The Luisteren exam (A2 and B1): format, time and approach

The Luisteren exam

Part 1 / 5

Part 1 · 2 min

What does the exam look like?

You sit at a computer with headphones on. You see short films and hear texts, and after that you get questions with answers to choose from.

	A2	B1
Duration	45 minutes	90 minutes
Where	On the computer, at a DUO exam location	Staatsexamen NT2, its own locations
In DUO's practice exams	25 questions	see staatsexamensnt2.nl
What you hear	Short conversations, telephone calls, announcements, public address messages	Longer conversations and longer informative texts

DUO: "You take the Luisteren exam at level A2 on the computer. You get questions about short films and you listen to texts. The exam takes 45 minutes." The Luisteren exam at level B1 (staatsexamen Nt2) takes 90 minutes; information about the content is on staatsexamensnt2.nl.

Sources: inburgeren.nl — Taalexamens · Staatsexamens NT2 — accessed 23-08-2026

On the start screen of DUO’s public practice exams Luisteren A2 it says: "You must answer 25 questions in this exam", with a counter of 25 questions and 45 minutes.

Source: inburgeren.nl — Oefenen — accessed 23-08-2026

Note the difference with Lezen (reading): you have less time for the same number of questions. That is because the audio itself takes time. So you cannot think for long.

What does the exam look like?

You sit at a computer with headphones on. You see short films and hear texts, and after that you get questions with answers to choose from.

	A2	B1
Duration	45 minutes	90 minutes
Where	On the computer, at a DUO exam location	Staatsexamen NT2, its own locations
In DUO's practice exams	25 questions	see staatsexamensnt2.nl
What you hear	Short conversations, telephone calls, announcements, public address messages	Longer conversations and longer informative texts

Sources: inburgeren.nl — Taalexamens · Staatsexamens NT2 — accessed 23-08-2026

On the start screen of DUO’s public practice exams Luisteren A2 it says: "You must answer 25 questions in this exam", with a counter of 25 questions and 45 minutes.

Source: inburgeren.nl — Oefenen — accessed 23-08-2026

Note the difference with Lezen (reading): you have less time for the same number of questions. That is because the audio itself takes time. So you cannot think for long.

What exactly do you hear?

At A2 they are short fragments from daily life. One fragment usually has two or three questions.

A conversation between two people

At a counter, at the doctor, between neighbours, at work. Pay attention to who says what.

A telephone call

Often with an appointment, a time or an address in it. Numbers are the stumbling block here.

An announcement

A public address message at the station, a voicemail, an announcement in a shop.

A short explanation

Someone explains how something works or what is going to happen.

Marieke Schipper · NT2 teacher

Most mistakes in Luisteren are not about words but about numbers: times, house numbers, amounts, days. "Half vier" (half past three) is not four o’clock, and "over een kwartier" (in a quarter of an hour) is not a point in time but a difference. Practise that separately — it is a small part of the language with a large share of the questions.

The strategy: read ahead

With Luisteren there is one thing you can do that decides almost everything: read the question before the audio starts. Then you know what to listen for, instead of trying to remember everything.

Read the question and the answers

What is being asked: a time, a reason, a feeling, a place? That decides what you have to pick out of the audio.

Listen to the main line, not to every word

You do not have to understand everything. You have to find one thing. Let the rest go by.

Choose, and move on

Do not keep worrying about the previous question while the next fragment is already playing. That costs you two questions instead of one.

Pay attention to signal words: maar (but), toch (yet), helaas (unfortunately), eerst (first), daarna (after that). The answer is often there.
Pay attention to the tone. "Nou…" with hesitation usually means no.
Check your headphones and the volume before the exam starts.
Always fill in something, even if you missed the fragment.

Do not

Try to translate the whole fragment in your head
Choose the answer in which you recognised a word that you heard — that is often exactly the trap
Panic when a speaker is fast; the question is usually about one sentence

The biggest trap: the word you recognised

In Luisteren, wrong answers are often made with words that you also heard in the fragment. Someone says: "ik wilde eerst met de trein, maar nu ga ik met de fiets" (at first I wanted to go by train, but now I am going by bike). The question is how he travels. Anyone who recognises "trein" chooses the wrong answer.

So always listen to the end of the sentence. The most important word in that example is maar (but).

Do you have a hearing impairment? DUO can adapt the exam, for example with extra time or adapted equipment. You apply for this in advance, with a statement. Arrange it well before you register.

If you cannot take the exam in the normal way because of an illness or a disability, DUO can allow an adapted exam. You apply for this in advance at DUO.

Source: inburgeren.nl — Aangepast examen bij ziekte of beperking — accessed 23-08-2026

How to practise

Luisteren is the part that improves fastest from daily habits, and slowest from books.

Turn on Dutch, every day

Radio in the kitchen, a podcast in simple Dutch, the jeugdjournaal (news for children). Even if you do not understand everything: your ear gets used to the speed.

Watch with Dutch subtitles

Not with subtitles in your own language. Dutch sound with Dutch text links the sound to the word, and that is exactly what the exam asks.

Practise numbers separately

Times, prices, house numbers, dates. Let someone say them out loud, or use a practice app. Ten minutes a day, for two weeks.

Do practice exams with headphones

Not through the speaker of your phone. You want to get used to how it sounds in the exam room.

Marieke Schipper · NT2 teacher

I often hear: "I do understand Dutch people in real life, but not in the exam." That is because of the tension and because of the lack of context — you do not see a face, you do not know the situation. Only one thing helps against that: practising with recordings often enough, until it no longer feels new.

Practise Luisteren with real fragmentsTen questions with audio, with an explanation after every answer. No account needed.

Start a free practice exam

Frequently asked questions

How long does the Luisteren exam take?

At level A2 it takes 45 minutes, on the computer. At level B1 it is part of the staatsexamen NT2 and it takes 90 minutes. Information about the content of the B1 exam is on staatsexamensnt2.nl.

Can I listen to a fragment again?

In our practice exams you can: you can play a fragment as often as you like, so that you can learn where it went wrong. How often that is possible in the real exam is not published by DUO. So when you practise, at some point assume that you have only one chance.

What is the best way to practise Luisteren?

Hear Dutch every day, and do it in a focused way. Turn on the radio or a podcast in simple Dutch, watch with Dutch subtitles instead of subtitles in your own language, and practise numbers, times and dates separately. Also do complete practice exams with headphones on.

I do understand people in real life, but not in the exam. How is that possible?

Because in real life you see the face, you know the situation and you can ask for repetition. In the exam all of that falls away, and time pressure is added. You can train for that: practise with recordings until the situation no longer feels new.

I have a hearing impairment. Can I get an adapted exam?

Yes, that is possible. If you cannot take the exam in the normal way because of an illness or a disability, DUO can allow an adapted exam, for example with extra time or other equipment. You apply for this in advance at DUO, well before you register for a date.

Reviewed by Marieke Schipper, 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.

Practise the Luisteren part

Free practice exam of ten questions with audio, with an explanation after every answer.

Start a free practice exam