You sit the theory exam at the CBR, the official body that runs every driving test in the Netherlands. It has 53 centres for the practical test and 22 where you can take the theory exam. Those theory centres are spread across the whole country, so most regions have one within a reasonable distance. The choice of location is entirely yours.
The CBR has 22 centres where you can take the car theory exam. They are spread across the country, from Groningen to Maastricht and from Goes to Enschede. Not every location is equally busy, and some have far more exam slots available each week than others.
| Alkmaar | Hoogeveen |
|---|---|
| Amsterdam | Leeuwarden |
| Arnhem | Leusden |
| Barendrecht | Maastricht |
| Breda | Rijswijk |
| Deventer | Roermond |
| Eindhoven | Schelluinen/Gorinchem |
| Goes | Utrecht |
| Groningen | Venlo – Antoniusplein 2 |
| Haarlem | Venlo – Parlevinkerweg 1 |
| Hengelo | Zwolle |
How long you wait for a theory exam depends heavily on where you book. In busy urban areas such as Amsterdam and Haarlem the wait can run to several weeks, and in peak periods it sometimes stretches beyond a month.
At quieter centres such as Hoogeveen or Maastricht you can often be seen within a week. Nationally the average sits somewhere between two and four weeks. If you are not tied to a particular location, choosing a quieter branch can save you weeks of waiting.
Where you sit the theory exam has no bearing on the exam itself. The questions, the time limit and the pass mark are the same at every CBR centre. Whether you take it in Amsterdam or in Goes, you sit the same exam under the same conditions, which makes the choice of location a purely practical one.
Exam rooms are set up to keep distractions to a minimum. Candidates sit at individual workstations, the room is silent and everyone is answering a different set of questions. If crowds or nerves get to you, a smaller centre outside the city is worth considering, as there are usually fewer candidates in at any one time and the atmosphere tends to be calmer. None of that changes the exam itself.
So the choice of location is worth a moment’s thought. The nearest centre is not always the smartest one. A branch a little further away may have a shorter waiting list, which means sitting your exam sooner. Weigh up travel time and waiting time together when you book, and you will end up with the option that fits your own planning and preparation best.
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