Step 1: take one full paper as a baseline
Good NT2 exam preparation starts with a measurement, not with word lists. Take one published past exam from the official Facet practice environment in a single 110-minute block. Print the text booklet first, because in the real exam the texts are on paper and the questions are on screen.
Answer every question and mark the ones you guessed. Afterwards, write down three things:
- your raw score out of 35
- how many correct answers were guesses
- which texts cost you the most points
Then sort your mistakes. Did you miss details, or did you miss the writer's opinion and purpose? Those are different problems with different drills.
Your score tells you where to start:
- 24 or more: you are near the pass line. Protect points: timing, less rereading and the purpose question at the end of each text.
- In the middle: you probably read every paragraph with the same effort. Texts 1 to 5 need full reading, but text 6 is a search task.
- Well below: do not start with more full papers. Build control on one text, then two texts, then half a paper.
Step 2: understand the NT2 Lezen B1 pass mark
Each correct answer is one raw point, and your raw score is converted to a scaled score. You pass with 500 or more. In 2024 and 2025, the lowest pass was 24 of 35 points. The raw cut can move between papers, so treat 24 as a guide, not a rule.
Near that line, one extra correct answer adds about 4 to 5 scaled points. There is no safe margin, so think in single questions rather than percentages, and remember that an option that is true in the text but does not answer the question still scores zero. The cesuur guide shows how the conversion works.
Keep a simple log: date, paper, raw score and your main error type. You want to see progress such as 19, then 22, then 24, because you fixed one repeated mistake.
Step 3: drill the skills B1 reading rewards
B1 texts are long, have bold subheadings and argue a point. The questions test structure, relations and the writer's intention more than single words. Start with three drills:
- Map the paragraphs. After each section, note its job in two or three words: example, opinion, condition, result or explanation.
- Read the connectors. Words such as hoewel, terwijl, echter, bovendien, daarentegen, mits and tenzij often decide the answer.
- Answer purpose questions. The last question about a text is often Wat is het doel van deze tekst? The right option describes what the writer does: explain, persuade, weigh or instruct.
Drop the habits that worked at A2, because these texts are not short notices and general knowledge does not help: a sensible statement is still wrong if the text does not say it. Many wrong options reuse a word from the text but reverse the relation, narrow the scope or turn vaak into altijd.
Step 4: a six-week plan for working adults
Weeks 1 and 2. Take the baseline paper, then do three short sessions a week, each on one text: first explain what each paragraph does, next answer the questions and write why each wrong option is wrong, and finally redo the text faster. Add one session of text 6 search questions.
Weeks 3 and 4. Move to blocks of two texts under time pressure, and include text 6 in one of them. Sort every error into one of four groups: missed detail, reversed relation, missed purpose, or a true but irrelevant option. More groups waste time.
Weeks 5 and 6. Do one full paper a week and one repair session on your weakest group. If timing is the problem, stop once you have the evidence for one option.
Short on time? Drop broad vocabulary revision first. Keep past papers, text 6 search practice and error review. Our B1 reading practice gives you extra texts in the same question types.
Where B1 readers lose marks
- True but irrelevant. The sentence is in the text, but the question asks something else, such as what the writer wants to show with an example.
- Wrong scope. The option fits one section, but the question is about the whole text.
- Reversed relation. Hoewel is not omdat, and mits is not tenzij.
- Only one of two causes. When a text gives two causes, an option with only one of them is often wrong.
- Wrong method for text 6. Reading the whole scan text before the question costs time you need for the other questions.
The NT2 Lezen tips go deeper into each trap.
The final week before your exam
Use the last week for steadiness, not new methods. Do one last timed paper early, so you can review it calmly. After that, keep sessions short: one full text, one text 6 drill and a review of connectors.
The only dictionary allowed is the Van Dale Pocketwoordenboek NT2, so practise with that one if you plan to use it. On the day, you may underline and make notes in the booklet. Read texts 1 to 5 for the writer's line, and for text 6 read the question first and search. If two options both seem possible, choose the one that answers the question exactly. For dates and registration, see DUO's Staatsexamen NT2 pages.