The inburgering listening exam (A2 and B1): what to expect and how to train

You hear each recording once, with 25 seconds to read the question first. What the A2 and B1 listening exams sound like, why real speech is harder than a textbook, and how to train your ear for it.

Updated November 3, 2026 · 5 min read

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The Dom Tower of Utrecht seen from the Oudegracht canal — Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.

Listening is the part people fear most, because you cannot go back. At A2 it is DUO's own exam — the level of the 2013 Act and of the naturalisation test. At B1 and B2 it is the Staatsexamen NT2, which the B1 route of the 2021 Act uses (inburgeren.nl). The routes guide explains which one you take.

In short: A2 — 45 minutes on a computer: short films and texts with questions. B1/B2 — 90 minutes, about 40 tasks with five or more recordings and one to three short films, all multiple choice; 25 seconds to read each question and its three answers, and the fragment plays once. No dictionary (Staatsexamens NT2).

The A2 listening exam (DUO)

On a computer, at one of DUO's exam locations: you watch short films and listen to texts, then answer questions about them. It lasts 45 minutes and costs €50; the result comes by letter within 8 weeks. DUO has three free A2 listening practice exams on inburgeren.nl (practice). The situations are everyday ones — at the doctor's, at work, at the counter of the gemeente.

The B1 and B2 listening exam (Staatsexamen NT2)

	Programme I (B1) and II (B2)
Length	90 minutes
Tasks	about 40, on five or more recordings, plus one to three short films with one task each
Answers	multiple choice, on the computer — three options
Reading time	25 seconds per question, before the fragment starts by itself
Replays	none: each fragment plays once
Dictionary	not allowed
Pass	a score of 500 or more (marked by computer)

The speakers talk about situations at work, during a study, and in daily life, and it sounds like real speech: different voices, slips, repetitions, sometimes background noise, because real recordings are used. A speaker may have an accent, but never a dialect (official description, Staatsexamens NT2).

Use the 25 seconds. Read the question and the three answers and decide what you are listening for — a time, a reason, an opinion, a next step. Then listen for that, not for every word. When the fragment ends, choose and let it go: the next one starts by itself.

Why real Dutch is harder to hear

Spoken Dutch swallows sounds that textbooks pronounce. Three things catch most learners:

Short forms. je for jij, we for wij, ze for zij, 't for het, 'k for ik — the verb tables on our zijn and hebben pages show both.
The final -n. we gaan lopen is heard as we gaa lope: the -n of the infinitive and the plural often disappears (gaan, lopen).
Separable verbs. The answer may hide at the end of the sentence: Ik bel je morgen terug. — the terug comes last. Our tables flag them: opstaan, aanmelden, afspreken, invullen.

Kunt u dat nog een keer zeggen, alstublieft?

Literally: Could you say that once more, please?

Meaning: In the exam nothing is repeated — in real life, this sentence is your best friend. kunnen + zeggen.

De afspraak is verzet naar donderdag om half tien.

Literally: The appointment has been moved to Thursday at half past nine.

Meaning: half tien is 9:30, not 10:30 — Dutch counts towards the next hour. A classic listening trap.

Numbers, times and dates — the classic trap

Many listening questions ask when, how much or which number. Dutch says numbers in an order that trips people up:

You hear	It means	Why
half drie	2:30	half towards three
kwart over vier	4:15	a quarter past four
tien voor half zes	5:20	ten before half six (5:30)
vijfenveertig	45	five-and-forty: the units come first
achttien euro vijftig	€18.50	euros, then cents
de derde mei	3 May	ordinal + month

How to train your ear

Start with the official practice: the three A2 listening exams on inburgeren.nl, or the Staatsexamen NT2 practice environment for B1 (computer only). Watch the instruction film first.
Listen every day, in short doses. Ten minutes of the news for learners, a podcast, a series with Dutch subtitles. Daily beats a weekend binge.
Learn the words first. You cannot hear a word you do not know. Our inburgering path has the words of the situations the exam uses — work, health, housing, the municipality.
Practise the 25-second routine at home: read a question, predict the kind of answer, then listen once.
Learn the high-frequency verbs until you recognise all their forms: komen, gaan, moeten, willen, zullen, worden.
Check your level with our free level test before you book — then register early: it can take more than six weeks to get a place.

Hear the word before the exam does

16Word drills Dutch words and sentences 16 at a time, with audio and a game of Blocks between answers — from any of 36 languages. Free to start.

Keep learning

All our Dutch exam guides

Frequently asked questions

How long is the inburgering listening exam?

45 minutes at A2 (DUO). At B1 and B2 (Staatsexamen NT2), 90 minutes.

Can I hear the recordings twice?

No. In the Staatsexamen NT2 listening exam each fragment plays once. You get 25 seconds to read each question and its three answers before the fragment starts.

How many questions does the B1 listening exam have?

About 40 tasks on five or more recordings, plus one to three short films with one task each. All are multiple choice.

Do the speakers in the listening exam have accents?

They may have an accent, but never a dialect. The recordings are real speech, with different voices, slips, repetitions and sometimes background noise.

Can I use a dictionary in the listening exam?

No. A dictionary is allowed only in the Staatsexamen NT2 reading and writing exams.

Where can I practise for the listening exam?

DUO has three free A2 listening practice exams on inburgeren.nl; for B1 and B2 the Staatsexamen NT2 has an official practice environment for computers and laptops.