Translated from Dutch. The Dutch page is the original. Read in Dutch
Doorstroomtoets sample questions: what the questions look like
The doorstroomtoets (the national test in groep 8, the last year of basisschool) always has three parts: reading, taalverzorging (spelling and grammar) and maths. Below are sample questions for each part, with the answer and an explanation. If your child knows the type of questions, the test day will feel less scary.
In short
- The doorstroomtoets tests reading, spelling and grammar, and maths. There are five approved tests; the format differs, but the parts are the same.
- The questions on this page were written by us, in the same style. They are not real test questions.
- With many questions, the trap is in reading the question, not in the sum or the word.
- Little and often works best: ten minutes, three times a week.
Sample questions: reading
Reading is about understanding texts: finding the main idea, seeing what the writer means and looking up information.
Question 1
Bijen zijn belangrijk voor ons eten. Als ze van bloem naar bloem vliegen, nemen ze stuifmeel mee. Daardoor kunnen planten vruchten maken. Zonder bijen zouden er veel minder appels en peren zijn. (Bees are important for our food. When they fly from flower to flower, they carry pollen. This lets plants produce fruit. Without bees there would be far fewer apples and pears.)
What is the main idea of this text?
- A. Bees fly from flower to flower.
- B. Without bees, far less fruit grows.
- C. Apples and pears are healthy.
- D. Flowers contain pollen.
A and D are in the text, but they are details. The main idea is what the whole text is about. Test it like this: would this sentence work as a heading for the whole text?
Question 2
Sanne fietst elke dag naar school. Op maandag waait het hard tegen en doet ze er twintig minuten over. Op dinsdag is de wind gedraaid. Dan is ze in twaalf minuten op school. (Sanne cycles to school every day. On Monday there is a strong headwind and it takes her twenty minutes. On Tuesday the wind has changed direction. Then she gets to school in twelve minutes.)
How many minutes faster is Sanne on Tuesday than on Monday?
- A. 8 minutes
- B. 12 minutes
- C. 20 minutes
- D. 32 minutes
20 − 12 = 8 minutes. B and C are in the text, but they do not answer this question. So always read the question twice.
Sample questions: spelling and grammar
Taalverzorging covers spelling, spelling of verbs, punctuation and sentence structure.
Question 3
Which word goes in the gap? Er is gisteren iets geks ... op het schoolplein.
- A. gebeurt
- B. gebeurd
- C. gebeurde
- D. gebeurdt
After 'is', this needs a past participle. The r of 'gebeuren' is not in 't kofschip, so it ends in a d: gebeurd.
Question 4
In which sentence is the punctuation correct?
- A. Lisa vroeg: "Kom je ook?"
- B. Lisa vroeg, "Kom je ook?"
- C. Lisa vroeg: "Kom je ook."
- D. Lisa vroeg "kom je ook?"
In Dutch, a colon comes before the exact words someone says. The sentence inside the quotation marks starts with a capital letter, and a question ends with a question mark.
Sample questions: maths
Maths covers numbers, ratios, measurement and geometry, and relationships (such as tables and graphs). The sum is often part of a short story.
Question 5
For 6 pancakes you need 150 grams of flour. How much flour do you need for 15 pancakes?
- A. 300 grams
- B. 360 grams
- C. 375 grams
- D. 450 grams
First work out what goes into one pancake: 150 : 6 = 25 grams. Then 15 × 25 = 375 grams. A ratio table (verhoudingstabel) helps with this.
Question 6
The train leaves at 14.48 and arrives at 15.21. How long is the journey?
- A. 27 minutes
- B. 33 minutes
- C. 43 minutes
- D. 73 minutes
Count via the full hour: from 14.48 to 15.00 is 12 minutes, and from 15.00 to 15.21 is 21 minutes. Together that makes 33 minutes. If you simply subtract, you calculate as if an hour has 100 minutes and get 73.
Question 7
A game costs € 40,-. You get a 15% discount. How much discount do you get?
- A. € 4,-
- B. € 6,-
- C. € 15,-
- D. € 34,-
10% of € 40,- is € 4,-. Then 5% is half of that: € 2,-. Together € 6,-. Watch out: D is what the game costs after the discount, and that was not the question. More about this: the common mistake with discounts.
What can you learn from these questions?
Many mistakes happen not because a child does not know the material, but because they read too quickly. So teach your child three habits:
- Read the question twice. What exactly is being asked?
- First cross out what cannot be right. That makes the choice smaller.
- Check the answer. Does it make sense?
Want to know more about the test itself? Read what the doorstroomtoets is and see the dates for 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real questions from the doorstroomtoets?
No. We wrote these questions ourselves, in the style of the test. They show the kind of questions your child can expect.
Are the questions the same on every doorstroomtoets?
No. In the 2026-2027 school year, there are five approved tests: Leerling in Beeld (Cito), IEP, Route 8, the Dia test and the DOE test. The format differs, but they all test reading, spelling and grammar, and maths.
What is the best way for my child to practise?
Little and often: ten minutes three times a week works better than one long afternoon. The test measures what your child has learned over eight years, so cramming for a week does not help much.
Where can I find more sample questions?
On Schoolwegwijzer your child can practise for free, without an account, with questions on reading, spelling and grammar, and maths, with an explanation for every answer.
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