KNM stands for Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij. It is the part of the inburgeringsexamen that tests what you know about living in the Netherlands. Since 1 July 2025 it has been based on new exam goals.
What does KNM stand for?
KNM is one of the five parts of the inburgeringsexamen. The other four are Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. They test your Dutch. KNM tests something else: whether you know how things work here.
This matters when you plan how to study. More grammar exercises will not help you with KNM. The questions are about daily life in the Netherlands: how you handle practical matters, who is responsible for what, and what is normal and what is not.
The questions are in Dutch, so some Dutch helps. If you are working towards that level, our course for the inburgering exam A2 covers KNM alongside the language parts.
What topics does the KNM exam cover?
DUO organises the exam by theme: you answer the questions one theme at a time. According to Inburgeren.nl, the themes include subjects like 'wonen' (housing) and 'werk en inkomen' (work and income).
DUO does not publish a complete list of themes. The lists you find on other websites do not come from DUO.
The exam goals changed on 1 July 2025. Most study material does not include these changes yet. According to Rijksoverheid, two subjects were added:
- That women in the Netherlands are free to work and make their own choices
- What the Holocaust was, that many Dutch Jews were killed and that antisemitism and discrimination are against the law
The focus of the exam also changed. It now tests what you know rather than how you would behave. The previous exam goals were from 2015. This was the first real update in ten years.
Study material written before July 2025 does not cover the new exam goals. Check the date of your material before you rely on it.
How the exam works
You take KNM on a computer and you get 45 minutes. The questions are grouped by theme, not mixed together.
Beyond that, DUO publishes less than you might expect. Here is what is confirmed and what is not:
| Format | On a computer, questions grouped by theme |
| Time | 45 minutes |
| Cost | €50 per attempt |
| Result | Within 8 weeks |
| Number of questions | Not published by DUO |
| Pass mark | Not published by DUO |
Other websites give question counts and pass marks. We have left them out because they contradict each other and none of them come from DUO. If you plan around a number, it should be one you can check.
What does the KNM exam cost?
Each part of the inburgeringsexamen costs €50, KNM included. All five parts together come to €250. The Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie is free. You do this module at your gemeente, as part of inburgering under the 2021 law. You can find these figures on Inburgeren.nl.
Under the 2021 law, asylum status holders get their first two attempts at each part free, as long as they take it at the level in their PIP. Everyone else pays for every attempt, including retakes. For an overview of everything you pay during the process, see our article on inburgering costs.
How do you prepare for KNM?
Start with DUO's own material. There are two free official practice exams on the Inburgeren.nl practice page. Our page on DUO practice exams lists them with the practice exams for the other parts. They show you the real format better than any description can. DUO advises taking them on a desktop computer.
After that, study the way the exam is built: theme by theme. Many people get stuck because they try to read everything about the Netherlands at once. Study one theme until you know it well, then move on to the next. The exam groups its questions the same way. Our inburgering exam course trains KNM in the same way.
We see people make two mistakes. The first is treating KNM as general knowledge. They study everything and still get questions wrong. The questions are practical: how to handle everyday matters and who to go to. The second mistake is using old material. Material from before July 2025 misses whole subjects.
Practise KNM the way it is tested
Work through the themes one at a time and see how ready you are before you book.
KNM practice examWhen do you get your result?
Within 8 weeks. DUO sends it by letter. You can also see it in Mijn Inburgering, where you log in with DigiD.
Plan for that waiting time. If you have a deadline, count back from it and allow 8 weeks for the result. If you might need a retake, also add the wait for an available exam date. You register for KNM in Mijn Inburgering, and DUO says it can take more than 6 weeks before you can take the exam.
If you do not pass KNM, the parts you did pass stay valid. You only retake KNM. Failing one part does not mean you fail the whole exam.