Dutch NT2 state exam Speaking I (B1): what the exam looks like

Updated on 2 November 2026. Sources: staatsexamensnt2.nl, the page on marking and the answers to parliamentary questions of 13 October 2026 (all in Dutch). Rules can change, so check there before you register.

Speaking I is the speaking exam of the Dutch NT2 state exam (Staatsexamen NT2) Programme I, at level B1. You do not talk to an examiner but to the computer: you hear a task through headphones, read along on the screen and record your answer after a beep. The exam takes about 25 minutes and has 16 tasks.

In short

The exam has two parts. In part 1 you get 8 short tasks with 20 seconds of speaking time, in part 2 8 medium tasks with 30 seconds of speaking time. Programme I has no long 2-minute task, unlike Programme II. The exam runs on by itself: you cannot go back to an earlier task.

Two trained assessors listen to your answers later. You pass with a score of 500 or higher. In 2025, 53 percent of the Speaking I exams were passed. If you follow the B1 route of the Civic Integration Act 2021, Speaking I is one of your four language exams.

What happens in the exam room?

You sit in a room with other candidates, wearing headphones with a microphone in front of you. Partitions between the seats dampen the sound of others. Before the exam starts, you test the sound and the microphone yourself: you record your name and candidate number and check that you can hear yourself clearly. The exam then starts with an example, during which you do not have to speak yet.

Unlike the A2 Speaking exam, at B1 and B2 every task starts for all candidates at exactly the same time. Minister Aartsen (Work and Participation) wrote about this on 13 October 2026 in answers to parliamentary questions (in Dutch):

Kandidaten kunnen pas starten met spreken na een pieptoon die klinkt aan het eind van elke opdracht in het examen, dus nadat de kandidaat eerst de opdracht beluisterd heeft. Zo wordt niemand door eerder sprekende kandidaten gestoord tijdens het beluisteren van de opdracht.
In English: Candidates can only start speaking after a beep that sounds at the end of each task in the exam, so after the candidate has first listened to the task. This way nobody is disturbed by candidates speaking earlier while listening to the task.

When the speaking time is up, you hear a second beep, and the next task begins. You may make notes on the scrap paper you are given. A dictionary is not allowed in Speaking.

Part 1: 8 short tasks

In a short task you get a question that you answer briefly. You have 20 seconds. That is enough for one or two good sentences, but too short to think for long. The situations come from work, study and daily life at mbo level (secondary vocational education).

An example in the style of the exam: you are ill and call your manager. Say that you are not coming in today and why. A good answer is for example: Goedemorgen, met Sara. Ik kan vandaag helaas niet komen, want ik heb koorts. (Good morning, this is Sara. Unfortunately I can't come in today, because I have a fever.)

Part 2: 8 medium tasks

In a medium task you give a longer answer of a few sentences or more. You have 30 seconds. Often you have to choose, explain or give advice, and sometimes there is a picture or a short text with the task. You have to use that information in your answer. You get extra time to look at it.

An example: your colleague asks whether the team outing is better on Friday afternoon or on Saturday. What do you think, and why? A good answer is for example: Ik vind vrijdagmiddag beter. Op zaterdag hebben veel collega's andere plannen, met hun familie of met sport. Op vrijdag zijn we toch al op het werk, dus dan kan iedereen meteen mee. (I think Friday afternoon is better. On Saturday many colleagues have other plans, with their family or with sport. On Friday we are at work anyway, so everyone can come straight along.)

How is Speaking I marked?

Your answers are recorded and marked later by two trained assessors, using a marking scheme (staatsexamensnt2.nl, in Dutch). For each task you can get one or more points. Those points are converted into a score, and with 500 or higher you pass. According to the CvTE, the Speaking score runs on average from 100 to 800, but this differs per exam day.

The result comes a few weeks later through DUO. If you fail, you can take Speaking I again, but you can only register after you have received your result. How long that takes per exam date is explained in NT2 state exam dates 2026-2027: registration, results and diploma.

How many people pass Speaking I?

In 2025, 53 percent of the Speaking I exams were passed, compared with 57 percent in 2024. The CvTE reports that in 2025 all four parts of Programme I came out lower, without an explanation yet. In the same period the number of exams grew strongly because of civic integration candidates. All figures per year and per part are in NT2 state exam pass rates: how many people pass each part?

Are there enough places?

After fraud with exam questions in August 2025, there were fewer Speaking B1 exams for a while. According to a letter from Minister Aartsen of 24 April 2026 (in Dutch), several exams per day have been possible again since May 2026. On 8 October 2026 the CvTE reported that there were still enough places for the Speaking I exams at the end of October and the beginning of November. Between 18 November 2026 and 29 January 2027, Speaking I is on the schedule eleven times.

How do you prepare?

Start with the free official practice environment via staatsexamensnt2.nl (in Dutch). Tasks from it can also appear in the real exam. Practise on a computer or laptop, because the practice environment does not work well on a phone. Watch the instruction video too, so you know exactly which screens you will see.

Practise with a clock. In 20 seconds you give your answer and at most one detail. In 30 seconds you give your answer, a reason and an example, linked with words like want, omdat and dus (because, since, so). If you start an answer that is too long, the second beep cuts you off in the middle of a sentence.

Always answer the whole question. If the task asks what you choose and why, an answer without a reason loses points. And speak clearly, not too loud and not too soft, as the instruction video also says: the assessors only hear your recording.

At Braials you practise exactly these tasks in private lessons, with the beep and the real speaking time, and you get feedback on every answer. Read more on the NT2 state exam Programme I page. If you only need A2, read Dutch civic integration exam A2 Speaking: what the exam looks like.