Practise for the civic integration exam

The civic integration exam (inburgeringsexamen) is the end of your civic integration. Which exams you take depends on the law and the learning route that apply to you. Here you read how it works and how you can practise.

What is the civic integration exam?

Do you have to integrate? Then you take a civic integration exam or a state exam in Dutch (staatsexamen). You get a letter about this from DUO.

There are language exams and knowledge exams. The language exams are reading, listening, writing and speaking. The knowledge exam is KNM: Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij (knowledge of Dutch society).

Wet inburgering 2021: the exams per learning route

Do you have to integrate from 1 January 2022? Then the Wet inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Act 2021) applies. Which exams you take depends on your learning route and on exemptions.

B1 route: the language exams reading, listening, writing and speaking at level B1, the KNM exam, the MAP (Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie, labour market and participation) and the participation statement (participatieverklaring, PVT).
Education route (onderwijsroute): the language exams at level B1 or B2, the KNM exam, the language bridging course (taalschakeltraject) and the participation statement.
Z route: you do not have to take exams, but you may. You finish with a final talk and you get a certificate from the municipality (gemeente).

Is B1 not possible for you in the B1 route? Then you may move to level A2 after at least 600 hours of language lessons. The language school must have the Blik op Werk quality mark. The municipality checks this.

Do you take the language exams at B1 or B2? Then you take the staatsexamen Nt2 (state exam Dutch as a second language).

Wet inburgering 2013

Did you already have to integrate before 1 January 2022? Then the Wet inburgering 2013 (Civic Integration Act 2013) applies. You arrange your civic integration yourself. The municipality can help you.

You then take the language exams reading, listening, writing and speaking at level A2 or higher, and the KNM exam. Did you have to integrate between 1 January 2015 and 1 January 2022? Then ONA is also part of it, with a few exceptions. From 1 October 2017 the participation statement is part of it too.

You may also integrate at B1 or B2. You then take the staatsexamen Nt2 instead of the language exams of the civic integration exam.

Do you already have a staatsexamen Nt2?

Do you already have the staatsexamen Nt2 diploma, or parts of it at B1 or B2? Then you can get an exemption for those parts in the civic integration exam at A2. You still have to finish the other parts, such as the MAP and the participation statement.

How do you practise for the exam?

First take the level test. Then you know roughly where you are.
Practise every skill: reading, listening, writing and speaking. The pages below explain how each exam works.
Practise KNM with questions per theme.
Take the official practice exams. They are the most like the real exam.
Are you practising for the staatsexamen Nt2? Its practice environment only works well on a computer or laptop, not on a phone or tablet.

Which exams you have to take, you see in Mijn Inburgering on inburgeren.nl.

Practise on DutchKlaar

On DutchKlaar you practise for the language exams and KNM for free: short lessons from A1 to B1, writing and speaking tasks with tips, and KNM questions per theme.

Take the level test

Official practice exams

DUO has practice exams for A2 (reading, listening, writing and speaking) and for KNM. For B1 and B2 there is the practice environment of the staatsexamen Nt2.

DutchKlaar is a practice website. We are not DUO and not an official organisation. Rules can change. For your own situation, look in Mijn Inburgering on inburgeren.nl, or ask your municipality (gemeente).

Sources

This text is based on these official pages (in Dutch):

Last checked on 23 October 2026.

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