Which speaking exam you take
Which exam you take depends on the law you fall under and the route your gemeente agreed with you in your personal plan (PIP).
| Your situation | Speaking exam |
|---|---|
| You must integrate from 1 January 2022 (Wet inburgering 2021), B1 route | Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I, Spreken, at B1 |
| Wet inburgering 2021, education route (onderwijsroute) | Staatsexamen NT2 at B1 or higher |
| Wet inburgering 2021, self-reliance route (Z-route) | No Staatsexamen NT2; this route aims at A1 |
| You arrived before 1 January 2022 (Wet inburgering 2013), or your gemeente agreed to A2 after at least 600 hours of lessons | DUO's inburgering exam Spreken at A2 |
You have three years to complete your integration. DUO sends you a letter when the Wet inburgering 2021 applies to you.
How the exam works
B1: Staatsexamen NT2 Spreken (Programma I)
- About 25 minutes, at a computer. You wear headphones and speak into a microphone; you do not talk to a person.
- Part 1 has 8 short tasks: you answer a question briefly, with 20 seconds of speaking time each.
- Part 2 has 8 medium tasks: you give a longer answer, with 30 seconds each.
- Some tasks come with pictures or a short text that you have to use; you get extra time to look at them.
- A beep marks the start and the end of your speaking time. You cannot go back to a task, and no dictionary is allowed.
A2: DUO's inburgering exam Spreken
- 35 minutes, at a computer.
- You watch short videos and answer questions about them, so you have to understand spoken Dutch as well as speak it.
How answers are marked
At B1, two trained examiners mark your recorded answers with a marking scheme, and you pass with a score of at least 500. At A2, DUO has published its marking model. Each answer is scored on six points:
| What is scored | Points |
|---|---|
| Adequacy and comprehensibility: does the answer do what the question asks, and can it be understood? | 0 to 3 |
| Vocabulary | 0 to 2 |
| Grammar | 0 to 2 |
| Fluency | 0 to 2 |
| Coherence | 0 to 1 |
| Pronunciation | 0 to 2 |
If an answer scores 0 for adequacy, all the other points for that answer are 0 as well. The lesson for practice: answer the question that was asked, first and clearly. The top pronunciation score goes to speech that is easy to understand despite an accent.
How to practise
- Start with one official practice exam. It shows you the format and where you stand. Use the A2 practice exams on inburgeren.nl or the B1 tasks at oefenexamensnt2.nl, on a computer.
- Practise against the clock. At B1 you have 20 or 30 seconds per answer. Set a timer and stop when it rings, the way the exam's beep ends your speaking time. Finish your main point well before the end.
- Use a simple shape for longer answers. Answer, give a reason, give an example: Ik vind dat ..., omdat ... Bijvoorbeeld ...
- Record yourself and listen back. Did you answer the question? Could a stranger understand every sentence? Did you finish in time?
- Prepare the common topics. Yourself and your family, work and study, your home and neighbourhood, health, shopping, transport and your plans. Have a few sentences ready for each.
- Keep talking when a word is missing. Describe it instead: Ik weet het woord niet, maar het is iets om ... mee te ... (I don't know the word, but it is something you ... with).
- Speak Dutch every day. Short, frequent practice with people, a language café, a conversation partner or an app builds the fluency the exam listens for.
Useful sentences for your answers
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Ik vind dat ..., omdat ... | I think that ..., because ... |
| Volgens mij ... | In my opinion ... |
| Aan de ene kant ..., aan de andere kant ... | On the one hand ..., on the other hand ... |
| Bijvoorbeeld ... | For example ... |
| Ik zou graag ... willen. | I would like to ... |
| Daarom ... | That is why ... |
What the StroopTaal app does for speaking
StroopTaal has practice for the inburgering exam at A2 and B1, with the speaking part as one of its sections, next to reading, writing, listening and KNM. This is exactly what it does:
- Everyday speaking tasks on a timer. For example: introduce yourself, explain a problem at the huisarts, phone to make an appointment, or deal with a delay at the station; at B1 also talking about work or giving advice. Each task has preparation time and a speaking time, and the app records your answer.
