Staatsexamen NT2 Lezen at a glance
| Item | Programma I Lezen (B1) |
|---|---|
| Texts | 6, in a separate booklet on paper |
| Questions | 35, multiple choice, 5 to 7 per text |
| Answer options | Mostly 3, a few 4 |
| Time | 110 minutes |
| Dictionary | Van Dale Pocketwoordenboek NT2 only |
| Pass mark | Scaled score 500 (24 of 35 in 2025) |
Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I, often called the Staatsexamen B1, is made by CvTE. DUO handles registration and results. The exam runs on the Facet exam platform, the same player you can try in the official practice environment.
What the B1 reading texts are like
Lezen B1 uses adult texts from real life. Most are about werk (work) and educatie (education), and one or two are about overig (other topics). Each paper mixes four official text types: descriptief (describing), beschouwend (reflective), persuasief (persuasive) and instructief (instructional).
The texts are long. Texts 1 to 5 often run to several hundred words, with bold subheadings, and Text 6 is the longest. Every text opens with a line saying where it comes from, such as Deze tekst komt van een website over gezondheid.
At B1 you follow the writer's line of thought, not only single facts. Watch reference words such as dit and daarmee, and connectors such as hoewel, echter, bovendien, mits and tenzij. They show reasons, conditions and exceptions across paragraphs.
The question types in the b1 lezen examen
The questions ask about meaning, purpose, opinion, structure and specific details. A common last question for a text is:
Wat is het doel van deze tekst? (What is the purpose of this text?)
Other questions ask why a writer uses an example, for instance:
Wat wil Ruud duidelijk maken met het voorbeeld van zijn collega van 35 jaar? (What does Ruud want to make clear with the example of his 35-year-old colleague?)
Wrong options are built to catch fast readers. One may be true somewhere in the text but not answer the question. Another may turn vaak (often) or kan (can) into a fixed rule.
Text 6 works differently. The official instructions say you must read Texts 1 to 5 in full. For the last text, you read each question first and then search for the answer. Text 6 is usually a regulation, terms or an information page, and its questions start with a person:
Lara volgt een opleiding secretaresse bij Rosarius Opleidingen. Ze wil het examen maken. Wanneer kan dat? (Lara is training as a secretary at Rosarius Opleidingen. She wants to take the exam. When can she do that?)
What you see on screen
The screen shows the question, not the text. The header has the exam name, Vraag N van 35 (question N of 35), zoom buttons, a flag to mark a question and help. Each question starts with a pointer line in italics:
Deze vraag hoort bij de tekst 'Ruud wordt rij-instructeur'. Beantwoord de vraag. (This question belongs to the text 'Ruud wordt rij-instructeur'. Answer the question.)
You move with VORIGE (previous) and VOLGENDE (next). OVERZICHT (overview) shows all 35 numbers as Onbeantwoord, Beantwoord or Gemarkeerd (not answered, answered, flagged), with INLEVEREN (submit). In the exam room you get a pen and scrap paper from the exam leader.
Scoring and the pass mark
Each question is worth 1 point, so your raw score runs from 0 to 35. CvTE then converts it to a scaled score with a table for that exam. You pass with 500 or more.
In 2025, 24 of 35 gave exactly 500, the laagste voldoende (lowest pass). Other 2025 points on the scale:
- 0 points: 295
- 12 points: 447
- 18 points: 473
- 24 points: 500
- 30 points: 537
- 35 points: 649
Near the pass line, one extra correct answer adds about 4 to 5 scaled points. The raw cut-off can move between exams; see Staatsexamen NT2 cesuur and scores.
How it differs from the A2 inburgeringsexamen
Programma I is a different exam, not a harder version of A2. Passing it covers the language part of your inburgering duty.
| A2 Lezen | B1 Lezen | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 25 | 35 |
| Time | 65 minutes | 110 minutes |
| Texts | About 9 to 10 short texts on screen | 6 long texts in a paper booklet |
| Dictionary | Not allowed | Van Dale NT2 allowed |
For the A2 version, read how the inburgering reading exam works.
Where to practise
Try the official Facet practice environment, which uses the same player as the real exam. Its practice version makes you download the text booklet first, so print it and read from paper, as you will on exam day. Published past exams are on Staatsexamens NT2.
For timed practice with B1 texts, use our B1 reading practice. Exam-day tactics are in Staatsexamen NT2 Lezen tips.