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Questions related to learning by practicing (previously called "Strengthen skills") are answered below.

How does general Practice button work?[]

The Practice button on the home page allows you to practice the student's weakest individual words and concepts, but won't necessarily strengthen a particular skill, since the words may come from many different skills.[1]

How does the Practice button within a skill work?[]

Practice skill button will target that skill specifically".[1]

How is the XP reward calculated?[]

According to Luis von Ahn on February 2015:[2]

The idea is that the number of XP you earn now depends on how weak the words are in the lesson. Lessons in which all the words are already at maximal strength will only give you 3 XP, and lessons in which all words are at minimal strength will give 10 XP. 

How much practice does it take to strengthen words/skills/courses?[]

All words practiced

Duolingo often experiments with the algorithm so this is subject to change. As of 01 September 2014, "words are strengthened every time users practice them".[3]  For example,  a skill with with 50 weak words may require more than 5 skill specific practice rounds (general strengthen skill may take far longer), and a whole tree more than 50 rounds.  

How can I practice what I've learned?[]

Users can practice skills by using untimed practice and they can buy timed practice.

How do I keep my tree golden?[]

A tree is kept golden by regular practice. There are some strategies that can be followed to achieve this.[4][1]

What happened to duels?[]

According Duolingo staff, Duels were removed because "with Duels, and the tab bar at the bottom of iOS, people were quitting Duolingo quicker than they would have been without those features around, and these were taking up prime real estate for other things we'd like to try (like a permanent Coach bar)".[5]

Can more than one skill be strengthened?[]

Yes, it is possible to strengthen more than one skill if words from those skills appear in a practice session.[6]

Can I complete a practice session without improving skill strength?[]

Yes, it is possible to complete a practice session without a 'visible' improvement to the skill strength. However, the words' strength may still be improved.[6]

How does Duolingo choose words for practice?[]

Duolingo chooses words using a spaced repetition algorithm.

How does skill/word strength work?[]

Skill strength is a measure of users' proficiency with a particular skill. It is affected[1] by accuracy, peeking, practice frequency, time, and other metrics.[7]

References[]

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