.
1. Academic consequences can derail your future
Cheating on any standardized test is a violation of academic integrity—and for high-stakes tests like the DET, the consequences can be severe.
- Your test session will be invalidated—meaning your score won’t count, and you may not be allowed to retake the test.
- Universities may reject your application if cheating is detected or suspected.
- If misconduct is discovered after admission, it can lead to suspension or expulsion.
- Academic dishonesty may be reported to partner institutions, potentially damaging your reputation across multiple schools.
The DET is trusted by thousands of institutions around the world. That trust is only possible because we hold test security—and test taker responsibility—to the highest standard.
2. Cheating services put you at risk
Many cheating services promise “guaranteed” scores—but what they don’t tell you is that they’re often fraudulent, illegal, or both. And when things go wrong, you face the consequences, not them. That’s why it’s important to be on the lookout for:
- Scams: Some services take your money and disappear without delivering anything.
- Blackmail: Others may demand more money after the test, threatening to report you to the DET or your university.
- Identity theft: These services often ask for passport scans, personal information, or even remote access to your computer—putting your entire digital identity at risk.
- Data breaches: Your personal information could be sold, misused, or leaked without your knowledge.
Working with these services doesn’t just violate test rules—it puts your financial, academic, and personal security in jeopardy.
3. You will get caught
At the DET, we use a combination of AI-powered detection systems and human proctoring to ensure test integrity. Our security measures are advanced, and getting smarter every day.
- Keystroke monitoring: Can detect copy-typing from another source.
- Screen recording and device tracking: Catches unauthorized software, devices, or web browsing.
- Dual-camera setup: Eliminates blind spots by capturing both the test taker and their environment.
- LLM-assisted cheating detection: Identifies when written responses may have been generated by tools like ChatGPT—even if they’ve been manually retyped.
- Full-session recordings: Reviewed by trained human proctors to ensure fairness and accuracy.
In short: if you cheat, you’ll be caught. And the consequences will follow.
4. It just isn’t worth the stress
Even if you manage to get away with it (for now), the stress of knowing you cheated doesn’t go away. In fact, it tends to follow students long after the test.
Fear of being found out can create anxiety that overshadows your entire academic journey.
- Loss of trust from friends, mentors, and institutions can be hard to rebuild.
- And most importantly, you’ll always know you didn’t earn it.
In short, it’s just not worth it!
5. Cheating means missing out on the skills you actually need
When you cheat, you don’t just break the rules—you miss an opportunity to build the skills that the test is meant to measure. This can lead to:
- Struggling in university: If you bypass the process of learning English, you may arrive on campus unprepared to keep up with coursework.
- Long-term consequences: A lack of language skills can affect your performance in classes, internships, and job interviews.
- Falling behind: Without a strong foundation in English, it’s harder to succeed in both academic and professional settings.
The DET is designed to evaluate real-world English proficiency. A valid score isn’t just about admissions—it’s about setting you up for success once you arrive.
Take the test honestly—your future deserves it!
We understand that preparing for the DET can feel overwhelming. But you’re not alone—and you don’t need to take shortcuts.
- Use our free practice test to see what the test is like.
- Check out our Readiness Guide for test-taking tips and rules.
- Focus on steady, consistent preparation, and you’ll be ready to show what you know—honestly.
Because when you take the Duolingo English Test, you deserve to be proud of your score. And we’re here to make sure that score is secure, respected, and truly yours.