What to practise two weeks before the inburgeringsexamen

A realistic 14-day plan — updated July 2026

Two weeks is not enough time to raise your Dutch a whole level — and the good news is you don't need to. In the final stretch, the biggest score gains come from exam technique and targeted repair, not new grammar. Here's how to spend the time.

First: stop doing these

Stop learning new vocabulary lists. Words learned this week won't be automatic under exam pressure. Consolidate what you have.
Stop passive studying. Watching Dutch TV with subtitles feels productive; it doesn't train exam tasks. Every session should produce something — an answer, a text, a recording.
Stop practising only your favourite skill. You pass per exam part. One weak part means a re-sit for that part, however strong the others are.

Week 1 — find and repair the gaps

Days 1–2	Diagnose. Do one timed practice set per exam part (lezen, luisteren, KNM) and one writing + one speaking task. Note where points leak. If you want it structured, a readiness scorecard does this in one pass.
Days 3–5	Attack the weakest part daily. 30 minutes on your worst skill, 15 on the rest, every day. For most people the weak part is spreken or schrijven — the productive skills.
Days 6–7	Fix your repeat errors. Look at your week's mistakes; pick the three that recur (word order after "omdat", verb forms, forgotten capitals). Drill only those.

Week 2 — rehearse the real thing

Days 8–10	Exam conditions only. Timed, one attempt, no dictionary, no replaying audio (the exam plays fragments once). This is where the one-time-listening reflex gets built.
Days 11–12	Full dress rehearsal. One complete exam part per sitting, at the same time of day as your real exam if you can.
Day 13	Light review. Re-do your three repair items, one short speaking recording, one short letter. Nothing new.
Day 14	Rest and logistics. Seriously — cramming the last day trades points for anxiety.

Exam-day practicalities

Bring valid ID — the same document you registered with.
Arrive 30 minutes early; late arrival can mean forfeiting the slot and the fee.
Exams are on a computer at a DUO location; results typically arrive within weeks in Mijn Inburgering.
Failed one part? You re-book only that part — your passes stand.

Start with day 1–2 right now

The free RateMyDutch readiness scorecard covers all five exam parts in about 4 minutes and tells you which skill to attack in week 1 — with a concrete 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. Check current exam rules and fees at inburgeren.nl.