Result and retake — what you keep and what you redo

Two things matter most here, and both are more reassuring than people expect: the result does not come on the spot, and a part you have passed is not lost again.

When the result arrives

The result does not come straight after the exam. You receive it within a few weeks — reckon on eight weeks at most — by letter, and you can view it online in your own file.

In practice that means two things:

• Do not plan your next step on the day itself. Anyone who wants to book the next part straight after the exam does not yet know where they stand.
• Keep an eye on both your post and your file. The two routes run alongside each other; the file is the quicker one to consult — see your personal exam file.

Did not pass one part? Then you only redo that part

This is the rule that removes most of the worry: the parts are independent of each other. A part you have passed, you keep.

You only register again for the part you have not yet passed — and you then pay only for that part as well.

Situation	What you redo	What you pay for
one part not passed	only that part	only that part
several parts not passed	only those parts	only those parts
all parts passed	nothing	nothing

That fits the way you register in any case: per part, not for a single exam day on which everything happens at once. Costs and registration are in costs and registration.

What we deliberately do not fill in here

The number of questions per part and the exact pass mark are not officially published.

Preparation sites do quote figures. They are not confirmed by the official source, and we therefore do not repeat them — not even when they seem to be everywhere. A figure you cannot check anywhere does not help you plan; it only gives a false sense of precision.

If you want to know what a part actually looks like, there is a better route than a number: do the free practice exams. They give the real format, the real question types and the real time pressure — see using practice exams.

What you can do next

• Check where you stand in your personal exam file
• Do a practice exam for the part you want to retake
• Practise writing and speaking or reading and listening specifically

Official source: inburgeren.nl — content of the language exams.