This is a guide for those who want to get more XP, or who want to climb the weekly league to diamond and stay on top.
This perspective is not about learning a language, but to maximize time efficiency and XP gain.
- Timed Challenges
Check which language course has your favorite timed challenge. Different courses can have different challenges at the same time. *
My favorite is Lighting Round. Match Madness is the worst. The later levels are impossible (?) to complete. It becomes increasingly harder, but the rewards for completing stage 1 or 2 remain the same. So the best you can do is to stay in the first level, and quit after stage 1. Low reward, but at least quick.
Choosing an easy language helps a lot. Arabic is rather hard as a language, but quite efficient in terms of XP, since most practice/challenge rounds consist of very easy pseudo-Arabic exercises. These are easy to memorize and quick to complete. **
- XP Boosts
You get two XP boosts per day. You need to complete one lesson in the evening and one lesson in the morning to unlock them. These boosts can be used the next day in the same time period and expire if you don't.
You get another XP boost whenever you complete a set of lessons (e.g. "5 of 5", full circle). This boost activates immediately and cannot be stored. XP boosts affect your account; you can switch to another course while retaining the boost. This means you can complete a set of lessons in an easy language, and switch to another language (for example with your favorite timed challenge). This also allows you to 'store' boosts for quick access if you keep a few courses with almost completed lessons to finish them to unlock the boost when needed.
You get an XP boost of double length (30 minutes) when completing a friend's quest. This boost can be stored for up to 6 days (?). Use it to get a head start in ladders, or to overtake a competitor before the ladder ends.
- Ladders
Most people do not approach duolingo competitively, but some do. When a new league has started, check the weekly graph of each competitor. This will inform you wether they have rather consistent, or erratic behaviour.
The erratic types can be dangerous. Some people can suddenly make 10k XP in a day and displace you from your top spot. Most try to rather continuously gain XP, and seem to be encouraged by competition close in reach. You don't want that.
To frustrate the latter type, and be better prepared against the former, try to build as much XP as possible as soon as you join your league (friend's quest boost, boosts from other courses). This can compell others to believe it would be pointless to compete against you, and everyone has a more relaxed week. It also makes it harder for surprise attacks. Try to maintain or increase the distance to #2 over the week, to not give them any ideas.
- School
You can sign up for free to https://schools.duolingo.com/. This will
- remove ads from your account, which saves time.
- allow you to toggle between normal and infinite hearts.
- remove the possibility to watch ads for gems, which is a net loss in gems gain, but might be worth for the ad free experience.
- remove the gem cost for timed challenges, which allows to restart them freely, or abandon for early XP
These effects stay in place after you left the school course, so you can have both these benefits and participate in regular weekly ladders.
*) If anyone knows how to check which course has which challenge (ideally a schedule overview), please let me know. Best and only way I currently know is to manually visit them by changing the course.
**) What other easy / XP-efficient languages do you know?
Feel free to add anything that's missing, and please correct any mistakes.
How do you approach the competitive side of duolingo, what has worked best for you?