RateMyDutch

Am I ready for the inburgering speaking exam?

A practical self-check — updated July 2026

Of the five inburgering exam parts, Spreken is the one people are least sure about. Reading and listening you can score at home; speaking feels impossible to judge on your own. It isn't. Here's how to know where you stand.

What the exam actually expects

The standard route tests speaking at A2 level. That means short, everyday exchanges: introducing yourself, describing your work or family, making an appointment, reacting to a simple situation. You watch short video or picture prompts on a computer and record your answers — there is no live examiner conversation.

Your recordings are scored on five things: adequacy (did you actually answer the question?), vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and pronunciation. Two points each, ten in total. Notice what's not on that list: sounding Dutch, speaking fast, or making zero mistakes. A2 tolerates plenty of errors — as long as a patient listener understands you and you answer the question that was asked.

The five-question self-check

Answer honestly. Can you, right now, out loud, in Dutch:

  1. Introduce yourself in 5–6 sentences — name, country, where you live, what you do, your family — without stopping to think?
  2. Describe a simple picture (a market, a classroom, a birthday) in 3–4 full sentences?
  3. Answer "Wat heb je gisteren gedaan?" with correct past tense on the common verbs (ik ben gegaan, ik heb gewerkt)?
  4. React to an everyday situation: your child is sick, you call the school — what do you say?
  5. Keep talking for 20 seconds on a familiar topic without switching to English?

Score yourself: 4–5 confident yeses → you're likely exam-ready, book a slot and polish. 2–3 → the foundation is there; two focused weeks can close the gap. 0–1 → build daily speaking habits first, the exam can wait a month or two.

The mistakes that actually cost points

How to practise when you have no speaking partner

The exam format is actually good news here: since you're recorded answering prompts, you can replicate the exam alone. Record yourself daily answering one everyday question, listen back once, and redo it. What you're training is not perfection — it's the reflex of producing full Dutch sentences on demand.

RateMyDutch's Spreken section mirrors the exam: you record answers to realistic prompts, get your speech transcribed, and receive a score on the same five categories the exam uses.

Not sure speaking is even your weakest skill?

Take the free exam-readiness scorecard: ~4 minutes, all five exam parts, and you get a band per skill plus a focused 7-day plan.

Take the free readiness scorecard

RateMyDutch is an independent practice tool. It is not affiliated with DUO or the Dutch government, and no practice result predicts your official exam outcome. Official exam information: inburgeren.nl.