Four parts: Lezen (reading), Luisteren (listening), Schrijven (writing) and Spreken (speaking). All four have a different form, and you also prepare for them in different ways. Here is how they work.
Machine translation: this page was translated automatically from the reviewed Dutch text and has not been checked by a person.
In short
The inburgering exam is not one exam but a series: four language exams (Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven and Spreken) at A2 or B1, the KNM exam about Dutch society, and under the old act also ONA. This guide covers the four language exams. Which parts you have to take is in the step-by-step guide.
Your language exam is not one exam. There are four of them, and you take them at four different moments. So you can also pass them one at a time — and if you do not pass one of them, you only have to redo that part.
You read short texts and answer questions about them. On the computer. At A2 it takes 65 minutes, at B1 110 minutes.
You watch short videos and listen to conversations, and answer questions. On the computer. A2 takes 45 minutes, B1 90 minutes.
You write short texts and fill in forms. At A2 you do this with pen and paper in 40 minutes; at B1 it takes 100 minutes.
You speak into a microphone; you are shown short videos and pictures. A2 takes 35 minutes, B1 about 30 minutes.
DUO on the language exams: Lezen A2 takes 65 minutes and Lezen B1 110 minutes; Luisteren A2 takes 45 minutes and Luisteren B1 90 minutes; you take Schrijven A2 with pen and paper and it lasts 40 minutes, Schrijven B1 lasts 100 minutes; Spreken A2 takes 35 minutes and Spreken B1 about 30 minutes.
Source: inburgeren.nl — Taalexamens A2, B1 en B2 — accessed 23-08-2026
Schrijven at A2 is the only part on paper. That surprises many people who have practised on a keyboard. During your preparation, write by hand at least a few times — writing legibly under time pressure is a skill in itself.
Here we have to be careful, and that is exactly why this site exists. DUO does not publish anywhere how many questions an exam has. What is public are DUO's own oefenexamens (practice exams): you can take them without logging in, and the start screen shows the number.
| Part (A2) | In DUO's practice exams | Duration | Format | Marked by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lezen | 25 questions | 65 minutes | computer | automated |
| Luisteren | 25 questions | 45 minutes | computer | automated |
| Schrijven | 4 assignments | 40 minutes | pen and paper | humans |
| Spreken | 16 questions | 35 minutes | computer | partly humans |
So do not tell yourself: "the exam has 25 questions". Say: "DUO's practice exams have 25". That is what you can check, and it is enough to base your preparation on.
DUO makes practice exams available that anyone can take without logging in. The start screens of the A2 practice exams show the number of questions: 25 for Lezen, 25 for Luisteren and 16 for Spreken; the Schrijven practice exam contains 4 assignments.
Source: inburgeren.nl — Oefenen — accessed 23-08-2026
The marking differs per part too. Lezen and Luisteren are marked by computer. Schrijven is marked by people: an assessor checks whether your message is clear, and you do not need to write flawlessly. Spreken sits in between.
Lezen, Luisteren and KNM are marked automatically. Schrijven is marked by certified assessors. Spreken is partly automated and partly assessor-marked.
Source: DUO Examenreglement, artikel 10 — accessed 28-07-2026
You do not decide that yourself. Under the Wet inburgering 2021, your gemeente (municipality) chooses a leerroute (learning route) after the brede intake and the leerbaarheidstoets, and that route determines your level. It is recorded in your persoonlijk plan inburgering en participatie (PIP); if you do not know, look in Mijn Inburgering.
You take the language exams at level B1. That is the standard route under the 2021 act.
Mainly for young people who want to go to mbo, hbo or university. You reach B1 or B2.
You learn Dutch at level A1. You may take language exams at A2, but you do not have to. You finish the route with a conversation at the gemeente.
Are you still doing your inburgering under the old act? Then you take the language exams at level A2.
Are you in the B1-route and does B1 turn out to be really too high? Then, under conditions, you can go down to A2 (afschalen). That is only possible from the B1-route, and only if you have followed at least 600 hours of language lessons at a school with a keurmerk (quality mark) and can show that you have done your best. The gemeente checks this.
The gemeente decides on the basis of the brede intake which leerroute you follow. In the B1-route you take the language exams at level B1; in the Z-route you learn Dutch at level A1 and may take exams at A2, but you do not have to. Going down from B1 to A2 is only possible from the B1-route and requires at least 600 hours of course at an institution with a keurmerk.
Sources: inburgeren.nl — U gaat inburgeren · Besluit inburgering 2021, artikel 5.5 — accessed 23-08-2026
Basic user
Texts
Short and concrete: a note, an advertisement, an email from school
Topics
Your immediate life: housing, work, shopping, health
Writing
Separate sentences, a form, a short message
Independent user
Texts
Longer and connected: a news item, a leaflet, a manual
Topics
Also outside your own life: work, education, current affairs
Writing
A connected text with your own opinion and a structure
Amber van der Zalm · NT2 teacher
The difference between A2 and B1 is not mainly more words. It is that at B1 you have to be able to give an opinion and explain it. At A2 you say "I do not think it is good"; at B1 you say why, with an example, in two or three sentences in a row. You practise that too little if you only learn words.
The Wet inburgering 2021 took effect on 1 January 2022 — the law is named 2021 but applies from 2022. Many websites get this wrong. If you fell under the old Wet inburgering 2013, you take all language exams at A2.
"De nieuwe Wet Inburgering is in werking getreden op 1 januari 2022." (The new Wet inburgering came into force on 1 January 2022.)
Source: Rijksoverheid — Nieuwe Wet inburgering — accessed 28-07-2026
The A2 inburgeringsexamen is not an intelligence test. It is a format. And a format can be learned.
