What the KNM exam looks like
KNM stands for Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij (knowledge of Dutch society). You take the exam on a computer at a DUO exam location. It takes 45 minutes, and staff explain the rules before it starts.
- 40 questions, all multiple choice.
- Three options per question: A, B or C. One is correct.
- A picture with each question (in map questions, the three options are maps).
- A read-aloud button. The audio reads the same Dutch text. It does not play by itself.
- Pass mark: 28 of 40. DUO states this on its practice exam.
The questions come in blocks by theme. A screen such as De volgende vragen gaan over het thema wonen tells you which theme comes next. There are eight themes:
- Werk en inkomen (work and income, including the Dutch labour market)
- Omgangsvormen, waarden en normen (manners, values and norms)
- Wonen (housing)
- Gezondheid en gezondheidszorg (health and health care)
- Geschiedenis en geografie (history and geography)
- Instanties (public bodies)
- Staatsinrichting en rechtsstaat (government and the rule of law)
- Onderwijs en opvoeding (education and parenting)
How to prepare for the KNM exam
Good KNM exam preparation is mostly practice with real-style questions. Reading a book alone is not enough, because the exam tests how you apply facts to everyday situations.
- Do DUO's free practice exam first. DUO has two official KNM practice exams. It shows the real screen, the picture and the read-aloud button.
- Learn by theme. Work through the eight themes one by one. Note the Dutch words that keep coming back, such as gemeente, huurtoeslag and huisarts.
- Practise under time pressure. You may not take a phone or watch into the exam room. Practise at home with a timer until one minute per question feels normal.
- Review every wrong answer. Find the rule behind it, not just the right letter.
Our inburgering KNM practice uses the same question format: one picture and three options, with an explanation after each answer. For example questions with answers, see KNM example questions.
Tip 1: answer the Dutch way, not from your own country
Choose the answer that fits how things work in the Netherlands, even if your home country does it differently. KNM tests Dutch rules, institutions, rights and daily life.
The picture usually sets the scene but rarely gives the answer, so read the question first, then the three options, and ask which one is true in the Netherlands.
Compare the jobs of institutions exactly. The gemeente is not parliament, and the police are not a judge. If the question says volgens de wet (according to the law), pick the legal rule, not a personal habit.
Tip 2: keep a steady pace
Forty questions in 45 minutes is just over a minute each. Every question stands alone, so one hard question does not affect the next.
Read the question, scan the options, then choose and move on. Long questions with dates or conditions take the most time, so read those slowly once, then decide.
Press the read-aloud button only when one sentence blocks you. The audio repeats the text on the screen and adds nothing new, so it costs time when you already understand the question.
Tip 3: when you do not know the rule
Do not freeze: with three options, you can often remove one wrong answer.
- If the question asks Wie ...? (who), remove the institution with the wrong job.
- If it asks Waar ...? (where), check which place really fits.
- If it asks Mag ...? (may) or Moet ...? (must), compare the strength of the options: always, only in some cases, or never.
Mag een werkgever eisen dat u goed Nederlands kunt schrijven?
May an employer require that you can write Dutch well?
The answers to a question like this often differ in strength: yes always, only if the job needs it, or never. Read each one carefully before you choose.
How the wrong options are built
Wrong options in KNM questions follow a few patterns. Knowing them helps you remove an option fast.
- Wrong institution. The option names a real Dutch body with a different job, such as the gemeente, parliament, a judge or the police.
- Always, only sometimes, or never. On Mag and Moet questions, one option says always, one says only in some cases, and one says never.
- A believable but wrong reason. In a Waarom question, two options sound reasonable, but only one gives the real purpose.
- Swapped direction. Options such as more, exactly or less, or earlier, on the day or later, test whether you know the rule behind the number.
- A neighbouring place or period. A Waar or Wanneer question may offer a nearby province or another war.
Tip 4: never leave a question empty
A blank answer can never score, but a guess has a one-in-three chance. You must answer at least 28 of the 40 questions correctly, so a few doubtful questions are normal. You need points rather than perfection, and every guess is a chance to earn one.
If you can remove one option, guess between the two that are left. If you cannot remove any, still pick one and move on. Answer each question before you leave it, so there is nothing to find again at the end.
Tip 5: use the last five minutes well
Check first that all 40 questions have an answer. Then look again at the questions that turned on one detail, such as a date, a place or a condition.
Do not reopen easy questions out of nerves. Your first answer is often right when you understood the question. Watch for the common slips:
- reading mag (may) as moet (must)
- missing niet (not)
- mixing up meer (more) and minder (less)
- confusing parliament, the police, a judge and the gemeente
Check the option that is selected on the screen, not the one in your head. Then stop: more doubt rarely adds points.
