Official practice for your B1 language exams
Your PIP (personal integration and participation plan) records which exams you must complete. If it requires B1, open the official Staatsexamen NT2 (Dutch as a second language state exam) practice material (External site, opens in a new tab) and choose Programma I. Practise reading, listening, writing and speaking. Your normal integration deadline is three years.
Your B1-route plan and deadline
Your gemeente (municipality) records your route and exams in your PIP. The B1-route is one route under the Wet inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Act 2021). DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, the Dutch education service) (External site, opens in a new tab) explains how the plan is made:
- DUO sends you a letter saying you must integrate.
- The municipality invites you for the brede intake (broad intake). You have a conversation and take the Leerbaarheidstoets (LBT, learning ability test).
- The municipality makes your PIP together with you.
- DUO sends another letter with the date your integration period starts.
Check your PIP for your language level, support from the municipality and the number of progress talks. Check your agreements about school and participation too. If something is unclear, ask the municipality to explain it in writing.
You normally have three years to complete your integration. Mijn Inburgering (My Integration portal) (External site, opens in a new tab) shows your start date and what you must do. Log in and compare its exam overview with your PIP.
Work, childcare, illness or school problems can slow your progress. Tell the municipality early if they affect your PIP. If you need more time, check DUO’s extra-time conditions (External site, opens in a new tab) separately. The integration deadline and extra-time guide explains the normal three-year period and possible extensions.
If you move during the route, use the guide to moving house during inburgering (civic integration) for your plan, lessons and exams.
B1 Dutch in daily life
B1 is the normal language goal for this route. At B1, you can handle many everyday situations more independently than at A2. For example, you can explain an opinion or a plan in simple Dutch. The Dutch language levels guide explains the differences.
The B1-route prepares you for paid work or volunteering in the Netherlands. Programma I tests Dutch for work, study and daily life.
Your exams and municipal programmes
The B1-route normally includes all four parts below. Your PIP and Mijn Inburgering show which parts apply to you. Check them before booking an exam.
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| Part | What you complete | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch language | Lezen (reading), Luisteren (listening), Schrijven (writing) and Spreken (speaking), normally at B1. | PIP, Mijn Inburgering and Staatsexamen NT2 information. |
| Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij (KNM, knowledge of Dutch society) | An exam about Dutch society. | Mijn Inburgering and DUO exam pages. |
| Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie (MAP, labour market and participation module) | Activities about work, job searches and taking part in society. | Municipality and PIP. |
| Participatieverklaringstraject (PVT, participation declaration process) | Learn core Dutch values and sign the declaration. | Municipality. |
You complete the MAP and PVT parts in your PIP through the municipality. Ask your contact person which school, participation activities and steps apply to you before your integration deadline.
A2 exams within the B1-route
The municipality may lower one or more language exams to A2 if you cannot reach B1 within your integration period despite sufficient effort. You stay in the B1-route. You must first complete at least 600 NT2 course hours at a qualifying provider. The municipality must also check that you made sufficient effort during those lessons.
The Besluit inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Decree 2021) (External site, opens in a new tab) sets these conditions. Ask the municipality what evidence it needs. It must record the lower exam level in your PIP before you book the A2 exams. If the municipality suggests another route, read the Z-route (self-reliance route) guide.
Exam costs and free attempts
In October 2026, DUO lists each Wet inburgering 2021 language exam and KNM at €50. MAP and PVT are free through the municipality under Wet inburgering 2021. The official payment rules (External site, opens in a new tab) depend on your residence status:
- If you hold an asylum residence permit, the municipality pays for your course. Your first two attempts at each exam are free when the exam level is the PIP level or higher.
- If you hold an asylum residence permit, you pay for attempts after the first two. You cannot borrow from DUO for these extra attempts.
- If you do not hold an asylum residence permit, including if you are a family migrant, you pay for your course and exams. If you are eligible, you can borrow from DUO for exams and a course at an approved school.
For B1 language exams, Mijn DUO (My DUO portal) shows whether you can take a free exam or pay with a loan. DUO’s B1 payment guidance (External site, opens in a new tab) explains these options. Before booking, check your PIP level, attempts already used and the payment screen. An exam below your current PIP level falls outside the free-attempt rule.
The integration costs and loans guide explains payment options. Check DUO loan eligibility (External site, opens in a new tab) before borrowing.
Official B1 exam practice
The B1 language exams are the four Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I exams. Start with the official practice material for reading, listening, writing and speaking. It shows the exam tasks and how the computer works.
