Exam tip: how the B2 Staatsexamen works

The B2 exam isn't a harder version of B1 so much as a different job. At B1 you show you can manage in daily life. At B2 you show you can follow a lecture, read a report and defend an opinion. Prepare for that job, not just for more grammar.

Take each component separately. You can sit the four components on different days, and a component you pass stays passed. Many candidates start with their strongest skill to build confidence.

Lezen is a time problem. You have 100 minutes for about 36 questions: roughly 15 minutes per text. Read the questions first, then the text. Use the dictionary only for a word you need to answer a question. If a question takes more than two minutes, mark your best guess and move on.

Luisteren is a memory problem. Each fragment plays once. Read the question before the fragment starts, and jot down one or two key words while you listen, not full sentences.

Schrijven is a checklist problem. Assessors check first whether you did everything the task asks. Underline every point in the instruction (who, what, why, which information to use) and tick them off before you move on.

Spreken is a timing problem. Short answers should be complete sentences; the long task needs a plan: introduction, two or three points, conclusion. Practise with a timer until two minutes feels normal.

Never leave a multiple-choice question empty. An empty answer is always wrong, and a guess might be right.

Open task taster (optional) · delivered as teacher homework until the open-task step exists

• Prompt (medium speaking task, 30 s): U studeert aan een hogeschool. Een medestudent vraagt of hij zich het beste in zijn eentje of in een studiegroep kan voorbereiden op een tentamen. Geef advies en geef een reden.
• Model answer: "Ik zou je aanraden om in een studiegroep te leren. Als je de stof aan elkaar uitlegt, onthoud je het veel beter. Bovendien merk je snel wat je nog niet begrijpt. Maar spreek wel van tevoren af wat jullie gaan doen, anders wordt het gezellig in plaats van nuttig."
• Checklist (yes/no):

1. Did I give clear advice?
2. Did I give at least one reason?
3. Did I speak for about 30 seconds without long pauses?
4. Did I use full sentences with the verb in the right place?
5. Did I use at least one linking word (omdat, als, zodat, maar)?

Component: all four. Task type: overview of formats, timing and scoring.

Component · Programma I (B1) · Programma II (B2): what you'll see

• Lezen · 110 min · 100 min. About 6 texts with 36 multiple-choice questions in total. The texts are in a printed booklet; you answer on the computer. Dictionary allowed (paper Van Dale Pocketwoordenboek NT2).
• Luisteren · 90 min · 90 min. About 40 multiple-choice questions on 5+ audio fragments and 1–3 video clips. Each fragment plays once; you get about 25 seconds per question. No dictionary.
• Schrijven · 100 min, incl. "deelschrijftaken" · 100 min, on the computer. 7–8 zinstaken (finish or write one sentence), 1–2 korte schrijftaken (a note, short letter, short description) and 1–2 middellange schrijftaken (e.g. describe a problem and propose a solution, sometimes using a table, graph or pictures). You choose the order. Dictionary allowed.
• Spreken · ~25 min: 8 short + 8 medium tasks · About 25 min, on the computer with a headset. 4 short tasks (about 20 s to answer), 8 medium tasks (about 30 s), 1 long task (2 min, with preparation time). You speak to the computer, not to a person. No dictionary.

• Topics: study, work, science, society and policy. Expect lecture fragments, interviews, discussions, reports, opinion pieces and formal letters.
• Scoring: each component gets a converted score; 500 or higher is a pass. You get a certificate per component and the diploma when you have all four. You only retake a component you failed.
• Most common mistakes:

1. Treating B2 like B1: reading every word and running out of time on the last text.
2. Looking up too many words in the dictionary during Lezen.
3. Waiting for a second chance in Luisteren: there isn't one.
4. In Schrijven, answering only part of the task (one of the content points is missing).
5. In Spreken, stopping after 40 seconds on the long task, or not answering the actual question.