WHAT IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DUTCH SOCIETY (KENNIS VAN DE NEDERLANDSE MAATSCHAPPIJ, KNM)?

And when do you have to do this exam?

People who come from outside the EU, Iceland, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and live in the Netherlands for a long time are obliged to integrate. Integration means learning the Dutch language and learning about Dutch society and the labour market.

To integrate, you take an exam, showing what you have learned. One of the components of the integration exam is Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNM). In this section, questions are asked about how we interact with each other in the Netherlands, about norms and values, about Dutch history, the educational system and health care.

KNM and KNS: what’s the difference?
When you search for information about the KNM exam, you often encounter the term ‘KNS’. This means ‘Knowledge of the Dutch Community’ (‘Kennis van de Nederlandse Samenleving’), the old name of the KNM exam. By 2015, the name of the exam changed to ‘Knowledge of Dutch Society’ (‘Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij’).

Anyone who has to integrate in the Netherlands must take the Knowledge of Dutch Society (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij) exam.

The basic exam Integration abroad and Knowledge of Dutch the Community (Kennis van de Nederlandse Samenleving, KNS)
People who want to live with their partner or spouse in the Netherlands must start integration abroad. They must successfully pass the basic integration abroad exam to be able to come to the Netherlands. One of the components of this exam is Knowledge of the Dutch Community (Kennis van de Nederlandse Samenleving, KNS). This is not the same exam as the KNM exam.

The KNS part of the basic integration abroad exam is also about how we interact with each other in the Netherlands, but all questions in this exam are about the film Naar Nederland. With this film, people prepare for the basic integration abroad exam. The way you prepare for this exam is therefore different from the KNM exam.

Who has to do the KNM exam?
Everyone who is required to integrate in the Netherlands must do the examination component Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNM). KNM is a permanent component of the integration exam. Even if you are doing the State Examination NT2 (Programme I or II), you must take the KNM exam.

You can read more about what you can expect from the Knowledge of Dutch Society (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij) exam on the page ‘What does the KNM exam involve?’.

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