- Open DUO’s official practice page (External site, opens in a new tab). It directs B1 candidates to the state-exam practice environment.
- Read the Staatsexamens NT2 practice guidance (External site, opens in a new tab) and watch the instruction videos for the four parts.
- Open the Facet (official exam software) practice portal (External site, opens in a new tab) on a computer or laptop. Choose Programma I.
- Complete one practice exam for each language skill.
The official practice environment works properly on a computer or laptop. Use one rather than a phone or tablet.
The real writing and speaking exams also contain tasks beyond the separate practice assignments.
Record which task types, language points and time limits caused problems. Use the extra B1 summaries and practice below for those points. The official Staatsexamen NT2 practice guide explains the practice options.
Extra free B1 practice
These resources are extra Inburgering.org study material. Use them after the official practice exams. Start at the free mock exam selector, or choose a language skill below.
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| Skill | Study summary | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | B1 reading summary | B1 reading practice |
| Listening | B1 listening summary | B1 listening practice |
| Writing | B1 writing summary | B1 writing practice |
| Speaking | B1 speaking summary | B1 speaking practice |
For KNM, use the free knowledge of Dutch society summary as extra study material.
Your plan before you book an exam
If your PIP requires B1, practise with Programma I and arrange MAP and PVT with the municipality. If you cannot reach B1, ask the municipality about A2 before booking a lower-level exam. Check the payment screen before confirming a booking.
Your normal deadline is three years. If work, childcare, illness or school problems delay your progress, tell the municipality early. Check whether DUO’s extra-time conditions apply to you.
For structured study, choose the page that fits your plan:
- B1-route preparation for the language exams and civic integration parts in your PIP.
- Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I preparation for the four language exams.
- All courses to compare the available study options.
Official Sources
- Inburgeren.nl (DUO's civic integration website): U gaat inburgeren (External site, opens in a new tab) - DUO's overview of the three-year term, DUO letters, brede intake, PIP and the B1-route.
- Inburgeren.nl: Welke examens (External site, opens in a new tab) - DUO's explanation that your PIP and Mijn Inburgering show which exams you must complete.
- Inburgeren.nl: Taalexamens (External site, opens in a new tab) - DUO's overview of A2, B1 and B2 (the language level above B1) exams, including the link between B1 and B2 exams and Staatsexamen NT2.
- Inburgeren.nl: Oefenen (External site, opens in a new tab) - DUO's official practice page, which directs B1 and B2 candidates to the Staatsexamen NT2 practice environment.
- Staatsexamens NT2: Examens oefenen (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official guidance for using the NT2 practice environment and its instruction videos on a computer or laptop.
- Facet: official Staatsexamen NT2 practice environment (External site, opens in a new tab) - The live official portal for Programma I and Programma II (B2 language exam programme) practice exams and assignments.
- Inburgeren.nl: Kennisexamens (External site, opens in a new tab) - DUO's explanation of KNM, MAP, Oriëntatie op de Nederlandse Arbeidsmarkt (ONA, orientation on the Dutch labour market) and PVT, including the municipality's role in MAP and PVT.
- Inburgeren.nl: Hoeveel kost inburgeren? (External site, opens in a new tab) - DUO's current fee, free-attempt and loan guidance for Wet inburgering 2021 candidates.
- Inburgeren.nl: Extra tijd (External site, opens in a new tab) - DUO's overview of situations where a candidate may get extra time.
- Besluit inburgering 2021 (External site, opens in a new tab) - Legal rules for the PIP, route changes, B1-to-A2 downscaling and extension details.
- Staatsexamens NT2: Wat is het staatsexamen Nt2? (External site, opens in a new tab) - Programma I is B1 and tests four language skills in work, study and daily-life situations.
- Council of Europe: common reference levels (External site, opens in a new tab) - B1 and A2 descriptions, including simple explanations of opinions and plans at B1.
- DUO: Staatsexamen NT2 examengeld (External site, opens in a new tab) - €50 per B1 language exam part and how Mijn DUO shows free-exam or loan options.
- Inburgeren.nl: Lenen bij DUO (External site, opens in a new tab) - DUO loan eligibility and approved-school conditions for courses paid with a loan.
- Staatsblad (official law bulletin): Besluit inburgering 2021 publication (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official publication of the decree, including PIP progress talks and the cumulative conditions for lowering language exams to A2.
- Inburgeren.nl: Inloggen op Mijn Inburgering (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official access page for Mijn Inburgering, including the exam overview and DUO letters.