B1 Dutch exam questions PDF: where to find free official practice
Last checked: 29 October 2026
There is no official PDF with real B1 Dutch exam questions. The real questions of the Staatsexamen NT2 Programme I are not published. The free official practice is online instead: a practice environment for Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking, linked from staatsexamensnt2.nl and DUO. Some practice tasks for Writing and Speaking can also appear in the real exam.
| What you are looking for | Official source | Format |
|---|---|---|
| B1 practice exams and tasks, all four parts | Nt2 practice environment | Online, computer or laptop only |
| What each B1 exam looks like | staatsexamensnt2.nl | Web page with instruction videos |
| A2 Writing practice exams | inburgeren.nl | 3 PDFs |
| A2 Reading, Listening, Speaking and KNM practice | inburgeren.nl | Online |
More Dutch is not affiliated with DUO or the College voor Toetsen en Examens (CvTE), which makes the state exam. We do not sell or share exam PDFs. The example tasks further down were written by us.
Is there an official B1 exam PDF?
Not that we could find. The CvTE runs its B1 and B2 practice in an online practice environment. Its own page warns that it only works properly on a computer or laptop, not on a phone or tablet (staatsexamensnt2.nl).
The only practice exams DUO offers as PDF downloads are the three for A2 Writing, because the A2 Writing exam is on paper (inburgeren.nl). At B1, all four parts are on a computer, so the practice is on a computer too.
One detail makes the online practice worth your time. According to the CvTE, single tasks from the practice environment can appear in the real Speaking and Writing exams, next to other tasks (staatsexamensnt2.nl). Doing every practice task is the closest you can get to seeing real exam material.
What the B1 exam questions look like
The official exam pages describe each part of Programme I (B1) in detail (staatsexamensnt2.nl):
| Part | What you get | Time | Dictionary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 6 texts in a booklet, 36 multiple-choice questions on screen | 110 minutes | Van Dale Pocketwoordenboek NT2 allowed |
| Listening | About 40 tasks with 5 or more audio texts and 1 to 3 video clips, 3 answer options each | 90 minutes | Not allowed |
| Writing | 8 sentence tasks, 2 short message or form tasks, 2 short texts, typed on screen | 100 minutes | Van Dale Pocketwoordenboek NT2 allowed |
| Speaking | 8 short tasks (20 seconds each) and 8 medium tasks (30 seconds each), spoken into a microphone | 25 to 30 minutes | Not allowed |
A few things in that table matter for practice:
- Listening is played once. You get 25 seconds to read each question and its three answers, then the audio starts by itself. The recordings are real, so you hear normal pace, hesitations, accents and background noise.
- Most Writing tasks are about work or study, with some about daily life. You type your answers.
- In Speaking you talk to a computer, not a person. A beep tells you when to start and when your time is up.
- Only one dictionary is allowed, and only for Reading and Writing: the Van Dale Pocketwoordenboek Nederlands als tweede taal. You bring it yourself, and it may not contain notes.
The Dutch B1 exam guide covers costs, locations and registration. For what B1 means in practice, see what is B1 level Dutch.
Example B1 tasks in the exam style
We wrote these to show the type of task. They are not real or leaked exam questions.
Writing, sentence task. Maak de zin af: Ik kom morgen later op mijn werk, omdat ... A good answer finishes the sentence with the verb at the end: ... omdat mijn trein is uitgevallen. (... because my train was cancelled.) Many points are lost on word order after omdat, dat and als.
Writing, short message. Uw collega is ziek. U neemt haar taken een week over. Schrijf een kort bericht aan uw leidinggevende. Vertel wat u gaat doen en stel één vraag. Answer every part of the task: what you will do, and one question. Leaving out a part costs more than a small spelling mistake.
Speaking, medium task. Uw buurman vraagt waarom u graag in uw stad woont. Wat zegt u? Geef twee redenen. You have about 30 seconds. Give two clear reasons with omdat or want, and stop when you are done.
Why you should skip "real exam" PDFs
You will find files online that claim to contain real B1 questions. Leave them alone:
- Exam content is not public. The CvTE only publishes practice material, not the real exams. For the integration exams, DUO's rules also forbid sharing exam content (exam rules). Anything sold as "the real questions" is either leaked or invented.
- They are often old. Many files date from when parts of the exam were on paper. The current B1 exam is fully on a computer.
- They train the wrong thing. Memorising answers does not help when the real exam uses different texts. The skills in the table above do.
How to practise with the free material
- Watch the official instruction videos for each part first. They show the screens you will see.
- Do one full practice exam per part under the real time limits. Mark what went wrong.
- Spend most of your time on your weakest part. For many people that is Writing or Speaking.
- Fix grammar mistakes that keep coming back. Word order is the big one at B1: start with the word order cheat sheet and the conjunctions cheat sheet, and check past forms in the verb explorer.
- Build vocabulary for work and daily life with the 594 most common Dutch words.
Open the free grammar cheat sheets and pick the topics your practice exams show you need.
A full study plan is in how to pass the B1 Dutch exam. If B1 is part of your integration route, see the inburgering exam at B1 and the inburgering exam guide. Prices are in Dutch B1 exam cost.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free B1 Dutch exam PDF?
There is no official PDF with real B1 exam questions. The free official practice for all four parts is online, in the Nt2 practice environment linked from staatsexamensnt2.nl.
Can I download the Nt2 practice exams?
No. They run in your browser on a computer or laptop. DUO's downloadable PDFs are only for A2 Writing.
Do practice tasks appear in the real B1 exam?
Sometimes. The CvTE says single tasks from the practice environment can appear in the real Speaking and Writing exams, together with other tasks.
How many questions are in the B1 Reading exam?
36 multiple-choice questions about 6 texts, in 110 minutes for Programme I.
Can I use a dictionary in the B1 exam?
Only in Reading and Writing, and only the Van Dale Pocketwoordenboek Nederlands als tweede taal. No dictionary is allowed in Listening and Speaking, and no electronic tools at all.
Where can I find A2 practice exams?
On inburgeren.nl. There are three A2 Writing PDFs, plus online practice for Reading, Listening, Speaking and KNM.