B1-Route Inburgering (Civic Integration): Official Programma I (B1) Practice

If your personal integration and participation plan (PIP) assigns the B1-route under the Wet inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Act 2021), use this guide to check your Programma I, KNM, MAP and PVT parts and open the official B1 mocks. Your gemeente (municipality) records the route in your PIP. The four B1 language exams are Staatsexamen NT2 (Dutch as a Second Language State Exam) Programma I: reading, listening, writing and speaking. They are the route's B1 language exams, not a separate B1 inburgering exam family. You normally also complete Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNM), the labour-market and participation module (MAP), and the participation statement process (PVT).

• Your PIP is personal. It records your route and exams. Mijn Inburgering shows what you must do.
• The normal language goal is B1. B1 means you can handle many everyday situations more independently than at A2.
• Your four B1 language exams are Staatsexamen NT2 (Dutch state exam) Programma I. They test reading, listening, writing and speaking.
• Official Programma I mocks are available through DUO, the Staatsexamens NT2 practice guidance and the Facet practice portal.
• KNM, MAP and PVT also matter. KNM is an exam about Dutch society. You complete MAP and PVT with the municipality.
• The municipality may record one or more A2 components in your B1-route PIP only after you complete 600 NT2 course hours at a qualifying provider and the evidence shows sufficient effort.

The terms B1 language exams and Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I refer to the same four exams on the B1-route. Start with the official practice material for reading, listening, writing and speaking. It shows what to expect before you add other study material.

Open DUO's official practice page first. DUO directs B1 candidates to the Staatsexamen NT2 practice environment. Then read the Staatsexamens NT2 practice guidance. It tells you to watch the instruction videos and use a computer or laptop. Open the live Facet practice portal and choose Programma I (B1).

• Practise all four Programma I parts: Lezen (reading), Luisteren (listening), Schrijven (writing) and Spreken (speaking).
• Use a computer or laptop. The official guidance says the practice environment does not work well enough on a phone or tablet.
• Watch the instruction video for the part you will practise before you start the mock.
• Use the official mock to learn the task flow. The real exam can also contain other writing and speaking tasks.

The resources below are extra Inburgering.org study material, not official exam questions or copies of the Facet mocks. Start at the free exam practice hub, or choose the exam part you need.

For KNM, use the free knowledge-of-Dutch-society summary.

For structured study, use the B1-route preparation page when your PIP includes the civic-integration parts. Use the Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I page for the four language exams. You can also browse all courses.

The B1-route is for people under Wet inburgering 2021 who can reasonably work toward independent Dutch. First the Education Executive Agency (DUO) sends a letter saying you must integrate. Then the municipality invites you for the brede intake (broad intake). This includes a conversation and the Leerbaarheidstoets (LBT, learnability test). After that, the municipality sets your PIP.

The PIP should show your route, language level, exams and municipal support. It should also record practical agreements about school, participation and progress talks. If the PIP says B1-route, use it as your checklist. If something is unclear, ask the municipality to explain it in writing.

Your B1-route usually includes four language exams, KNM, MAP and PVT. The table separates the exams from the parts arranged through the municipality. Your personal PIP can still be different, so check it before booking an exam.

A2 downscaling applies only within the B1-route. You must first follow 600 course hours of Nederlands als tweede taal (NT2, Dutch as a second language) at a qualifying provider. Six hundred course hours alone do not give you the right to downscale. The evidence must also show sufficient effort during those lessons. The municipality may then record one or more A2 language components in your PIP.

As of August 2026, DUO lists each Wet inburgering 2021 language exam and KNM at €50. MAP is free through the municipality. PVT is also free under Wet inburgering 2021. Payment rules depend on your residence status.

• Asylum-status holders: the municipality pays the course. The first two attempts per exam are free when the exam level is the PIP level or higher.
• Asylum-status holders pay for each attempt after the first two and cannot borrow from DUO for those extra attempts.
• People without asylum status, including family migrants, can pay for their course and exams or borrow from DUO. A DUO loan can cover only an approved school.
• Before booking: check the PIP level, attempts already used and the payment screen. Do not assume a lower-level exam is free.

1. Log in to Mijn Inburgering and compare the exam overview with your PIP.
2. Open the official Facet portal on a computer or laptop. Choose Programma I and complete one mock for each language skill.
3. Record which task types, language points and time limits caused problems. Use the extra B1 summaries and practice for those points.
4. Ask the municipality which school, participation activities, MAP steps and PVT steps are expected from you.
5. Work, childcare, illness or school problems can slow your progress. Tell the municipality early if they affect your PIP. Check DUO's conditions separately if you need extra time for your integration deadline.
6. If B1 is not realistic, ask the municipality what evidence it needs before it considers A2 downscaling.

Useful next reads: the full Programma I practice guide, the PIP guide, costs and loans, the three-year clock and extra time, and the Z-route guide if the municipality says another route may fit better.