On this page you will find sample exams for the Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad. By taking these sample exams, you can find out whether you know enough to take the actual exam. You will see what form the exam takes and what you need to take the sample exams

From 1 May 2023 the Reading proficiency exam will be different. You can read about the changes in the Reading proficiency section.

Do you want to start by preparing yourself better for the exam? If so, go to the Lesson materials page. There you will find the Naar Nederland lesson package. This package contains all the lesson materials you need to learn for the Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad You will also find all the other information you need for the exam.

What do you need for the sample exam?

To take the sample exams, you will need the following:

  1. A computer or laptop with Windows (XP or higher), Mac OS X (10.2 PPC or higher) or Linux (RedHat 7.3 or higher).
  2. An internet connection (Chrome or Firefox work best, Internet Explorer sometimes causes problems).
  3. A headset with a microphone.

How is the Basic Civic Integration Exam Abroad structured?

The Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad is a digital exam. You do not have to do any writing during the exam. You take the exam on a computer at the Dutch embassy in your country of residence.

Do you have any questions about the exam? If so, ask the embassy staff member before the exam starts. Once the exam has started, you will not be able to ask any more questions.

The exam is divided into three sections:

  1. Knowledge of the Society
  2. Speaking proficiency
  3. Reading proficiency

Below you will find some additional information about the exam for each section.

Knowledge of the Dutch Society section

This section covers your knowledge of the Netherlands. The tests offers questions about how people live in the Netherlands, how they interact with each other and what their customs are. You will also learn other things that are worth knowing if you live in the Netherlands. Everything you need to know is shown in the film Naar Nederland. You can view this film by clicking on your language at the bottom of the Lesson materials page. You can study all questions and answers from KNS at home. These 100 questions are in the photo book of the course material.

The sample exam Knowledge of Dutch Society consists of 5 questions. The actual exam consists of 30 questions. The exam lasts 30 minutes. During the exam you will be shown photos and asked the questions. The questions are also spoken slowly. You see and hear two possible answers, only one of which is correct. Click the right answer with the mouse.

In the video below, you can see how the exam works.

Reading proficiency section

The sample exam Reading proficiency section will look the same as the actual exam. They have the same length. However, the questions in the actual exam will be different from the ones of the sample exam. You will have 35 minutes to complete the exam. The exam will consist of texts and questions. The reading proficiency section will be checked by a computer. After taking the exam, you will immediately see whether you have passed the exam.

In the video below, you can see how the exam works.

Speaking proficiency

The Speaking proficiency sample exam looks the same as the actual exam. The actual exam is the same length. However, the questions in the actual exam are different from those of the sample exam. You have 35 minutes to complete the exam. Please note: you have to say your own answers. How to do that is shown in the film instruction on spoken answers.

The example speaking exam consists of 24 questions. These are 12 questions to answer and 12 sentences to complete.

You can view all questions and answering sentences for the Speaking Exam here. This way you can prepare well for the exam.

During the exam the speaking proficiency section is checked by people and not by a computer. The exam is marked using the speaking proficiency assessment model.