KNM, Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij, is the part of the inburgeringsexamen that tests what you know about daily life, work and public institutions in the Netherlands, not your Dutch grammar. It is organised around eight official themes, and each one shows up with its own mix of facts and everyday situations. This guide walks through all eight, grounded in what the exam actually covers.
What topics are on the KNM part of the inburgeringsexamen?
KNM covers eight official themes, and every KNM question belongs to one of them. They are: work and income, manners/values and norms, housing, health and healthcare, history and geography, official bodies (instanties), government and the rule of law (staatsinrichting), and education and upbringing. Questions are written in simple A2-level Dutch, and they mix plain facts with short everyday situations where you have to pick the right response.
What does Werk en inkomen (work and income) cover?
This theme tests what you need to legally work in the Netherlands and what happens once you do. You need a BSN (citizen service number) to work, and you get one from the gemeente. Your employer needs that BSN for payroll, and you receive a payslip (loonstrook) every month. Pay, working hours and holidays in many sectors are set by a CAO, a collective agreement between employers and unions, so questions can ask what a CAO actually regulates rather than just what the letters stand for.
What does Omgangsvormen, waarden en normen (manners, values and norms) cover?
This theme tests equality, tolerance and what is legally forbidden. Men and women are equal under Dutch law, and discrimination, including refusing someone a job because of skin colour, is against the law. Same-sex couples have been able to marry since 2001. Tolerance, in the sense the exam uses it, means accepting differences between people rather than simply not causing trouble.
What does Wonen (housing) cover?
This theme covers the practical steps of renting or buying a home. You can either rent or buy, and if you rent you pay a monthly amount and sign a rental contract (huurcontract). A waarborgsom is a deposit you pay to the landlord in advance, before you move in, and questions test whether you know what that money actually is, not just the Dutch word for it.
What does Gezondheid en gezondheidszorg (health and healthcare) cover?
This theme is built around the huisarts (family doctor) as your first point of contact. If you are unwell you make an appointment (afspraak) with the huisarts rather than going straight to a hospital. The huisarts can give you a prescription (recept) to take to a pharmacy, and if you need to see a specialist you normally need a referral (verwijzing) from the huisarts first. Several questions test this order of steps rather than isolated vocabulary.
What does Geschiedenis en geografie (history and geography) cover?
This theme is largely factual: the shape of the country and how it is organised. The Netherlands has twelve provinces. Amsterdam is the capital, but the government and parliament actually sit in Den Haag. The reigning king is Willem-Alexander van Oranje. These are fixed facts rather than situations, which makes them straightforward to drill with flashcards.
What does Instanties (official bodies) cover?
This theme is about knowing which official body handles which piece of paperwork, and the gemeente comes up repeatedly. When you move to live in the Netherlands you register with the gemeente. You also apply for a new passport there, report a change of address there, and register the birth of a child there. Other bodies, such as DUO, the Belastingdienst (tax authority) and the UWV, appear elsewhere in KNM, but Instanties questions specifically test which office you go to for which task.
What does Staatsinrichting en rechtsstaat (government and the rule of law) cover?
This theme tests how the country is actually governed, not just who the king is. The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, and the king’s role is mostly ceremonial rather than governing. The country is actually run by the regering (government), which consists of the king together with the ministers. Questions in this theme separate the ceremonial and constitutional roles from who makes the real decisions.
What does Onderwijs en opvoeding (education and upbringing) cover?
This theme covers school ages and what happens if a young person leaves school without a diploma. Children in the Netherlands must attend school from age 5, and compulsory education (leerplicht) runs until age 16. A 17-year-old without a diploma still has to keep studying under the kwalificatieplicht that follows leerplicht. Primary school (basisschool) runs across eight groepen, from groep 1 to groep 8.
How can you prepare for all eight KNM themes?
Practise theme by theme, then mix them in a timed mock so you get used to switching between topics. Since KNM questions can be a plain fact or a short everyday situation, it helps to study both forms rather than only memorising numbers and names. The RiverMap Learning inburgeringsexamen app organises KNM practice by all eight official themes, with a Dutch and English explanation after every answer, plus flashcards for the facts you need to recall quickly and a mixed mock exam that draws across the whole syllabus the way the real KNM does. All questions are original practice material written to match the publicly documented exam format, and the app is not affiliated with or endorsed by DUO or any Dutch government body.