The Best Inburgeringsexamen Preparation in 2026: 6 Options Ranked for Amsterdam

The best inburgeringsexamen preparation is the one that gets you saying Dutch out loud, to something that answers, well before the exam date. The inburgeringsexamen is the Dutch civic integration exam, run by DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs). Its language parts at B1 and B2 are the Staatsexamen Nederlands als tweede taal (NT2), set by the College voor Toetsen en Examens (CvTE).

Which exams you take depends on the law you fall under (Wet inburgering 2013 or 2021) and, under the 2021 law, on the learning route in your personal plan (PIP); Mijn Inburgering shows both. B1 route: language exams at B1 (the Staatsexamen NT2) within 3 years, plus knowledge exams; after at least 600 hours of lessons, the municipality may allow a step down to A2. Under the 2013 law the level is A2 or higher.

Speaking is the exam you cannot rehearse on paper. At A2, it runs like this. On a computer: you watch short videos and answer questions in spoken Dutch; 35 minutes. At B1, the Staatsexamen NT2 is shorter. About 25 minutes, headphones and microphone, speaking to the computer, not a person. Programma I: 8 short tasks (20 seconds each) and 8 medium tasks (30 seconds each); Programma II adds a 2-minute long task. No dictionary. The computer does not nod, smile or help you finish a sentence. Whatever you say has to come out first time.

This guide is for adults in Amsterdam preparing for the inburgeringsexamen, on the A2 or the B1 route, comparing what each kind of preparation costs and how much speaking it actually gives you.

How we ranked them

We compared six ways to prepare on the five things that most help someone pass, the speaking exam above all:

1. Speaking practice per session: how much of the time you spend saying Dutch yourself. For a class, at most the session divided by the group size.
2. Feedback: whether someone, or something, answers or corrects what you actually said.
3. Closeness to the exam: whether you work on the inburgeringsexamen's own tasks, at your route's level.
4. Flexibility: whether it fits round work, and how soon you can start.
5. Honest price: the published price for what you get, from each provider's own website.

School certificates did not count: on this route the diploma comes from DUO's exams themselves. Prices were checked in November 2026.

Should you use more than one?

Yes, and it is the cheapest way to prepare well. Use the free official practice exams for your route to learn the format and to practise listening, reading and writing, because each exam is passed or failed on its own. Then use a speaking practice every day, because neither Spreken exam waits for you: at A2 you answer questions about short videos, and at B1 every answer has a fixed time before the next task starts. Knowing what the question will be tells you what to say; saying it dozens of times is what lets you say it before the time runs out.

If you are also choosing a general Dutch app, Babbel vs Duolingo for Dutch compares the two.

When to upgrade from your first pick

There often comes a point when you have worked through DUO's or the CvTE's practice exams and can manage the sentences, but nobody has told you whether your spoken and written answers would pass. That is the moment for a few private hours: Volksuniversiteit Amsterdam sells 10 online private lessons for €780, and a tutor from a marketplace such as Preply costs about €35 an hour on average in Amsterdam for a native speaker, though neither is specific to the inburgeringsexamen. If you are on the B1 route and can study by day, VU-NT2 at the Vrije Universiteit runs intensive modules, 110 hours over 9 weeks for €1,750, registered through the municipality.

Which one should you choose?

Pick the one that fixes where you get stuck.

• You don't know what the A2 exams look like: DUO's free practice exams.
• You are on the B1 route: the free Staatsexamen NT2 practice environment.
• You understand Dutch but freeze when you have to speak: Echoa, every day, for €39 a month.
• You want every A2 exam and KNM in one online course: InburgeringOnline.
• You are already at B1 and want a mock exam with feedback: the University of Groningen's online training.
• You want a teacher and a class in Amsterdam, in the evenings: Koentact.

If you are starting from A1, Dutch courses in Amsterdam compared sets the city's evening schools side by side.

Most people will want the official practice exams and one other. If speaking is the exam that worries you, make the other one Echoa: lesson 1 takes about 15 minutes, and the first 3 lessons are free. No card needed.

