Dutch KNM Exam: Mock test 2
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About Dutch KNM Exam mock test 2
This is mock test 2 of 2 for the Dutch KNM Exam. It has 40 questions, the same number as the real test, with a 45-minute timer and the real pass mark (70%). Answers and explanations are shown when you submit. Each mock test uses a fixed set of questions, so you can retake this one until you pass it, then move on to the next.
Topics in this mock test: Health and healthcare (8) · History and geography (10) · Institutions (7) · Government and the rule of law (9) · Education and upbringing (6)
Last reviewed: October 19, 2026 · Questions are written from the official study material linked on the country page.
The 40 questions in mock test 2
Take the timed test first, then use this list to review. Select a question to see the answer.
1. You want to see a medical specialist in a hospital. What do you normally need first?
A referral (verwijzing) from your GP (huisarts)
The GP is the gatekeeper of Dutch healthcare. Patients can only go to a hospital or medical specialist with a GP referral; only the emergency department (spoedeisende hulp) needs no referral.
2. Which of these care providers can you contact directly without a referral?
A dentist (tandarts), midwife or pharmacist
Primary care providers such as the GP, pharmacist, dentist and midwife can be contacted directly. Specialist hospital care requires a referral.
3. You apply for basic health insurance (basisverzekering) but have a chronic illness. Can the insurer refuse you?
No, insurers must accept everyone for the basic package at the same premium
Health insurers must accept anyone who applies for the standard package and must charge everyone the same premium, regardless of age or health.
4. Your child is born in the Netherlands. What must you do about health insurance?
Register the child with an insurer within four months; under-18s pay no premium
Children must have health insurance but pay no premium for the standard package. Parents must register a newborn with a health insurer within four months of birth.
5. You want to switch to another health insurer from 1 January. By when must you take out the new policy?
By 31 December
You can take out a new policy by 31 December; the new insurer then cancels the old one. Alternatively, cancel yourself by 31 December and take out a new policy by 1 February.
6. You are 18 or older with a low income and Dutch health insurance. What help with your premium may you get?
Healthcare benefit (zorgtoeslag) from Dienst Toeslagen
Healthcare benefit (zorgtoeslag) contributes towards your premium and compulsory excess (eigen risico). You apply via Mijn toeslagen; conditions include being 18 or older with a low income.
7. The basic health insurance does not cover a treatment you want. What can you do?
Take out supplementary insurance (aanvullende verzekering)
The government sets the basic package, which all insurers offer. For costs it does not cover, you can take out additional (supplementary) insurance with an insurer.
8. You visit your GP (huisarts) for the first time. Which number will the GP ask for to identify you?
Your citizen service number (BSN)
Recognised healthcare providers such as GPs and health insurers must use the BSN to identify you when you need care.
9. How many provinces does the Netherlands have?
12
The Netherlands has twelve provinces: Groningen, Fryslân, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland, Gelderland, Utrecht, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg.
10. How was the province of Flevoland created?
By reclaiming polders from the former Zuiderzee
Flevoland was created by reclaiming the Noordoostpolder and the Flevopolder in the former Zuiderzee, which was closed off from the sea and became the freshwater IJsselmeer.
11. When did the great flood disaster (Watersnoodramp) strike Zeeland and the South Holland islands?
The night of 31 January to 1 February 1953
A storm surge burst many dykes in Zeeland, West Brabant and the South Holland islands, killing 1,836 people. The Delta Works were built in response.
12. In which year did Germany invade the Netherlands, starting the occupation?
1940
German troops crossed the Dutch border on 10 May 1940. After the bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May, the Dutch army surrendered; the country was liberated on 5 May 1945.
13. Who is called the ‘Father of the Fatherland’ (Vader des Vaderlands) for leading the revolt against Spain?
Willem van Oranje (William of Orange)
William of Orange (1533-1584) led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule and was assassinated in Delft in 1584. The national anthem, the Wilhelmus, began as a song supporting his cause.
14. Which constitutional revision of 1848, led by Thorbecke, is seen as the start of Dutch parliamentary democracy?
Ministers became responsible instead of the King; the Tweede Kamer was directly elected
In 1848 King Willem II accepted a revised constitution drafted by Thorbecke's commission. Ministers, not the King, became responsible for government, and citizens elected the Tweede Kamer directly.
15. In which year did women in the Netherlands gain the right to vote?
1919
All men gained the vote in 1917 and women in 1919. Aletta Jacobs, the first woman admitted to a Dutch university and the first female doctor, helped lead the women's suffrage movement.
16. From which countries did many ‘guest workers’ (gastarbeiders) come to the Netherlands in the 1960s?
Italy, Spain, Turkey and Morocco, among others
Guest workers first came from Italy, Spain, Greece and Yugoslavia; Turkish workers followed a 1964 recruitment agreement and Moroccan workers came about five years later. Many settled permanently.
17. On which date is Keti Koti, the abolition of slavery in the Dutch colonies, commemorated?
1 July
Slavery was abolished in the Dutch Atlantic colonies on 1 July 1863. Keti Koti ('chains broken') is commemorated on 1 July, including at the monument in Amsterdam's Oosterpark.
18. Which four countries make up the Kingdom of the Netherlands?
The Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten
Since the Netherlands Antilles were dissolved on 10 October 2010, the Kingdom consists of four countries. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are public entities that form part of the Netherlands.
19. You register with your municipality in the Personal Records Database (BRP). Which number do you automatically receive?
A citizen service number (BSN)
Everyone registered in the BRP is automatically given a BSN, a unique personal number used by government bodies, healthcare providers and schools so you need not repeat your details everywhere.