- An automatic score for each answer. Speech recognition turns your recording into text, your pronunciation and fluency are scored automatically, and a third part rewards longer answers that use everyday Dutch words. You get a score out of 100 and a tip for each task, and after the section a written summary of your strengths and what to work on.
- What the score does not do. It does not judge whether your answer does what the task asks, which is the first thing the exam marks. Check that yourself, or with a teacher.
- Longer answers than the B1 exam. The app's tasks usually give you a minute or more to speak, while the B1 exam gives 20 or 30 seconds. Use them to build fluency, and the official practice tasks to train the exam's timing.
- A readiness score and an exam-date forecast. For each part of the inburgering exam the app shows a readiness score from your recent results. If you enter your exam dates, it estimates from your practice whether you reach the pass line in time, and says plainly that this is an estimate, not a promise.
- Speaking outside the exam format. Voice conversations with Taalmaatje, the app's AI conversation partner, and pronunciation practice that scores a word or a sentence you say.
Exam practice and the speaking features come with Premium. The practice goes part by part; it is not a full mock exam. StroopTaal is not DUO, and it cannot register you for an exam.
Questions and answers
Do I speak to a person in the inburgering speaking exam?
No. At B1 you wear headphones and speak into a microphone at a computer, and your answers are recorded. The A2 speaking exam is also taken at a computer: you watch short videos and answer questions about them.
How long is the inburgering speaking exam?
The B1 speaking exam (Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I) takes about 25 minutes according to staatsexamensnt2.nl; inburgeren.nl says about 30. The A2 speaking exam takes 35 minutes.
Will my accent lower my score?
Not by itself. In DUO's marking model for A2 speaking, the top score for pronunciation goes to speech that is easy to understand, even for a listener who is not used to learners, despite an accent. Being understood matters more than sounding Dutch.
What happens if my answer does not fit the question?
At A2, an answer that does not do what the question asks, or cannot be understood, scores 0 for adequacy, and then every other point for that answer is 0 too. At B1 you cannot go back to a question. Answer the question first, then add detail.
What does the speaking exam cost?
Under the Wet inburgering 2021 each inburgering exam costs €50. Each part of the Staatsexamen NT2, including speaking, also costs €50. Check inburgeren.nl and duo.nl for the current amounts and whether you can borrow the money from DUO.
Where are the official speaking practice exams?
For A2, DUO publishes practice exams on inburgeren.nl, including three for speaking; they work best on a desktop computer and not in Safari. For B1 and B2, the practice environment of the Staatsexamen NT2 is at oefenexamensnt2.nl.
Can StroopTaal tell me whether I will pass?
No. Its readiness score and exam-date forecast are estimates from your practice results, and the app says so. No app can promise that you will pass, and StroopTaal does not publish pass rates.
Sources
We checked this guide against these pages on 12 October 2026. Rules, prices and exam formats change: the official page is always the one to follow.
- Inburgeren.nl: content of the language exams A2, B1 and B2
- Inburgeren.nl: you are going to integrate (routes, deadline, A2 after 600 hours)
- Staatsexamen NT2 and inburgering
- Staatsexamen NT2: what the exam looks like
- Staatsexamen NT2: how exams are marked
- DUO: marking model for speaking at A2 (PDF)
- Inburgeren.nl: official practice exams
- Staatsexamen NT2: practice environment
- Inburgeren.nl: exam costs
- DUO: Staatsexamen NT2 exam fees
StroopTaal is an independent app. It is not DUO or any other government service, and it cannot register you for an exam. What this guide says about the app comes from the app as it is on 12 October 2026; the About page and the FAQ describe it in full.
This article was drafted by AI and edited by a person before it was published.