A2 means: you can talk about everyday things. Your work, your family, shopping, making an appointment at the doctor. You do not need to understand a newspaper article about politics.
Most people who fail do not fail because their Dutch is too weak. They fail because they did not know the exam. They did not know Schrijven is on paper. They had never practised against a clock. They did not know you cannot rewind in Luisteren. That is why practising with the real format matters more than learning another hundred words.
DUO does not publish that. The Examenreglement says that the line between failing and passing is a cesuur that is set by the Minister. It gives no percentage and no number of correct answers.
Sites that do give such a number cannot support it. That is why we do not give one. What you can do: practise until you feel comfortable in each part within the time, instead of aiming at a line that nobody knows.
What the plain-language summary of the regulations does say is one line that reassures many people: "Niet alle antwoorden hoeven goed te zijn om te slagen." (Not all answers need to be correct in order to pass.) You get a grade per part, plus "geslaagd" or "niet geslaagd".
The Examenreglement inburgering states that the line between failing and passing is formed by a cesuur, set by the Minister. DUO does not publish a concrete percentage or number of correct answers.
Source: DUO — Examenreglement inburgering, artikel 10 — accessed 23-08-2026
You register for each part through Mijn Inburgering, with DigiD. You choose the date and the place yourself. You take the kennisexamens and the A2 language exams at one of the six DUO locations: Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rijswijk, Rotterdam, Utrecht or Zwolle. B1 and B2 are staatsexamens NT2 and have their own locations.
At the moment each part costs €50. That price is indexed — check it before you register.
The result of the A2 language exams normally comes within 8 weeks. Note the current exception below.
DUO reported on 31 July 2026 that the marking of Spreken A2 and Schrijven A2 currently takes up to 16 weeks. Anyone who runs into trouble with their inburgering deadline because of this automatically gets a 6-month extension. This applies only to those two parts; check the current situation with DUO.
The result of the A2 language exams and the kennisexamens comes within 8 weeks. The exams are taken at six locations: Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rijswijk, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Zwolle.
Sources: inburgeren.nl — Uitslag examen · inburgeren.nl — Examenplaatsen — accessed 23-08-2026
For the inburgeringsexamen you pay per part; at the moment that is €50 per exam. The amounts are indexed and can change.
Source: inburgeren.nl — Inburgeren betalen — accessed 23-08-2026
A few practical things almost nobody writes down, but which are in the official regulations.
You get 15 minutes of explanation before each exam begins. You must be present 30 minutes beforehand. Without valid ID you may not sit the exam.
Source: DUO Examenreglement — accessed 28-07-2026
There is no compulsory order. But there is a sensible one, and it is about waiting times, not about difficulty.
Smart
Risky
Calculate your own end datesThe timeline maker works out for each part when you have to register at the latest to stay within your deadline.
Start practising for freeIt is different for each part. That is why every part has its own guide on this site: what exactly you are given, where the time goes, and where most people stumble.
Start with DUO itself. There are free practice exams: 4 for Lezen, 3 for Luisteren, 3 for Spreken and 3 for Schrijven, and they are exactly the real format. Do all of them. Two practical tips from DUO: take them on a computer, not on your phone, and DUO’s Spreken practice exam does not work in Safari.
In DUO’s official practice exams: Lezen 25 questions (4 exams), Luisteren 25 questions (3 exams), Spreken 16 questions (3 exams), Schrijven 4 tasks (3 exams). DUO advises taking the practice exams on a computer; the Spreken practice exam does not work in Safari.
Source: inburgeren.nl — Oefenen — accessed 28-07-2026
Three or four practice exams is not much if you want to learn a format. That is why this site has 10 per part, drafted with the help of AI and fully checked by a certified NT2 teacher.
Amber van der Zalm · NT2 teacher
With my students, the biggest difference between passing and failing is rarely the level. It is the time. They do know the words, but they have never practised with a clock. Take a complete practice exam with a timer at least three times before you take the real one.
Lezen, Luisteren and Spreken you take on a computer. Schrijven you do with pen and paper. Many people do not know that last point and get a shock on exam day.
That differs per person. Luisteren is underestimated most often: in the practice exams you get 25 questions in 45 minutes and you cannot rewind a fragment. With Lezen you have more time per question, but you do have to find the right information quickly.
DUO does not publish that on its information pages. But DUO's own practice exams are public, and they show the number: 25 questions for Lezen, 25 for Luisteren, 16 for Spreken and 4 assignments for Schrijven. Use that as your guide, but do not call it an official norm.
DUO does not make that public. The Examenreglement says that the line is a cesuur set by the Minister; there is no published percentage and no number of correct answers. Numbers you read elsewhere do not come from DUO.
That depends on your leerroute, and your gemeente chooses that after the brede intake and the leerbaarheidstoets. In the B1-route you take the exams at B1, in the onderwijsroute B1 or B2, and in the Z-route you learn A1 and may take A2 exams. If you are doing your inburgering under the 2013 act, it is A2.
Only from the B1-route, and under conditions. You must have followed at least 600 hours of language lessons at a language school with a keurmerk, and you must be able to show that you have done your best. The gemeente checks that and decides.
Normally within 8 weeks for the A2 language exams and the kennisexamens. DUO reported on 31 July 2026 that Spreken A2 and Schrijven A2 can currently take up to 16 weeks, with an automatic extension of six months for anyone who runs into trouble because of this. Check the current situation with DUO.
Yes. The four language parts are separate exams with their own registration, their own date and their own result. If you do not pass one of them, you only redo that part; what you have already passed stays valid.
Reviewed by Amber van der Zalm, certified NT2 teacher — August 23, 2026 This page is a translation of that reviewed Dutch text; the translation itself was not reviewed. The Dutch version is the source.