Inburgering exam · Listening
Inburgering listening exam: format, mistakes and practice
The Luisteren exam at A2 and B1: how long it is, what you listen to, the B1 rule that each clip plays only once, and how to train your ear with short daily lessons.
- 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 listening question
In the exam you hear a message like this; here you read it. In the course it is audio. An example in the style of the exam, not a real question.
Goedemiddag, dit is een bericht van de praktijk van huisarts De Vries. Uw afspraak van dinsdag gaat helaas niet door. U kunt woensdag om half drie komen. Past dat niet? Bel ons dan terug.
The listening exam at a glance
The listening exam (Luisteren) checks whether you understand spoken Dutch. You listen to audio and watch video, then answer questions about what you heard.
- How you answer
- A2 (DUO)On a computer, with audio and video
- B1 (state exam NT2)On a computer. Each fragment plays once and cannot be paused
- Time
- A2 (DUO)45 minutes
- B1 (state exam NT2)90 minutes
- What you get
- A2 (DUO)Questions on audio and video texts. The number of questions is not published.
- B1 (state exam NT2)About 40 multiple-choice questions on 5 or more fragments, 1 to 3 of them video
- How it is marked
- A2 (DUO)By computer. No pass mark is published. The result comes by letter and in Mijn Inburgering.
- B1 (state exam NT2)A scale score of 500 or more passes the part.
Checked against the official sources on October 6, 2026. Rules change: your own letter from DUO or your gemeente decides.
What listening questions often ask of you
- Catching the facts: a time, a day, a place, a number or a price.
- Understanding what someone wants or what you must do: an announcement, a message, a short conversation.
- Following what the speakers say, and using the picture too when there is video.
- Staying calm when you miss a word. At B1 the clip does not play again, so you answer from what you understood.
Common listening mistakes
Reading the question too late
At B1 you get 25 seconds to read each question before the clip starts. Use them: know what to listen for, a time or a place, before you hear the first word.
Waiting for a second chance
At B1 each fragment plays once and cannot be paused. For A2, DUO does not publish how often audio plays, so do not count on a repeat. Practise by answering after one hearing.
Trying to catch every word
You are listening for the answer, not for a transcript. When you miss a word, keep going and listen for the information the question asks for.
Mixing up times and numbers
Half drie is half past two, not half past three. Veertien and veertig sound alike, too. Practise times, days and numbers until they come without thinking.
How inburgeringcoach trains listening
Listening lessons use natural Dutch audio, sentence by sentence, with the meaning in your language. B1-style practice plays each clip once, like the real exam.
Natural Dutch, one sentence at a time
Hear a sentence, read it, and see what it means in English, Persian, Turkish or Arabic. Then hear it again, as often as you like.
Once, like the real B1 exam
In B1-style practice each clip plays once, with time to read the question first. You answer from one hearing, then listen again to see what you missed.
Practice exams, and cards for what you miss
Timed practice exams follow the format of each exam part, with a report that never predicts a pass. Numbers, days and words you miss become cards that come back over the following days.
- Goedemiddag, dit is een bericht van de praktijk van huisarts De Vries.
- Uw afspraak van dinsdag gaat helaas niet door.
- U kunt woensdag om half drie komen.
- Past dat niet? Bel ons dan terug.
A plan for the weeks before
- 1
Listen a little every day
Short and often beats long and rare. About 15 minutes a day is the design point, and 10 still works. Add Dutch from real life when you can, such as the radio or announcements at the station.
- 2
Answer after one hearing
Play a fragment once, answer, and only then listen again to see what you missed. That is the habit the B1 exam needs.
- 3
Do the official practice exams
DUO publishes free practice exams (opens in a new tab) for A2 listening, and the state exam has a free online practice environment for B1. Do at least one, so the screen and the audio are familiar.
Listening exam: your questions answered
Does the audio play more than once in the exam?
At B1 each fragment plays once. You cannot pause it or hear it again, and you have 25 seconds to read each question first. You may go back and change an answer, but not replay the audio. For A2, how often audio plays is not published.
How long is the inburgering listening exam?
At A2 it takes 45 minutes on a computer, with audio and video. At B1 it takes 90 minutes, with about 40 multiple-choice questions on five or more fragments, and no dictionary is allowed.
Do I take listening at A2 or at B1?
As for every language exam, it depends on your law and route: B1 is the standard if your duty to integrate began on or after 1 January 2022, and A2 under the older law. A2 or B1: which exam is yours explains how to check. For listening the B1 rule matters most: each fragment plays once, so if B1 is your level, practise answering after one hearing.
Is there a pass mark for listening?
At B1 you pass listening with a scale score of 500 or more. At A2 no pass mark is published; the Minister sets it. At B1 there are about 40 questions in 90 minutes and no replay, so use the reading time before each fragment to know what to listen for.
Can I practise listening if I know almost no Dutch?
Yes. The course starts from zero, with short sentences you hear and read, and the meaning in English, Persian, Turkish or Arabic. Listening gets harder step by step, towards the B1 format.
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 · KNMThe exam on life in the Netherlands: eight themes, up to 45 minutes, and practice that fits your day.
- Inburgering exam · ReadingReading at A2 and B1: the texts, the time and the questions. See what to expect and 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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