Inburgering exam · KNM
KNM exam practice for the inburgering exam
KNM is the exam about life in the Netherlands. This page shows what it contains, how it is marked and which mistakes to avoid, and then how to practise it, with explanations in your own language.
- Explanations in English, Persian, Turkish or Arabic
- Short lessons for about 15 minutes a day
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From “where do I start?” to a clear next step. A short introduction to the practice, the feedback and the plan.
Try a KNM-style question
An example in the style of the KNM exam, not a real exam question. The real exam uses audio and video as well.
You live in the Netherlands. You have a sore throat and a fever. You feel ill, but it is not an emergency.
The KNM exam at a glance
KNM stands for Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij: Knowledge of Dutch Society. It tests what you know about how the Netherlands works, in eight themes, from work and housing to health care and the state.
| How you answer | On a computer, with audio and video |
|---|---|
| Time | Up to 45 minutes |
| What you get | Multiple-choice questions on the KNM themes. How many questions there are is not published. |
| How it is marked | By computer. No pass mark is published. You get a letter and see the result in Mijn Inburgering. |
Checked against the official sources on October 6, 2026. Rules change: your own letter from DUO or your gemeente decides.
The eight KNM themes
Every KNM question comes from one of these themes, which are set in law. Learn each one together with its Dutch words.
- 1Work and income (werk en inkomen)
- 2Manners, values and norms (omgangsvormen, waarden en normen)
- 3Housing (wonen)
- 4Health and health care (gezondheid en gezondheidszorg)
- 5History and geography (geschiedenis en geografie)
- 6Public bodies (instanties)
- 7The state and the rule of law (staatsinrichting en rechtsstaat)
- 8Education and raising children (onderwijs en opvoeding)
What the KNM exam checks
- What you know, not how you would behave: facts, rules and who does what. The exam has been set this way since 1 July 2025.
- Everyday life: work and income, housing, health care, education, and dealing with public bodies such as the gemeente.
- How the country works: the state and the rule of law, values and norms, history and geography.
- Topics added in 2025: the colonial past and slavery, the Holocaust, organ donation, and holidays and days of remembrance.
Common KNM mistakes
Learning the facts without the Dutch words
Letters, forms and websites use Dutch terms, so an idea you know only in your own language is not enough. Learn each term with its meaning: huisarts, gemeente, DigiD, huurtoeslag.
Studying for the old version of the exam
Since 1 July 2025 the questions ask what you know, not how you would behave. If your notes or videos are older, check that they cover the 2025 topics too.
Skipping the difficult topics
The 2025 update includes the colonial past and slavery, the Holocaust, organ donation, and holidays and days of remembrance. Give them as much time as housing or work.
Looking for a pass mark
No pass mark is published for KNM, so a score quoted online is a guess. Aim to understand each theme well, and use your practice reports to see where to look again.
How inburgeringcoach trains KNM
KNM lessons cover all eight official themes, in short daily lessons. Explanations come in English, Persian, Turkish or Arabic; the Dutch terms stay in Dutch, because that is how you will meet them.
One theme at a time
Lessons are built around situations you meet: registering at the gemeente, renting a home, seeing the huisarts. Each one teaches a few facts and the Dutch words that go with them.
Try it now, meet it again later
After each new fact you answer a question straight away. The terms you keep and the answers you miss become cards that come back over the following days, so they stay with you.
A timed practice exam, with a report
Sit a KNM practice exam in the exam’s format, against the clock. The report shows what you got right and where to look again. It never predicts a pass and never shows a pass mark.
Word · Say it in Dutch
Je bent ziek, maar het is geen spoed. Wie bel je eerst?A plan for the weeks before your exam
- 1
Start from your exam date
Tell the app your date and how many minutes you have each day. It builds a plan around the themes you still need, and adapts when you miss a day.
- 2
Go theme by theme
Begin with the theme closest to your life now, such as housing or health care, and keep going until all eight are covered. Then keep the cards going.
- 3
Finish with practice exams
DUO publishes free official KNM practice exams (opens in a new tab). Do them to see the screen and the question style, then sit a timed practice exam here and read the report.
KNM exam: your questions answered
What are the eight KNM themes?
Work and income; manners, values and norms; housing; health and health care; history and geography; public bodies (instanties); the state and the rule of law; and education and raising children.
What changed in the KNM exam in 2025?
Since 1 July 2025 the exam follows new final attainment levels (eindtermen). They ask what you know rather than how you would behave, and add topics such as the colonial past and slavery, the Holocaust, organ donation, and holidays and days of remembrance.
How long does it take to prepare for KNM?
It depends on your Dutch and on how much you already know about life in the Netherlands, so no honest number fits everyone. Work back from your exam date: about 15 minutes a day works, and 10 still helps.
How is the KNM exam taken?
On a computer, with audio and video, for up to 45 minutes, with multiple-choice questions on the eight themes. The course teaches each KNM term in Dutch, with the explanation in English, Persian, Turkish or Arabic.
Is there a pass mark for KNM?
No pass mark is published. The Minister sets the pass line and does not make it public, and not every answer has to be right to pass. Anyone who quotes an exact score is guessing, so we never give one.
More about the inburgering exam
- The inburgering exam, explained in plain EnglishThe inburgeringsexamen is not one test. Here is which exam is yours, what the five parts ask, what they cost, how to book and when results arrive. We are independent of DUO.
- Inburgering exam · ReadingReading at A2 and B1: the texts, the time and the questions. See what to expect and how to practise.
- Inburgering exam · ListeningListening at A2 and B1: audio, video and time. At B1 each clip plays once. See how to practise.
- Inburgering exam · WritingA2 on paper, B1 typed: what the writing exam contains, how it is marked and how to practise it.
- Inburgering exam · SpeakingOn a computer at A2 and B1: how speaking is marked and how to practise out loud with Bram, an AI tutor.
inburgeringcoach is an independent course. It is not part of DUO, IND, CvTE or any gemeente, and preparing with it is not a guarantee of passing.
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