I saw in this Youtube video that the Duolingo English Test now requires a room scan. The required scan is a 360 degree motion (with a phone) akin to British Council’s EnglishScore test, plus a look at the space behind the computer.
I’ve never been a fan of room scans. I find them cumbersome and I’m unconvinced of their effectiveness. For what it’s worth, this one seems a bit less obtrusive than most of the scans I’ve carried out. It seems unlikely to result in a request to drag furniture around my house or to take down all of my Stone Cold Steve Austin posters.
I’ll take the test later this month and report back with details.
One wonders if this nod to more traditional at-home testing is a reflection of Duo’s new status as a co-frontrunner for the HOELT tender. Note also the reminder in this week’s THE article that every DET test is reviewed by a human proctor (something that not everyone is aware of).