What the gemeente handles
The gemeente (municipality) is your local government. In KNM, this fits the theme Instanties and also links to Staatsinrichting en rechtsstaat, because the exam checks whether you can tell one institution from another.
A common KNM pattern is: one institution is correct, and the other two are real Dutch institutions but at the wrong level. So you need to recognise that the gemeente is not DUO and not the IND.
The exam may test this as a fact question such as Wie ...?, Wat is ...? or Wat moet ... doen? You are not asked what you personally prefer. You are asked which institution belongs to the situation.
Dutch example: Welke instantie is de gemeente?
English meaning: Which institution is the municipality?
Dutch example: Wie werkt in de gemeente?
English meaning: Who works in the municipality?
For KNM, the safe learning point is this: the gemeente is a government institution, and you should be able to separate it from national bodies such as DUO and the IND.
What DUO does
DUO is the organisation connected to the inburgering exams. The exam itself is from DUO, so DUO is a clear institution name you should recognise.
The KNM exam often asks about institutions through short, concrete situations. The picture shows a real-life scene, and the answer depends on civic knowledge, not on the picture alone. If DUO appears as an option, you need to know it is an official organisation and not confuse it with the gemeente or the IND.
This theme is tested with multiple-choice questions only. Each question has three options, so one wrong-scope mix-up can cost you the item.
Dutch example: Welke instantie organiseert het KNM-examen?
English meaning: Which institution organises the KNM exam?
Dutch example: Is DUO een officiële instantie in Nederland?
English meaning: Is DUO an official institution in the Netherlands?
For exam practice, train yourself to spot the institution word first. If the options include DUO, ask: is this about the exam and inburgering, or about local government, or about residence status? That removes one or two wrong answers fast.
What the IND does
The IND is also an official Dutch institution. In KNM, you need to recognise the name and keep it separate from DUO and the gemeente.
The exam after 1 July 2025 focuses on knowledge of how Dutch society works. That means a question about the IND will test whether you know which institution fits the case, not whether you know a social habit or what you would do at a birthday.
You may see the IND in a short setup with a person and a practical situation. The stem can then ask Wie ...?, Wat moet ... doen? or Welke instantie ...? The hard part is often not the language. The hard part is choosing the right institution instead of a nearby one.
Dutch example: Welke instantie is de IND?
English meaning: Which institution is the IND?
Dutch example: Wie is geen gemeente en geen DUO?
English meaning: Which one is not the municipality and not DUO?
For KNM, learn the three names as a set: gemeente, DUO, IND. The exam likes this kind of contrast because wrong-scope institutions are a standard distractor pattern.
What the KNM exam asks about this
This topic belongs mainly to Instanties. It can also connect to Staatsinrichting en rechtsstaat, because the exam tests whether you can distinguish institutions such as gemeente, parliament, and judge.
The live DUO KNM exam uses one image, visible Dutch text, and three answer options. The audio is only an optional read-aloud aid. So when you practise institution questions, focus on reading the Dutch stem and matching the right institution name.
The exam often uses these question shapes:
- Wie ...?
- Wat is ...?
- Wat moet ... doen?
- Mag ...? or Moet ...?
Institution questions often look simple, but they are easy to miss if two options are both real organisations. That is a standard KNM trap.
Dutch example: Wie is de juiste instantie: de gemeente, DUO of de IND?
English meaning: Which is the correct institution: the municipality, DUO or the IND?
Dutch example: Wat moet je kennen voor KNM: gedrag of kennis van instanties?
English meaning: What do you need to know for KNM: behaviour or knowledge of institutions?
The answer pattern you should expect is knowledge-based. Since the 2025 change, KNM asks about facts, rules, and institutions. It does not focus on old-style behaviour questions.
When you practise in the app, train this topic with short sets of institution questions. Repeat the same contrast many times: local government, exam authority, immigration authority. That helps you answer faster under the 45-minute exam time.