Register for state examination in secondary education

Are you not following regular secondary education in the Netherlands, but still want to obtain a VMBO, HAVO or VWO qualification? If so, you can take the staatsexamen (state exam) in one or more subjects. A state examination is equivalent to an examination at an regular secondary school in the Netherlands.

Last updated on 23 May 2023

Lees deze informatie in het Nederlands

Register for a state examination

You can register for state examinations (in Dutch) on the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs – DUO (education implementation service) website.

The state examinations are offered for:

  • voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs – VMBO (pre-vocational secondary education)
  • hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs – HAVO (higher general secondary education)
  • voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs – VWO (pre-academic education)

You can also read about how state examinations work (in Dutch) on the DUO website.

Laws and regulations (in Dutch)

Wet voortgezet onderwijs 2020, artikel 2.72

Uitvoeringsbesluit WVO 2020, artikel 4.1

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