Which Dutch exam do I need?
Inburgering, NT2 Programme I, NT2 Programme II, or none at all. People routinely prepare for one when they needed another, which costs months and the price of a course. Pick the reason you need Dutch and this will tell you which exam applies and at what level.
Why do you need Dutch?
All four answers are below. Choose an option above to jump to yours.
The inburgering exam
This is a civic integration obligation rather than a language qualification you choose. It tests language alongside knowledge of Dutch society, and the required level is set for you rather than left to preference - it was raised from A2 to B1, so check which applies to your own case. It comes with a deadline that carries consequences, which makes the date more important than the score. The KNM module is part of this route, not a separate thing.
NT2 Staatsexamen, Programme II
Programme II sits at around B2 and is what universities and higher professional education ask for, along with many regulated professions including healthcare. It is a language qualification you choose to take because an institution has asked for proof, not something the state requires of you. If someone has asked for "NT2" without saying which programme, assume this one and confirm, because preparing for the wrong one wastes a course rather than a morning.
NT2 Staatsexamen, Programme I
Programme I sits at around B1 and is aimed at work at a vocational level, or at training that does not require academic Dutch. It is the same exam structure as Programme II - four separate papers in reading, listening, writing and speaking - pitched a level lower. If your employer has asked for Dutch without naming a qualification, they most likely mean the B1 level rather than a certificate, and it is worth asking before you book anything.
You do not need an exam
Most learners never need one, and studying as though you do distorts what you practise. An exam is a measurement, and measuring more often does not make the thing grow faster. What is worth doing instead is picking a level to aim at, because an open-ended ambition is much harder to finish than a finite project. A2 is enough for shops, appointments and the predictable parts of daily life; B1 is where conversation becomes possible.
Why this gets confused so often
Because the two are not the same exam at different levels, which is the assumption almost everyone starts with. They are different exams for different purposes, run for different reasons. Inburgering exists because the state requires it of you and bundles language with civics. NT2 exists because an institution wants proof of Dutch at a working level, and tests only language. A pass in one does not substitute for the other, and the levels do not line up neatly either. Before booking any course, confirm what has actually been asked of you and by whom.
Check before you pay
This page narrows the question, it does not settle it. Requirements, levels, fees and deadlines all change, and exemptions exist for particular qualifications and circumstances that no general guide can anticipate. Confirm the current rules with DUO or your municipality, or with the institution that asked you for the qualification, before you book a course or an exam date. This is one of the few areas where out-of-date advice is actively expensive.