Preply offering proficiency certifications

Certification would let Preply sell proof of learning, not just tutoring hours. That matters because a recognized exam turns a lesson marketplace into a higher value workflow, where students study with tutors, take a formal assessment, and send the result to schools or employers. Duolingo showed this can become a meaningful second revenue stream, while Preply already has the ingredients to prepare learners and issue basic platform certificates.

• Preply already issues student certificates after at least 10 hours on platform, but these are completion records, not externally recognized proficiency credentials. It also runs its own tutor certification and badge system, which shows it has internal testing and verification muscle, just not a high stakes exam product yet.
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• Duolingo English Test shows the business model. Institutions get a score they can review in a dashboard alongside writing samples and video interviews, and by December 31, 2024 more than 5,600 programs accepted the test. Duolingo said the product contributed about 6.1% of total 2024 revenue.
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• The wedge is convenience and price. TOEFL and IELTS still have the strongest brand with broad recognition, but they are tied to center based processes, local pricing, and score delivery workflows. A digital first test can be cheaper, faster, and easier to schedule, which is why it can start as a complement and then win share in specific admissions and hiring use cases.
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The next step for online language platforms is to own the whole funnel, from learning, to practice, to assessment, to credential sharing. If Preply builds a trusted proficiency exam, it can raise revenue per learner, create a stronger reason to stay on platform through test day, and compete more directly with the testing layer that still sits above most language apps.