Guides
Six short answers to the things candidates get wrong.
Every claim
Sourced every answer below links to the official page that states it, so you never have to take our word for anything. We describe the process; we never reproduce examination material.Programma I is set at CEFR B1 and aims at work or vocational training at mbo-3 / mbo-4 level. Programma II is set at B2 and aims at hbo or university study. You do not have to pass I before sitting II: you register for the one you are ready for. There is no state examination at C1.
CvTE: the two programmes (opens the official site in a new tab)Schrijven, Spreken, Lezen and Luisteren are four separate examinations, each with its own appointment and its own clock: Lezen 110 minutes for Programma I and 100 minutes for Programma II, Luisteren 90 minutes, Schrijven 100 minutes, Spreken about 25 minutes. You register for each one on its own and every part is taken on a computer, so you sit them on different days and can retake one without retaking the others. Nobody sits all four in one go.
DUO: how the examination works (opens the official site in a new tab)You need at least 500 on a part to pass it. Raw points are converted to a scaled score, and the conversion is not the same for every part or every examination day. Published indicative ranges: Lezen 200 to 700, Luisteren 100 to 800, Spreken 100 to 800, Schrijven 250 to 750. How raw points map to 500 on a given day is not published, which is why the readiness score on this site is on our own 0 to 100 scale and never pretends to predict an official number.
Beoordeling: the pass mark (opens the official site in a new tab)This is the single thing candidates most often get wrong. In Luisteren the fragment starts by itself and is played once: there is no replay button, no pause and no going back. Our mock sitting behaves the same way on purpose.
What the examination looks like (opens the official site in a new tab)Reading and listening are one point per correct answer, marked automatically. Writing and speaking are marked by two trained assessors against a published assessment prescription, with one or more points per task. That is why this service marks your writing and speaking against those published criteria band by band, rather than giving you a checklist to tick yourself.
Beoordeling: how each part is marked (opens the official site in a new tab)The appointment letter arrives about twelve days before. Bring it and valid identification, and arrive thirty minutes early. A pen and scrap paper are supplied and you may not bring your own. Phones, watches and electronics go in a locker, and the invigilator will ask to see your ears to check you are not wearing earbuds. You cannot see your own questions or answers afterwards, and the examination cannot be taken abroad or online.
How the examination day runs (opens the official site in a new tab)The examining body runs its own practice environment at oefenexamensnt2.nl, carrying individual Spreken and Schrijven tasks of the kind that can appear in the real examinations. Use it. It is not a course, and it does not mark your writing or speaking against the criteria, which is the gap this service exists to fill.
The published expectation is roughly 4,000-5,000 words of receptive vocabulary for Programma I and 11,000-12,000 for Programma II. The dictionary you are permitted to bring has about 15,000 entries, so it is a safety net for the word you have forgotten, not a way to read a text you do not have the vocabulary for.
Yes. It is explicitly not required. Take the free level test on this site if you are not sure which one your Dutch is currently at. It will say "not yet" when that is the honest answer rather than flattering you into booking the wrong paper.
No. It is an independent practice service, not run by or endorsed by any examining body. It awards nothing, it cannot register you for anything, and every task and text on this site was written for this service.