Why Reading trips candidates up — and the technique that fixes it
Reading feels like it should be the easy section — you already know how to read. What catches candidates off guard is the time pressure: the Leesvaardigheid section gives you short, practical Dutch texts (a hotel floor plan, a work email, a sports club notice, a doctor's appointment card) and multiple-choice questions about them, but only 35 minutes for 19 questions across 9 passages. Pass mark: 14 out of 19 correct (74%).
The most common mistake is reading the whole passage first and running out of time. The right approach — and exactly what the real exam instructions say — is to read the question first, then scan the passage for that specific piece of information, rather than absorbing the text top to bottom. The passages below let you practise that technique with realistic exam-format content.
MVV Klaar's practice pool contains 91 passages and 231 questions, each written to match the real exam's format and difficulty. Your actual exam draws a random selection from a similar-sized official pool — so practising broadly is the most reliable preparation. MVV Klaar gives you access to all 91 passages, in the real exam format.
💡 Helping a partner prepare? Click 🌐 Choose language above — the explanation under each question then appears in their language too, the same way it works in the full practice app.
3 real Reading passages
Full passages, not excerpts — including the actual questions and the correct answer with explanation for each.
Hotel Opera kelder zwembad, sportruimte begane grond receptie, restaurant verdieping 1 kamer 1 – 178, bar verdieping 2 kamer 179 – 260
Tom wil wat drinken in de bar. Waar is de bar?
Tom wants to get a drink at the bar. Where is the bar?
Leah heeft kamer 179. Waar is dat?
Leah has room 179. Where is that?
Hoi Yasmin, Hoe gaat het met je? Met mij gaat het goed. Ik wil je veel vertellen. Zullen we volgende week afspreken? Op donderdag moet ik werken, maar op vrijdag ben ik vrij. Zullen we dan afspreken? In het weekend heb ik al andere plannen, dus dan kan ik niet. De vorige keer ben ik bij jou thuis geweest. Dat was erg leuk. Kom jij deze keer naar mij? Dan maak ik lekkere koffie voor je. Liefs, Marjani
Waar wil Marjani afspreken?
Where does Marjani want to meet?
Wanneer kan Marjani afspreken?
When can Marjani meet?
Dag allemaal, Volgende week donderdag is de laatste les. Ik wil dan samen wat eten en drinken. Ik zorg voor het drinken. Nemen jullie wat te eten mee? We hebben borden en glazen op school. Die hoef je dus niet mee te nemen. Volgende maand beginnen we met de nieuwe cursus. Dan zijn de lessen op woensdag. Jullie kunnen je nog tot zondag inschrijven voor deze cursus. Ik hoop dat jullie dat doen! Groeten, Joop
Rian wil zich inschrijven voor een nieuwe cursus Tekenen. Tot wanneer kan dat?
Rian wants to sign up for a new drawing course. Until when can she do that?
Wat neemt Joop mee naar de laatste les?
What does Joop bring to the last lesson?
Three ways to practise — Study, Practice, Exam mode
Every section, including Reading, has three distinct modes:
- 📖 Study mode — see answers as you go, ideal for a first pass through unfamiliar passages
- ✏️ Practice mode — answer first, then check, for testing what you've actually retained
- 🎯 Exam mode — timed and scored, just like the real thing, so exam-day format isn't a surprise either
Questions shown in your language
Every question includes an English translation alongside the original Dutch — visible above for all 3 passages. In the actual app, this extends to 29 languages, including Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Tagalog, Portuguese, Farsi, Urdu, Somali, and more.
23 of the 91 passages (about 25%) are free, no account needed. Full access to all 91 passages and 231 questions is a one-time €9.99, not a subscription.
Try Reading practice — 25% free to start →