Norskprøven: the official Norwegian test explained (levels, parts, registration)

Norskprøven is the state Norwegian test for adult immigrants, and it is run by HK-dir (previously by Kompetanse Norge and, before that, VOX). HK-dir writes and marks the test; local test centres (prøvesteder), usually run by municipalities, hold it and register candidates.

Results are given as CEFR levels, so one test serves very different purposes: for citizenship it is the speaking part that counts (see the Norwegian citizenship language requirements), while Norwegian universities ask for B2 in all four parts.

• prøve

  test, exam

  Plural: prøver.

• delprøve

  part of the test

• prøvested

  test centre

• påmelding

  registration

• prøvebevis

  test certificate

There are four parts, and you can take all four or only the ones you need. Reading and listening are usually taken on the same day as writing, on a computer; the speaking test is held separately, with examiners.

• leseforståelse

  reading comprehension

  About 75 minutes.

• lytteforståelse

  listening comprehension

• skriftlig framstilling

  writing

  90 minutes or two hours, depending on level.

• muntlig kommunikasjon

  speaking

  A conversation part and an individual part.

There are three level versions, A1–A2, A2–B1 and B1–B2, but they work differently for each part. For reading and listening you do not choose: the test is adaptive. Everyone starts with a short first pre-test, mostly at A2; depending on your answers you move to an easier or harder second pre-test, and your points decide which of the three main tests you get.

You get a level for each part you took, not one overall grade. The possible results are: not enough material to assess, below A1, A1, A2, B1 or B2.

• Reading and listening are marked automatically: one point for each correct answer, nothing for wrong or blank answers.
• Writing is marked by two examiners independently, with a third if they disagree. You can appeal your writing result.
• Speaking is assessed by an examiner (eksaminator) and an external assessor (sensor), who has the final say, using a form that covers fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
• All results arrive together about three weeks after the test, on «Min side». The certificate (prøvebevis) comes by post.

You register on HK-dir's website by choosing a test centre in your county during the registration window, which usually opens about five weeks before the test and runs from Monday morning to Friday evening. When you register you choose the parts and your level for writing and speaking.

• If you have the right and duty to Norwegian tuition (for example as a refugee or a family member reunited with one), you can take all parts free of charge once, and the test centre registers you.
• If you do not have that right, you register yourself and pay. Each municipality sets its own price: according to HK-dir, one part often costs NOK 400–1,200 and the full test NOK 1,500–2,500.
• Registration is binding: if you do not turn up you still pay, unless you have a documented valid reason such as sick leave.

Note: HK-dir is moving Norskprøven, the social studies test and the citizenship test to a new digital system. HK-dir has not yet published what will change for candidates or a fixed switch-over date. Always check the official website before you register, as dates, prices and procedures can change.

The most useful thing is to work through HK-dir's sample tasks and train each part separately, starting with your weakest. For English speakers, listening is often the hardest part: spoken Norwegian varies a lot by region, and the tonal rise and fall of words has no real equivalent in English.

• Do HK-dir's sample tasks to learn the format and timing.
• Listen to real Norwegian every day (radio, podcasts, TV with Norwegian subtitles), not just textbook audio.
• For writing, practise messages, emails and opinion texts against the clock, and revise Norwegian word order: putting the verb second is the most common slip.
• For speaking, practise describing, comparing and giving opinions out loud, with a partner if you can.

To estimate how long it may take to reach the level you need, see how long it takes to learn Norwegian. A course certificate, including SnakkTrygt's, does not replace Norskprøven: official applications need the test itself.

Yes: HK-dir also offers Norskprøven C1 – høyere akademisk nivå, which only measures C1 and gives either C1 or a fail. The older «Test i norsk – høyere nivå» (the Bergen test) also documented B2 and C1; HK-dir says it was last held in 2022, while Folkeuniversitetet says it has relaunched it, so check its current status before relying on it.