Successfully passing the Inburgeringsexamen with the Dutch Crash Course

Once you’re eligible for a permanent residency permit in the Netherlands, you have to pass the Civic Integration Exam, or inburgeringsexamen: four exams that evaluate your Dutch language skills and one exam that evaluates your knowledge of Dutch society. Rachel, from the U.S., recently took the exams. She successfully passed three of them, and she’s waiting for the results from the final two.

How did she prepare for these exams? By following the two-week crash course with the Delft Method at NedLes in (Amsterdam-Oost).

Almost six years ago, Rachel moved to the Netherlands to work for an NGO in global health, based in The Hague. She took a Dutch language course soon after she arrived. She enjoyed it a lot, but didn’t continue after the first round of classes. “I’ll be back soon!" became… never.

Five years later, Rachel wanted to continue learning Dutch. "I see myself staying in the Netherlands, at least for the coming years. So I felt that I should learn the language better. I feel at home here, but I wanted to connect better with the community. I wanted to be able to have all the daily interactions in Dutch, when I am out in my neighbourhood."

Rachel started looking for a course. She had a few requirements, she explained. "I wanted the course to be in- person, because I find it challenging to stay engaged in an online class. And I wanted it to be intensive, so I could completely focus on learning Dutch." She found the two-week Crash Course to A2- at NedLes and thought it would be a good fit. "I found it hard to feel confident while speaking Dutch. A method that forces me to speak would be good for me, I thought."

Rachel decided to go for it. She took two weeks off from work and joined the very intensive Crash Course. It was indeed a very good fit. "The two weeks were very valuable. Because of the intensive character of the course - you have two speaking classes a day, five days a week, for two weeks - I was able to switch my brain to Dutch. And since there were we were only three students in my group, we had lots of focused time to practice."

Rachel had heard about the Delft Method before, but didn’t really know what to expect. The online pre-session clarified a lot. "Working with the Delft Method means you listen to a text at home, multiple times. You read and repeat the text and you study the words. In the speaking class that follows, you put the new words into practice." This means the course demands quite a lot of homework. It takes two to three hours to prepare a text. "That’s what makes the course so worthwhile,” Rachel adds. "You really learn a lot in just two weeks!"

After the Crash Course, Rachel decided to take the Integration exams. "I didn’t expect to be so well prepared, just by following the course. I tried some exams online and I realized I already had the right level. My language skills were very well developed, thanks to the Delft Method. For some exams, I had to prepare a bit about how to take the test: I wanted to know what kind of questions I could expect. But in terms of vocabulary and skills, I had everything I needed."

Does she have any advice for others who want to learn Dutch? "I think it’s important to find the set-up that works for you. For me, this very intensive course at NedLes worked really well. I liked it a lot. I think it can be good to try something you’re not accustomed to. Especially if you have been learning other languages before, but you’re struggling with speaking - like I did."

Is Rachel more confident in speaking Dutch now? "Definitely! I recently did some volunteering work and I had to speak a lot of Dutch. It is something I wouldn’t have dared to do before the Crash Course. Thanks to the course, I am used to speaking Dutch now. I know I make mistakes, but that’s okay. It’s about building confidence. Imperfections are part of the journey."

Rachel adds, "Of course, there are still things that I find frustrating. It still takes a lot of effort in my brain to know when to add an extra ‘e’ to an adjective and when not." But nonetheless, speaking Dutch in the neighbourhood is now appeltje eitje for her. It’s probably no coincidence that appeltje eitje, which translates to “easy peasy,” is Rachel’s new favorite Dutch expression.

Do you want to follow the Crash Course to A2-, just as Rachel did? New courses start regularly at NedLes. If you can’t free up two full weeks, you can consider following NedLes’ hybrid course. In just two intensive off-line weekends and twelve online classes of one hour each, one evening per week, you can achieve the same results as Rachel, while having a full-time job. NedLes also offers less intensive fully online courses with the Delft Method (5 weeks or 10 weeks). Have a look at www.nedles.nl or book your free intake!