Have you failed the integration exam? You do not have to redo everything. You only retake the part you did not pass. Each part is a separate exam with its own result. If you passed Reading, Writing and Speaking and only failed Listening, you retake Listening alone.
That is the single most important thing to know, and the question I am asked most often. Below: how retakes work, what they cost, and what your result letter actually means.
The integration exam is not one big exam. It is a set of separate exams: Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking and KNM. You register per part, you pay per part, and you get a result per part.
The consequence: whatever you passed stays passed. You never have to redo a passed part because you failed another one.
Practically, this means you can spread the parts out. Many people do Reading and Listening first, then Writing and Speaking later, so there is less to prepare at once.
How many retakes are allowed?
Here I have to be straight with you: DUO states no maximum. I looked on inburgeren.nl and in the full exam regulations. There is no maximum number of attempts anywhere.
Online you will find both extremes — "unlimited retakes" and "only two attempts". Neither has an official source. What does apply is your integration deadline: under the Wet inburgering 2021 the B1 route allows a maximum of 3 years. In practice, that is your limit.
What DUO does state clearly concerns money, not counts:
"De eerste 2 pogingen van elk examen zijn gratis" — the first 2 attempts at each exam are free (for asylum status holders). "Hebt u meer dan 2 pogingen nodig? Dan moet u de extra pogingen betalen. U kunt geen geld lenen bij DUO."
So the two free attempts are not a cap on how often you may retake. They are a cap on what DUO pays for.
What does a retake cost?
An exam part costs €50 at the time of writing. These amounts can change, so always check the current price with DUO.
€50 per exam part (Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking and KNM), €250 in total under the Wet 2021. Under the Wet 2013 ONA is added at €40, €290 in total. Prices may change.
If you are an asylum status holder, your first 2 attempts per exam are free. One exception DUO names: this does not apply if you sit an exam at a lower level than your PIP specifies.
For extra attempts you cannot borrow from DUO. That is a good reason to prepare a retake properly rather than rushing back in.
What does retaking cost?
Choose who you are, then click what happens at each attempt.
Attempt 1
What happens?
You pay€0€0
Attempts00
The first 2 attempts at each exam are free. You pay for an extra attempt yourself, and you cannot borrow from DUO for it.
"De uitslag wordt schriftelijk, binnen 8 weken na het examen, aan de kandidaat kenbaar gemaakt." — the result is sent in writing within 8 weeks, and also appears in Mijn Inburgering.
The letter says "pass" or "fail" plus a grade per part. What it does not say is which questions you got wrong. And you cannot request your exam either:
"Het afgelegde en beoordeelde examen kan niet worden ingezien door de kandidaat." — a completed, marked exam cannot be reviewed by the candidate.
That feels unfair, and I understand why. But it has a practical consequence: you have to work out for yourself where it went wrong. The grade tells you how close you were, not why.
And how much you needed correct? DUO does not publish it — the boundary is a cesuur set by the Minister. The figures you find online do not come from DUO and contradict each other. More on that in the guide to the four language exams.
Why people fail
After ten years of teaching I nearly always see the same causes. Almost never "my Dutch is too weak".
1
Time. Reading gives you 65 minutes for 25 questions. Read every text in full and you will not finish.
2
The format was new. If you have never done a full practice exam against a clock, you lose time to surprise.
3
The pen in Writing. Writing is pen and paper, not a keyboard. Many people discover that on exam day.
4
Rewinding in Listening. At home you rewind; in the exam you cannot. Suddenly it all seems much faster.
5
Too few practice exams. DUO gives 3 or 4 per part. Enough to see the format, not to master it.
What to do differently
You have one big advantage for a retake: you now know how the exam feels. Use it.
Identify the part and practise only that one.
Always do complete practice exams, timed. Loose questions are not the same thing.
Practise on a computer, not a phone — DUO advises this itself.
Review which questions you got wrong, and why. That is exactly what DUO does not give you, and where the learning is.
Wait to register until your practice exams go well. A retake costs money and time.
Your deadline
Because DUO names no maximum number of attempts, your integration deadline is the real limit — a maximum of 3 years in the B1 route.
How much time do you have left?
Under the Wet inburgering 2021. Enter the date of your PIP: your period starts the day after and lasts 3 years.
If your deadline is approaching and you have not passed everything, do not wait. Contact your municipality: they guide your integration and draw up your PIP with you. Also check whether an exemption applies to you — DUO has a dedicated page covering illness or disability, a diploma you already hold, Dutch education you are following, or having lived and worked here for a long time.
The conditions differ substantially per exemption and each has its own DUO page. I deliberately quote no figures or periods here: you want those from the official page that fits your situation, not from a blog. Start at Minder of geen examens on inburgeren.nl.
Plan backwards from your end date: how many attempts still fit, allowing 8 weeks for each result?
Do I have to retake everything if I fail one part?
No. You only retake the part you did not pass. Each part is a separate exam with its own result, so anything you passed stays passed.
How many times can you retake the integration exam?
DUO states no maximum — not on inburgeren.nl and not in the exam regulations. In practice your integration deadline is the limit. So do not assume it is unlimited, but do not assume you stop after two either.
What does a retake cost?
An exam part costs €50 at the time of writing. If you are an asylum status holder, the first 2 attempts at each exam are free. Beyond that you pay yourself and cannot borrow from DUO for it. Always check the current price with DUO.
When do I get my result?
Within 8 weeks of the exam, by letter. It also appears in Mijn Inburgering. That 8-week period applies to A2 language exams and the knowledge exams.
Can I review my exam to see what I got wrong?
No. The exam regulations state explicitly that a completed and marked exam cannot be reviewed by the candidate. You do get a grade per part.
How many answers should I have had right?
DUO does not publish it. The pass mark is a cesuur set by the Minister and is not made public. Figures like "18 out of 25" do not come from DUO and contradict each other.
What if I cannot attend my exam?
You can change your exam date up to 7 days beforehand. If you simply do not show up, you pay again. In exceptional circumstances you can write to DUO within 10 days of the exam date to request a free exam.
Reviewed by Amber van der Zalm, certified NT2 teacher. Last revised on 2026-07-28. Every figure has been checked against DUO — the source is shown next to each one.
Prepare your retake properlyPractise with 10 exams per part, each with an explanation — so you know why an answer was wrong.Start a free practice exam
