Norskprøve – how to pass it?

In every Norwegian course, sooner or later a question is asked about the official Norwegian language exams. The first exam worth taking in Norway is Norskprøve. Below I have gathered for you the most important and up-to-date information about Norskprøve.

Vox

Currently, the examination is administered locally by Vox, the national professional body for competence development policy. Detailed information about Norskprøve in Norwegian and English can be found on this page.

Notice changes!

Since May 2014, there have been changes to the way Norskprøve is conducted. The most important change is that the written part is passed electronically, on a computer. The changes also apply to nomenclature and passed levels. In the old system it was possible to pass Norskprøve 1 corresponding to A1 level, Norskprøve 2 corresponding to A2 and Norskprøve 3 corresponding to B1 level.

Currently, we simply pass Norskprøve and choose our own level range.

Levels
Norskprøve checks your knowledge of Norwegian at levels A1 to B1 (from December 2015, B2 will also be available for selection). When registering for the exam, we select whether we want to pass at the A1-A2 or A2-B1 level. When selecting the appropriate level, the so-called egenvurderingsskjemaer (self assessment templates) available on the VOX website under the Prøven tab.

Exam overview
Norskprøve consists of a written and oral exam. You can choose between bokmål or nynorsk . The written exam is digital and divided into smaller units:

– listening comprehension (30 min.)
– written comprehension (75 min.)
– written work (A1-A2 60 min., A2-B1 90 min.)

The oral exam is divided into a conversation part and an individual part and lasts from 20 to 30 minutes. Two examiners are present in the room, one moderating the interview and the other assessing it.

Registration
We register at vox.no through the PAD system. After registering at the latest 2 weeks before the exam, the candidate receives a letter with information about the date and time and place of the exam. For example, in Oslo, the course takes place at three locations: Oslo VO Helsfyr, Oslo VO Rosenhof og Oslo VO Skullerud.

Dates
The exam takes place twice a year (e.g. in 2015 from May 26 to June 5 and from November 30 to December 10).

Price

Each municipality in Norway sets its own price for the Norskprøve exam. Prices are around 1000 NOK for both parts, e.g. 600 NOK for the oral exam, 600 for the written exam.

Preparation for the exam
This page provides you with aids to help you prepare for this exam – including two free study programs: calst.no and LearnNow.no (instructions in Polish !), and sample exercises from Norskprøve for listening, reading comprehension, sample topics for written assignments, and also for the oral exam.
I definitely recommend doing these sample exercises!

Results and certificate

Individual parts of the exam are graded, for example: “Below A1”, “A1”, “A2” and “B1”. The certificate with the results is sent by post up to 6 weeks from the date of taking the exam.

Zoozanko wishes good luck to all Norskprøve candidates!