C-test

1. Before you are permitted to take the test, you must make an appointment to have a short conversation with a teacher. Make an appointment by sending an email to Jeroen van Engen, j.van.engen@rug.nl. Mention explicitly that you would like to make an appointment to discuss the C-test.
2. The teacher will contact you to initiate a short conversation on your linguistic background. During this conversation, the teacher will determine whether you are eligible for the C-test. If this does not appear to be the case, the teacher will refer you to the State Examination in Dutch as a Second Language (NT2) or to the Certificate for Dutch as a Foreign Language (CNaVT) tests. If you are eligible for the C-test, the teacher will make an appointment with you regarding the test date. After the conversation, you will receive an email stating the teacher’s official recommendation. You can use this to register and pay online.
3. The test lasts around one hour, including the introduction and closing. In the introduction, the teacher will explain how the test works and what is expected of you. You will then take the test, which lasts around 30 minutes. The test will be marked immediately afterwards while you wait for the result. Finally, you will discuss the subsequent administrative steps with the teacher.

Testing format and example C-test question

The C-test comprises three texts in which every second word is missing half of its letters. If a word has an uneven number of letters, then half + 1 of the letters will be missing. You have to complete the words:

• De he______ van h____ aantal let______ is wegge________.
  Je mo____ de woo_______ weer comp______ maken.

• De helft van het aantal letters is weggelaten.
  Je moet de woorden weer compleet maken.

There are a total of 100 words to complete. Have a look at an example C-test here.

Preparation tips

Below are some tips so that you can get used to the testing format used in the C-test. This may help you to feel more comfortable when taking the C-test.

Tip 1

Read and listen to a lot of Dutch content at a native-speaker level on news pages and in podcasts. This will be especially useful if you do not already do this on a daily basis. Get used to reading and listening to some Dutch content every day. In this way, you will activate your existing knowledge and vocabulary.

Tip 2

Practise your vocabulary at the C-test level on the Dutch Ambition website. Please note that only academic keywords are assessed on this site, while the C-test assesses a wide range of words.

Tip 3

The C-test is a gap test: half of the letters in every second word are missing. You can also practise by creating your own gap test online. You can enter your own text on this website, which will then automatically be transformed into a gap test.

This type of gap test is, however, slightly different from our C-test. Namely, the full word will be missing in this test, instead of only the second half of a word. Nevertheless, it may help you to feel more confident in completing texts.

A score of 90% is required for a pass mark. This means that your language proficiency is comparable to that of a student in year 5 of pre-university education (VWO). You may only take this test once. The test assesses whether you are proficient in Dutch as a native speaker. It is therefore a one-off, abridged route for native speakers.

Positive result

If you pass the test, you will receive three copies of your certificate. If you would like to receive more copies, please ask your examiner to indicate this on the application form.

• Each additional copy costs €1.
• If you would like to receive more copies at a later stage, you will be charged an administration fee of €10 plus €1 per additional copy.

Negative result

If you do not pass the test, we will refer you to the official State Examination in Dutch as a Second Language (NT2). You can only take this exam in the Netherlands; it is not possible to take it online.

It is possible to take the Certificate for Dutch as a Foreign Language (CNaVT) tests abroad. If you decide to take the latter tests, we suggest that you take the Educatief Startbekwaam (STRT) test at B2 level, or possibly the Educatief professioneel test at C1 level. If you pass one of these tests, you can obtain a certificate via the Language Centre stating that your Dutch is at a sufficient level to successfully follow a Dutch-taught degree programme at the University of Groningen.