Preparing for another language test? See fide test preparation for German in Switzerland, DELE A2 preparation for Spanish, DELF A2 preparation for French, CIPLE exam preparation for Portuguese and CILS B1 preparation for Italian.

Frequently asked questions

What is the inburgeringsexamen?

The inburgeringsexamen is the Dutch civic integration exam, run by DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs). Its language parts at B1 and B2 are the Staatsexamen Nederlands als tweede taal (NT2), set by the College voor Toetsen en Examens (CvTE). Which of its exams you sit, and at which level, depends on your route.

Which exams do I have to take?

• 2021 law: Schrijven, Spreken, Luisteren, Lezen and KNM (DUO exams), plus the MAP and PVT done at the municipality.
• 2013 law, depending on when your integration duty began: Inburgeringsplichtig on or after 1 October 2017: Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken, KNM, ONA and the participation statement (PVT). 1 Jan 2015 to 1 Oct 2017: the same without PVT. 1 Jan 2013 to 1 Jan 2015: the four language exams and KNM only.

How much does the inburgeringsexamen cost?

• 2021 law: €50 per exam: Schrijven, Spreken, Luisteren, Lezen, KNM; total €250. MAP and PVT free.
• 2013 law: €50 per exam for Schrijven, Spreken, Luisteren, Lezen and KNM, €40 for ONA; total €290.
• Staatsexamen NT2: €50 per part; a complete exam €200, for Programma I and II alike.

Courses are priced by each school. DUO does not set course prices: 'Vraag bij de school hoeveel de cursus kost. De cursus op niveau A2 ... kost niet bij elke school evenveel.'

Who pays for the course?

Asylum status holders under the 2021 law: the municipality pays the course, and the first 2 attempts at each exam are free (not at a lower level than the PIP). Non-status-holders (for example family migrants) pay themselves or borrow from DUO, only for a course at a school with the Blik op Werk quality mark; the amount depends on income. Status holders under the 2021 law cannot borrow.

Where do I take the exam in Amsterdam?

At the DUO exam centre, Joan Muyskenweg 25A, 1096 CJ Amsterdam (opposite metro Overamstel, lines 50 and 51); used for A2, KNM and the Staatsexamen NT2. Other centres: Eindhoven, Rijswijk, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Zwolle.

How do I book, and how long do results take?

• A2 exams and KNM: Book KNM, ONA and A2 language exams in Mijn Inburgering (DigiD) by date and place; allow more than 6 weeks; change or cancel up to 1 week before for a refund.
• A2 and KNM results: Spreken A2 and Schrijven A2 results take about 16 weeks (DUO extends the integration term by 6 months if this makes you late); other DUO exams usually within 8 weeks.
• Staatsexamen NT2: Register in Mijn DUO about 8 weeks before the exam date; cancel at least 4 weeks before for a refund; arrive 30 minutes early.
• Staatsexamen NT2 results: About 5 weeks, in Mijn DUO, by email and by post; diploma sent automatically within 4 weeks after passing all four parts.

Do I need the inburgeringsexamen for naturalisation or permanent residence?

• Naturalisation: A2: the inburgeringsexamen at A2 (also called the naturalisatietoets), or the Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I or II.
• Permanent residence: A stronger residence permit (permanent or 'humanitair niet-tijdelijk') needs the inburgeringsdiploma first; a Z-route certificate also qualifies.

Is there a way round the exam?

If you want to naturalise and cannot pass the exam, DUO can give an 'advies aantoonbaar geleverde inspanningen' after at least 600 hours of course at an approved school and at least 3 attempts at all exams; it does not end the integration duty.

About Echoa

Dutch. Accelerated. Echoa is your speaking bootcamp: a speaking course on your phone or computer, in German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch and Italian. In each 15-minute lesson you build sentences and say them out loud, and Sam answers every one. It costs €39 a month for every language course, and the first 3 lessons are free.