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.
In this article
Only the part you failed
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."
Source: inburgeren.nl — cost of integrating — consulted 28-07-2026 (Dutch)
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.
Source: inburgeren.nl — cost of integrating — consulted 28-07-2026 (Dutch)
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.
Your result: what does it say?
"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.
Source: DUO exam regulations, article 16(3) — consulted 28-07-2026 (Dutch)
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.
Source: DUO exam regulations, article 14(3) — consulted 28-07-2026 (Dutch)
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 explanation of the four parts.
Why people fail
After ten years of teaching I nearly always see the same causes. Almost never "my Dutch is too weak".
Time. Reading gives you 65 minutes for 25 questions. Read every text in full and you will not finish.
The format was new. If you have never done a full practice exam against a clock, you lose time to surprise.
The pen in Writing. Writing is pen and paper, not a keyboard. Many people discover that on exam day.
Rewinding in Listening. At home you rewind; in the exam you cannot. Suddenly it all seems much faster.
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.
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?
Ready for the next attempt? Take a free practice exam and see where you stand.