Free KNS Exam Summary

KNS (Kennis van de Nederlandse Samenleving — Knowledge of Dutch Society) is the photo-based knowledge component of the basisexamen inburgering. You take it abroad at a Dutch embassy or consulate before applying for an MVV residence permit. Together with the reading and speaking parts, KNS proves you understand the basic facts and customs of life in the Netherlands.

KNS focuses on recognising normal Dutch behaviour, public services, and common situations — not on Dutch language. The questions are in your chosen exam language, but the photos and the situations come from Dutch everyday life. Themes you should know:

Work and income — finding a job, employment contracts, paying taxes.

Education — primary and secondary school, when school starts, what peuterspeelzaal and bso mean.

Health care — visiting a huisarts, hospitals, insurance, what to do in an emergency.

Customs and habits — birthdays, condolences, queueing, what people do on Sundays.

History — short overview of Dutch history, the monarchy, the Tweede Wereldoorlog.

Politics and government — what the gemeente does, voting, the role of the prime minister.

Geography — provinces, the role of water management, where the major cities are.

Housing — how renting works, social housing, huurtoeslag.

Public services — banks, the post, the police, the gemeente counter.

• 30 minutes for the KNS section.
• About 30 photo-based questions. Each question shows a photo and asks you to pick the best answer from a short list.
• The exam runs in your chosen language (e.g. English, Arabic, Turkish) inside the embassy computer system.
• You see the result immediately after finishing.
• If you fail one part of the basisexamen, you can usually retake just that part — but check the current DUO rules.

• Work through the official Naar Nederland preparation pack. It has the photos used to build the actual exam library.
• Group photos by theme and quiz yourself: "what is happening here?", "what should you do here?", "who is this person?".
• Learn the short Dutch terms that show up in many questions: huisarts, gemeente, belasting, huurtoeslag, vakantie, vrijwilligerswerk, uitkering, toeslag.
• Read the basisexamen guide (linked above) so you know which photos belong to which exam part.

• Choosing the answer that matches your home country's habits rather than the Dutch norm shown in the photo.
• Overthinking the question — the answers describe ordinary, expected behaviour, not unusual situations.
• Skipping the Naar Nederland audio: photos are paired with short Dutch descriptions that help you tell two similar pictures apart.

• I have worked through every theme in the Naar Nederland pack at least once.
• I can name the main public services and what they do.
• I can describe a doctor's visit, school day, and visit to the gemeente in simple terms.
• I have practised picking the most ordinary, polite, Dutch-style answer.
• I have checked the current exam format with my embassy or the DUO basisexamen page.