Luisteren A2 in short
Luisteren is the A2 listening exam of the inburgering. You do it on a computer with headphones. It has 25 multiple-choice questions about short fragments of everyday Dutch, and it takes 45 minutes. You can replay a fragment, but the clock keeps running.
You pass with 19 of the 25 questions correct. DUO states that mark on your result letter and in Mijn Inburgering. Read how the inburgering listening exam works for the full format.
Step 1: measure where you stand
Start with one full practice exam in one sitting. DUO has three free A2 Luisteren practice exams on inburgeren.nl. Use headphones and a 45-minute timer, and do not look up words or pause.
Treat it like the real exam: read the question and options, listen, answer and move on. If you replay every fragment three times, you hide the problem you need to fix.
DUO's practice exam shows your chance of passing as a band:
| Score | DUO's band | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 15 | geen kans (no chance) | Build basic listening first |
| 16 to 18 | weinig kans (little chance) | Close, but below the pass mark |
| 19 to 21 | kans (a chance) | A pass, but with little buffer |
| 22 to 25 | veel kans (a good chance) | Keep your level steady |
Step 2: review every mistake by type
Do not write "I did not understand the audio". Name the exact miss instead, such as a wrong time or number, a wrong person, the first detail instead of the final one, a missed maar or helaas, or an option picked because one word sounded familiar.
This list becomes your training plan. Patterned mistakes are good news, because you can fix them fast.
Why 18 is not enough
Eighteen correct answers can feel close, but it is one mark below the pass mark, and DUO's own practice band calls it weinig kans. So aim for 21 in practice, which gives you room for one bad fragment on exam day.
Step 3: practise the skills that win marks
Train these three skills in this order.
1. Plan changes. Speakers often say one thing and then correct it. Words like maar, toch, helaas and eigenlijk mark that moment. For example: Ik kom om zes uur. Nee, eigenlijk om half zeven. (I'm coming at six. No, actually at half past six.) The answer is half past six. When you hear a change word, expect a new answer.
2. Order of steps. Instructions often ask what someone does first or last. Listen for eerst, dan, daarna, vervolgens and ten slotte. A wrong option is often the first step, when the question asks for the last one.
3. Facts: time, place, number and person. Announcements and voicemails often turn on one changed number or one place.
You do not need advanced Dutch for this exam. You need control over short, practical fragments: the huisarts (GP), public transport, school, work, shopping, housing and the gemeente (municipality).
Luisteren oefenen: a six-week plan
This plan suits a learner who works and has a few evenings a week. Use DUO's three practice exams as checkpoints: week 1, week 4 and the last week. In between, use other timed 25-question sets. A practice exam you have done before measures your memory, not your listening.
Weeks 1 and 2: find and repair. Do one or two full timed practice exams a week, not on back-to-back days. On two other evenings, spend 20 to 30 minutes on one weakness only. At the weekend, replay the fragments you got wrong.
Weeks 3 and 4: work against the clock. Do one full timed exam a week. Add three short drills: one on dialogues and voicemails, one on announcements and one on instructions. Now cut down on replays. Listen once, choose, and replay only when you know which detail you missed.
Weeks 5 and 6: make your score stable. You want practice scores of 19 or more, and better still 21 or more. Copy the exam rhythm: read, listen once, choose, move on. Review only the mistakes that repeat.
For more questions in the exam style, try our Luisteren example questions and our A2 listening practice.
The last week before the exam
Do one or two final timed exams, then stop chasing big gains. Go through your own mistake list one more time: change words, final actions, time and number swaps, and person swaps. Keep DUO's third practice exam for this week, so your last score is a fresh one.
Bring a valid ID, such as a passport or a residence permit. Without one, you cannot take the exam.
