WHAT IS NORSKPRØVEN?

General information about what the Norskprøven is

The Norwegian Language Test started at the end of the 1980s and was a collaboration between the Studieforbundet Folkeuniversitetet and the University of Bergen. Until 2014, there were three different tests in Norwegian for adult immigrants: Bergenstesten (Test in Norwegian – higher level), Norskprøve 2 and Norskprøve 3. Bergenstesten was discontinued in the autumn of 2022. The Norskprøven itself came in 2014 and replaced Norskprøve 2 and Norskprøve 3.

The main aim of the Norskprøven is to give immigrants who are going to work or study in Norway, documentation of their language skills in Norwegian.

Norskprøven is a national test that is organized several times a year throughout Norway.
Kompetanse Norge is responsible for the development of the Norskprøven. It is possible to take a written or oral test. There are different levels of the Norskprøven, also called CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). The levels for the Norskprøven are A1–A2, A2–B1, B1–B2 and C1.

  • level A1 corresponds to the old Norskprøve 1
  • level A2 corresponds to the old Norskprøve 2
  • level B1 corresponds to Norskprøve 3
  • level B2 gives you the basis for admission to higher education in Norway
  • there is also Norskprøve C1.

 

Norskprøven A1–A2–B1–B2

The written Norwegian test has three parts:

  • listening test which takes 30–60 minutes
  • reading test lasting 75 minutes
  • written test which takes 90 minutes for levels A1–A2 and A2–B1 and 120 minutes for levels B1–B2

The oral part of the Norskprøven is divided into a conversation part and an individual part. The duration is 20 to 30 minutes.

When you take the Norwegian test, you have to choose a level. You can choose between A1–A2, A2–B1 or B1–B2 level for the written test and the oral part. The reading and listening tests are adaptive and measure several levels, and therefore you do not need to choose a level for the reading test and the listening test.

On the reading test and listening test you can get A1, A2, B1 or B2. You cannot get a higher result than the chosen level for the test for written presentation, but it is possible that the result for the oral test will be lower or higher than the chosen level.

Norskprøven C1

Norskprøven C1 has a different structure compared to Norskprøven A1–A2–B1–B2. It consists of two parts that can be taken independently of each other:

  • listening comprehension and written presentation where you have 2.5 hours
  • reading comprehension and oral communication where you get 30 minutes of preparation time followed by 15–20 minutes of examination

Here you only get tasks at C1 level, and the result is C1 or not passed.

This website primarily aims to help you prepare for the written part (reading test, listening test and written presentation).

Norskprøven.com is only for those who want to take a higher level, i.e. B1–B2. The exercises are on B1-B2 level. It will feel like the exercises on this website are more difficult than the exam itself, as on the actual exam the listening and the reading part are adaptive and some of the tasks are at level A1, A2 and B1.

To learn more about how Norskprøven is structured, click here.

To try our free sample test, click here.