20. You want to arrange your tax return and allowances online with the government. What do you use to log in?
DigiD
DigiD lets you identify yourself online with the government, educational institutions, healthcare providers and pension funds. You can log in via the DigiD app, SMS code or username and password.
21. Your child is born. Within how many days must the birth be registered with the municipality?
Three days
Every child born in the Netherlands must be registered at a municipal population affairs office within three days. The registrar issues a birth certificate as legal proof.
22. Which body advises the government on all bills and is also the highest general administrative court?
The Raad van State (Council of State)
The Council of State's Advisory Division advises on all government bills; its Administrative Jurisdiction Division hears appeals against decisions of municipal, provincial and central government.
23. Which authority is responsible for maintaining dykes, managing water levels and purifying waste water in your region?
The water authority (waterschap)
The Netherlands has 21 water authorities. They maintain dykes and sluices, manage water levels and purify waste water. Their general boards are mostly elected by residents.
24. Who approves the annual budget and accounts of your municipality?
The provincial executive (province)
Provinces supervise municipalities: municipalities submit their annual budgets and accounts to the provincial executive for approval. Provinces also supervise regional water authorities.
25. Which body is the middle tier of government, responsible for spatial planning in rural areas, provincial roads and nature?
The province (provincie)
Provinces decide where towns may grow and business parks may be built, maintain provincial roads and cycle paths, create and maintain nature areas, and monitor environmental quality.
26. How many members does the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) have, and how are they chosen?
150 members, directly elected by Dutch voters
The Tweede Kamer has 150 members directly elected every four years. It scrutinises the government, approves or rejects bills and may introduce or amend bills itself.
27. How are the 75 members of the Eerste Kamer (Senate) chosen?
Elected by the members of the Provincial Councils (Provinciale Staten)
Senate members are elected indirectly: soon after each provincial election, the Provincial Councils elect the 75 senators for a four-year term.
28. The Tweede Kamer has passed a bill. What can the Eerste Kamer do with it?
Approve or reject it, but not amend it
The Senate approves or rejects bills but cannot amend them. Legislation takes effect only after both houses of parliament have passed it.
29. What majority is needed in the second reading to amend the Constitution (Grondwet)?
A two-thirds majority in both the Tweede Kamer and the Eerste Kamer
Amending the Constitution takes two readings. In the second reading, a two-thirds majority is required in both houses, which makes the Constitution harder to change than ordinary laws.
30. You disagree with a judgment of a district court (rechtbank). Where can you appeal?
One of the four courts of appeal (gerechtshoven)
Most cases start at one of the 11 district courts. Appeals go to one of four courts of appeal; from there an appeal in cassation is possible to the Supreme Court (Hoge Raad).
31. Can the Minister of Justice and Security dismiss a judge whose rulings the government dislikes?
No, judges are independent and cannot be dismissed by the minister
The independence of the judiciary is a cornerstone of the rule of law: judges are independent and cannot be dismissed by the Minister of Justice and Security.
32. How does a Dutch municipality get its mayor (burgemeester)?
Appointed by Royal Decree for six years on the recommendation of the municipal council
The mayor is appointed by Royal Decree for a six-year term, nominated by the Minister of the Interior on the municipal council's recommendation. The mayor chairs the council and is responsible for public order.
33. You are a non-EU national who has lived legally in the Netherlands for over five years. In which elections may you vote?
Municipal council and water authority elections
Non-EU citizens aged 18+ who have legally lived in the Netherlands for at least five years may vote in municipal elections; all residents aged 18+ may vote in water authority elections.
34. On which day does the King read the Speech from the Throne (Troonrede) opening the parliamentary year?
Prinsjesdag, the third Tuesday in September
On Prinsjesdag, the third Tuesday in September, the King delivers the Speech from the Throne in The Hague, setting out the government's plans. The Minister of Finance then presents the budget.
35. Your child is in group 8 of primary school (basisschool). Which test must all pupils take?
The doorstroomtoets (school leavers' attainment test)
All group 8 pupils take the doorstroomtoets, which measures Dutch and arithmetic. The school uses the result, with other information, to advise which type of secondary education suits the child.
36. Your child has a vwo advice. How long does vwo take and what does it prepare for?
Six years, preparing for university (wo)
Vwo (pre-university education) takes six years and prepares pupils for university. Havo takes five years and leads to hbo (higher professional education).
37. Your child receives a vmbo advice. What does vmbo lead to?
Secondary vocational education (mbo)
Vmbo (pre-vocational secondary education) is a four-year programme combining theory and practice. In years 3 and 4 pupils choose a profile preparing them for mbo.
38. Your 17-year-old wants to leave school without a diploma. Is this allowed?
No, young people must attend school until 18 unless they have a basic qualification
The qualification requirement means young people must stay in education until 18 or until they obtain a basic qualification (startkwalificatie): an mbo level 2, havo or vwo diploma.
39. The primary school asks you for a parental contribution (ouderbijdrage) for a school trip. Are you obliged to pay?
No, the parental contribution is always voluntary
Primary education is free of school fees. Schools may ask for a contribution for extra activities, but it is always voluntary and the parents' participation council must approve the amount.
40. You need childcare before and after school (BSO) and want help with the costs. Where do you apply?
Childcare benefit (kinderopvangtoeslag) at the Belastingdienst
Parents pay the childcare provider directly and can apply to the Belastingdienst for kinderopvangtoeslag to cover part of the costs.
All Dutch KNM Exam mock tests
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