Read the question before the text
Start every text this way. On screen, the Dutch text is on the left and the question with its answer options is on the right. The question starts with a short line about a person and a situation, such as Sabrina krijgt een brief van haar werk. Read that line, then the question, then the options, and only then read the text.
Now you know what to look for: if the question asks Hoe laat ...? or Op welke dag ...?, scan the text for a time or a day. If it asks Waarom schrijft ... deze brief?, you need the main reason for the text, not one small detail.
Most texts have 2 to 4 questions, so answer them one by one while the text is still fresh, before you go on to the next text.
Pacing: 25 questions in 65 minutes
The reading exam has 25 multiple-choice questions and lasts 65 minutes, which is a little over two and a half minutes per question on average. There is no time limit per text, so you set your own pace.
Not every question needs the same time. Opening hours, short notices and adverts are often quick: find the fact and click. Use the time you save for longer letters and for questions about why someone wrote the text.
Check the clock now and then, because halfway through the time you should be about halfway through the questions. If you are behind, stop reading every word and scan for names, numbers, days and times that match the question.
You may not use a dictionary in the A2 exam. If you do not know one word, read the rest of the sentence, because it often tells you enough.
When two answers both look right
Many points are lost here because the wrong answers are often real details from the same text. They are true but answer a different question, so you may see the right day with the wrong activity, or the right person with the wrong action.
So compare each option with the exact question:
- Does it name the right person?
- Does it give the right time or place?
- Does it answer the question word: wat, waarom, wanneer or wie?
- Is it the main point, or only a side detail?
Cross out the options that fail one of these checks, and choose from what is left. Each question has 3 or 4 options, so ruling out one or two often leaves a clear answer.
If the question asks Wat moet hij doen?, drop the options that only say what happened or why the text was sent. If it asks for the reason for a letter, drop the options with a true detail that is not the reason.
Never leave a question blank
A wrong answer costs you nothing and an empty answer can never score, so always choose an answer even when you are not sure.
When you get stuck, do three things: read the question again, look in the text for the line that matches it and remove the options that answer a different question. If you still cannot decide, pick the best option that is left and move on. One hard question should not take the time you need for three easier ones.
You pass the A2 reading exam with 19 of the 25 questions correct. You do not need every question right, so keep moving.
The last minutes of the reading exam
Before you finish, check that all 25 questions have an answer and, if you have time left, go back to the questions where you were choosing between two options. Those are the best place to win a point.
Do not reread a whole text but go straight to the line with the time, the date, the person or the action. For a question about the reason for a text, read the first and the last lines again.
Only change an answer when you find a clear mistake. Examples are the wrong person, the wrong time, or a side detail instead of the main point. If your first answer still fits the question, keep it.
Practise these reading tips before the exam
These tips work best when you have used them before exam day, and DUO has four free A2 reading practice exams on its practice page. Our A2 reading practice uses the same kinds of texts and questions. To learn how the exam is built, read how the reading exam works.