Two different exams
People search for "NT2 inburgering" or "inburgeringsexamen NT2", but there is no single exam with that name. The A2 inburgeringsexamen and the Staatsexamen NT2 (Nederlands als tweede taal) are separate exams. They differ in level, organisation and format.
| A2 inburgeringsexamen | Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | A2 | B1 (Programma II is B2) |
| Run by | DUO | CvTE makes it; DUO handles registration and results |
| Language parts | Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken | Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken |
| Time per part | 35 to 65 minutes | about 30 to 110 minutes |
| Schrijven | 4 tasks, pen and paper | 12 tasks, typed on a computer |
| Cost | €50 per part | €50 per part |
| Result | By letter within 8 weeks | In Mijn DUO after about 5 weeks |
One exam is the same on both levels: KNM (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij, knowledge of Dutch society). It is one shared exam, so you never take a separate B1 version. See our guide to KNM for Staatsexamen NT2 candidates.
Because the formats differ, A2 practice does not prepare you for NT2. Lezen B1, for example, has 35 questions in 110 minutes. Lezen A2 has 25 questions in 65 minutes.
Which exam you sit for your inburgering
Most people do not choose. The law that applies to you, and for the new law your leerroute, decide which exam you take.
Wet inburgering 2021 (your duty started on or after 1 January 2022). After the brede intake, your gemeente records your route in your PIP (Persoonlijk plan Inburgering en Participatie):
- B1-route: you take the language exams at B1. inburgeren.nl says: "Dit noemen we ook wel het staatsexamen Nederlands als 2e taal (Nt2)." So on the B1-route, your inburgering staatsexamen is Programma I. You also do KNM, the participatieverklaringstraject (PVT) and the MAP.
- Onderwijsroute: you take NT2 at B1 or B2, plus KNM and the PVT.
- Z-route: you learn Dutch at A1. You may take A2 language exams, but you do not have to.
Wet inburgering 2013 (your duty started before 2022). You need the language exams at A2 or higher. An NT2 diploma counts instead of the A2 language exams.
Check Mijn Inburgering or your PIP to see exactly which exams you must do.
When the B1-route becomes A2
Inside the B1-route, your gemeente can lower one or more language parts to A2. Dutch calls this afschaling.
The condition is at least 600 hours of NT2 lessons at a school with the Blik op Werk quality mark, plus real effort. The gemeente decides and writes it in your PIP.
It is rare: 3 to 5% of B1-route starters by the end of 2024.
After afschaling, you take the A2 inburgeringsexamen for those parts only. Read more in our guide to afschaling from B1 to A2.
Why some people choose NT2 anyway
Under the 2013 law you can choose NT2 even when A2 would be enough. Voluntary candidates, who have no inburgering duty, take it too.
The reason is the NT2 diploma. DUO describes Programma I as the level for an mbo course or for work at mbo-3 or mbo-4 level. Programma II (B2) is for study or work at hbo or university level.
Anyone aged 17 or older can sit the exam, whatever country they come from. The diploma does not expire.
Choose NT2 if you need a Dutch diploma for work or study, and only if your Dutch is close to B1. If you mainly need to meet your inburgering duty under the 2013 law, A2 is the faster route. Our page inburgering A2 or B1 explains the levels.
What passing NT2 means for your inburgering
On the B1-route, the four NT2 parts are your language exams. You do not also take the A2 language parts. You still need KNM, the PVT and the MAP to complete your inburgering.
You pass and retake each NT2 part separately. You pass a part with a scaled score of 500. When you pass all four parts, DUO sends the diploma by registered post within four weeks.
Prepare for the exam you will actually sit. If your PIP says B1, practise with B1 material and the official Facet practice exams.