The Cito toets — now officially replaced by the Doorstroomtoets — is the most consequential assessment in a Dutch child's primary school career. Taken in group 8 (the final year of basisschool, typically age 11–12), the result feeds directly into the school advice that determines which level of secondary education a child enters. This guide explains what the test measures, how scores work, what they mean for your child's secondary school options, and how families can best support their child through the process.
From Cito Toets to Doorstroomtoets: What Changed?
For decades, the Cito Eindtoets Basisonderwijs was the standard primary school leaving assessment in the Netherlands. From 2024 onwards, this has been replaced by the Doorstroomtoets — a system change designed to reduce inequality and ensure that the test result plays a more transparent role in secondary school placement.
The most significant change is timing: the Doorstroomtoets is now taken in February of group 8, and crucially, the school advice (schooladvies) from the teacher is issued before the test result. This means the teacher's professional judgement comes first, and the Doorstroomtoets serves to confirm or potentially upgrade that advice — but not to downgrade it. If a child scores significantly above their teacher advice level, the school is required to reconsider and may revise upward.
Multiple test providers are now approved for the Doorstroomtoets, including Cito, IEP, Route 8, and DIA. Schools choose which provider to use. The results from all providers are calibrated to the same national standard, so the choice of provider does not disadvantage or advantage students.
What Does the Test Measure?
Regardless of the provider, the Doorstroomtoets assesses three core domains:
- Taal (Language): Reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and language usage. Children are expected to be able to read and interpret non-fiction texts, understand implicit meaning, and identify correct spelling and grammar. This is the largest domain by weighting.
- Rekenen (Mathematics): Number operations, measurement, geometry, fractions, percentages, and applied problem-solving. The level tested corresponds to the group 8 curriculum, but the most challenging questions require multi-step reasoning rather than straightforward calculation.
- Lezen (Reading fluency): Some providers include a separate reading fluency component, testing the speed and accuracy with which children can process written text. This is distinct from reading comprehension — it measures decoding automaticity.
What the test does not measure: The Doorstroomtoets does not test history, geography, science, or social studies — despite these being part of the basisschool curriculum. It also does not test creativity, critical thinking, or learning potential in the way that a cognitive ability test (CAT4 or CogAT) would. It is an achievement test, not an ability test.
How Scores Are Reported
The Cito provider reports a score on a scale from roughly 501 to 550, with a national average around 534–536 in most years. The score is converted to a "score range" that maps to recommended secondary school levels:
| Cito score range | Indicated secondary level | Approx. % of students |
|---|---|---|
| 501–524 | VMBO-Basisberoepsgerichte leerweg (BB) | ~15% |
| 525–528 | VMBO-Kaderberoepsgerichte leerweg (KB) | ~10% |
| 529–533 | VMBO-Theoretische leerweg (TL) | ~20% |
| 534–536 | VMBO-TL / HAVO | ~15% |
| 537–539 | HAVO | ~15% |
| 540–544 | HAVO / VWO | ~15% |
| 545–550 | VWO (including Gymnasium) | ~10% |
The IEP and Route 8 providers use different scoring scales, but all map to the same secondary level indicators. The national calibration ensures comparability.
The Role of the Schooladvies
The schooladvies (school advice) is the teacher's formal recommendation for which secondary level a child should enter. It is issued by the school in February or March of group 8, before the Doorstroomtoets result arrives. The advice is legally binding in the sense that secondary schools use it as the primary placement criterion — but the Doorstroomtoets result can trigger a review.
If the Doorstroomtoets result is higher than the schooladvies, the school must offer a heroverweging (reconsideration). The school is not obligated to raise the advice, but they must formally review it and document their reasoning. In practice, many schools do raise the advice when there is a significant gap.
If the Doorstroomtoets result is lower than the schooladvies, the advice stands. The test can only help a child, not hurt them under the new system.
How to Support Your Child
The most effective preparation for the Doorstroomtoets is consistent academic engagement throughout the basisschool years — not intensive drilling in the weeks before the test. That said, targeted preparation in group 7 and early group 8 is entirely appropriate and widely practised.
- Practise past papers. Cito publishes practice tests and many schools use commercially available oefenboeken (practice books) matched to the test format. Working through timed practice questions familiarises children with the test structure and builds confidence.
- Focus on taal first. Language is the most heavily weighted domain and often the area where children can make the most meaningful improvement through targeted reading and vocabulary work. Daily reading of age-appropriate texts — non-fiction as well as fiction — directly transfers to the test.
- Address specific rekenen gaps. Use the school's methode (primary maths programme, such as Wereld in Getallen or Pluspunt) to identify which areas your child is weakest in. Fractions, percentages, and applied measurement are the most commonly challenging topics at group 8 level.
- Talk to the teacher early. The schooladvies is heavily influenced by the teacher's professional judgement across all of group 8. Build a positive working relationship with the teacher and address any concerns about academic performance well before February.
What If the Advice Feels Wrong?
If you believe your child has been significantly under-advised, the process for seeking a review is as follows: wait for the Doorstroomtoets result, which arrives before the secondary school registration deadline. If the result indicates a higher level than the advice, formally request a heroverweging from the school.
You can also engage an independent educational psychologist (orthopedagoog or psycholoog) for a cognitive assessment if you believe the school's advice systematically underestimates your child's potential. This is particularly relevant for children who may have a learning difference (dyslexia, attention difficulties) that has affected their classroom performance but not their underlying cognitive ability. For more on gifted identification and cognitive assessment in the Netherlands, see our guide to gifted education (hoogbegaafd) in the Netherlands. If your child is heading to VWO, read our VWO and Gymnasium entry guide.