Luisteren A2: practise for the exam

A2 Luisteren is part of the inburgeringsexamen (civic integration exam). You practise understanding everyday messages about work, school, travel, appointments, shops and public services. In a voicemail about a changed appointment, for example, listen for the new time and what to bring.

A2 listening takes 45 minutes. DUO’s language-exam overview (External site, opens in a new tab) describes the computer format and listening material.

For A2 Luisteren, you need about 18 of 25 questions correct to pass (about 70%). The linked DUO language-exam overview gives the format and duration, but no number of correct answers needed to pass. Your practice score helps you choose what to work on. DUO decides your official exam result.

For a separate 25-question practice round, use the same benchmark: about 18 correct (about 70%) in 45 minutes. If you score 17/25, review every mistake and try another set before booking. The shorter workbook below has 12 questions.

A2 listening costs €50 in 2026. If you have asylum status and integrate under the Wet inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Act 2021), your first two attempts are free. This applies only if you take the exam at the level in your PIP (personal integration and participation plan) or higher. Later attempts cost €50. DUO publishes these rules on its exam-fee page (External site, opens in a new tab). The integration costs guide explains the payment options.

Check Mijn Inburgering for the exam and level you need before you book. DUO says the wait for an exam may be longer than six weeks. Its exam-registration page (External site, opens in a new tab) explains how to choose a date and location.

Log in with DigiD (Dutch digital identity). If you cannot log in, DUO provides a registration form. The A2 exam booking and payment guide covers both routes.

If DUO has approved an adjusted A2 exam for illness or disability, register with the Aanmelding inburgeringsexamen paper form. DUO gives this rule on its adjusted-exam registration page (External site, opens in a new tab). The adjusted exam guide explains how to request an adjustment.

Your invitation gives the exam date, time, place and main rules. Bring valid ID. DUO’s examination rules (External site, opens in a new tab) say that missing or damaged ID prevents you from taking the exam. You must then register again.

Start with DUO’s official A2 listening practice exams (External site, opens in a new tab). The page lists three listening exams. DUO recommends a desktop computer. Use them to get used to the question format and exam software before your appointment.

For extra free practice from Inburgering.org, use the A2 listening strategy summary for signal words and common wrong-answer patterns. The A2 listening practice workbook has 12 original questions, five audio tracks, transcripts and an answer key. You can print the questions and play the audio separately. These are our practice materials.

If you are still deciding which level applies to you, read the Dutch language levels guide.

Listen for the detail the question asks about. A time question, for example, may ask for the final appointment time after the speaker changes it. Practise with different situations rather than memorising one sample exam. These are examples of details to notice:

• Who must call, bring something, help, register, or change an appointment.
• When something happens: today, tomorrow, next week, half past eight, a quarter past nine.
• Where someone must go: the counter, room 2, the station, the workplace, the shop, or the school.
• Why something changes: illness, road works, a full course, a closed building, or a new plan.
• Which item, course, job, transport option, address, or document is correct.
• What the final plan is after a correction.

The A2 listening practice workbook covers these five everyday situations. Its final six questions form a 10-minute timed section. It gives you a shorter practice session than the real exam.

For more variety, practise listening to these example situations too:

• A bakery recruitment video with work times and job roles.
• A traffic report about a car delay, city buses and a train disruption.
• A teacher explaining a museum trip to parents.
• Local news about a closed swimming pool, a replacement location and a moved event.
• A home-care organisation video about an interview invitation and a short course.

Fatima hears this example voicemail from her language school. Read it to practise finding the new day and time:

Goedemiddag Fatima, met Taalhuis Noord. Uw les van morgen om half tien gaat niet door. De docent is ziek. De les is nu vrijdag om kwart over elf in lokaal 4. Neem uw werkboek mee, want we maken oefening 6 en 7. (Good afternoon Fatima, this is Taalhuis Noord. Tomorrow’s lesson at half past nine is cancelled. The teacher is ill. The lesson is now on Friday at a quarter past eleven in room 4. Bring your workbook because we will do exercises 6 and 7.)

In the message, half tien (half past nine) is the cancelled time. The new lesson is vrijdag (Friday) at kwart over elf (a quarter past eleven) in lokaal 4 (room 4). The school also asks Fatima to bring her werkboek (workbook) for oefening 6 en 7 (exercises 6 and 7).

Question: When is the new lesson? The answer is Friday at 11:15. Tomorrow at 09:30 is cancelled. Choose the new day and time, even if you recognised the first time more quickly.

If you miss a word, keep listening for the detail the question asks about. The A2 listening recovery guide: what to do if you miss a word gives a response for an unknown word, a missed detail or a correction. Use it to keep following the audio.

Use this sequence during practice:

1. Read the question before you start the recording.
2. Choose your listening target: the day, time, place, person, reason or instruction in the question.
3. Follow that detail while you listen. For a time question, focus on the time rather than extra details about people, prices or rooms. If the audio mentions several people, keep track of who must do the action.
4. Listen until the speaker finishes the point. Words such as maar (but), helaas (unfortunately), toch (after all or however), dus (so) and in plaats van (instead of) can signal a change.
5. Choose the answer supported by the spoken text. Another option may sound logical but describe a different detail.
6. Find the missed clue in the transcript after the timed round.
7. Replay the part with that clue.

If you keep missing times, people, places or corrections, practise that detail with another recording. For a longer practice session, try one 45-minute round without pausing or replaying. This is a training exercise; follow the instructions on your real exam screen.

After the round, label each mistake: wrong time, wrong person, wrong place, missed correction or early guess. Use the transcript to find the clue, then try another recording.

If you plan to book, check your required level and the available dates in Mijn Inburgering. Allow for a possible wait longer than six weeks. If DUO has approved an adjusted exam, use the paper form. Before exam week, check your valid ID and the date, place and arrival instructions in your invitation.

• A2 exam booking and payment guide.
• Exam-day rules: what to bring and check.
• A2 listening exercises with feedback (course access required).