The pass mark for each part
You pass each part of Staatsexamen NT2 (Nederlands als tweede taal) Programma I with a scaled score of 500 or higher. The official rule is short: "U slaagt als u een score heeft van 500 of hoger." The cesuur is the lowest raw score that reaches 500, and it is different for each part.
On the published 2025 exams, the cesuur was:
- Lezen: 24 of 35 points (68.6%)
- Luisteren: 26 of 39 points (66.7%)
- Schrijven: 25 of 47 points (53.2%)
- Spreken: 75 of 128 points (58.6%)
These figures show how close you are, but they are not a fixed rule. CvTE converts raw points with a score table for each exam, so the raw cesuur can move. Lezen needed 24 of 35 in both 2024 and 2025, while Spreken needed 73 of 128 in 2024 and 75 in 2025. Programma II, the B2 exam, has its own cut-offs: in 2025, Lezen II needed 25 of 36 points. How the exam is assessed is explained on the official Staatsexamens NT2 assessment page.
Why the four parts have different cut-offs
The exam has no single cesuur and no universal percentage. CvTE gives the reason itself: the exams are not all the same length, so the maximum score differs, and the tasks are not all equally difficult. A different number of points can therefore be needed to pass.
The way each part is scored adds to that. Lezen and Luisteren are multiple choice, scored by computer with one point per correct answer, while Schrijven and Spreken are scored against assessment criteria.
Across the published exams from 2023 to 2025, Lezen always had the highest cut-off as a share of the points, while Schrijven had the lowest in 2024 and 2025.
How Schrijven and Spreken are scored by assessors
In these two parts, two trained assessors each score your work on their own, using the official criteria. If their totals differ by three points or more, a third assessor is brought in.
- Schrijven:
adequaatheid/begrijpelijkheid,grammaticale correctheid,spelling,woordgebruikandsamenhang. A task that scores 0 on adequaatheid is not assessed further. - Spreken:
inhoud,woord- en zinsvorming,woordkeus,woordenschat,uitspraakandtempo. Apreconditiecomes first, and if your answer fails it, the other aspects are not scored.
Not every criterion applies to every task. The short speaking tasks, for example, are scored only on inhoud, woord- en zinsvorming and woordkeus.
So you can lose points in different ways: you might answer the task but miss a content point, or get your message across while grammar or tempo costs you points. Practise the real task types in the official Facet practice environment, and spend your study time on the criteria where you lose points.
What a near-miss score means for your resit
A near-miss is still a fail, but only for that part. Each part is passed and retaken separately, so you keep the parts you already passed. You register again through DUO's Staatsexamen NT2 pages, and your Staatsexamen NT2 score appears in Mijn DUO about five weeks after the exam. It also arrives by e-mail and by post.
Plan around that wait, because you cannot register for a part you are already enrolled in or still waiting for a result on.
- Missed Lezen or Luisteren? Train exam technique as well as language level.
- Missed Schrijven or Spreken? Look for the criteria where you keep losing points.
Missing by a few raw points is often a small gap: a more complete writing task or cleaner spoken sentences can be enough to reach 500 at the next sitting.