Netherlands
VWO Wiskunde A and B
Dutch pre-university (VWO) central exams in mathematics: wiskunde A, the applied course of the E&M and N&G profiles, and wiskunde B, the calculus and geometry course of the N&T profile. Set nationally by the College voor Toetsen en Examens.
Exam Format
Questions
One written paper per subject with several contexts, each followed by open questions where you show your working. The 2026 papers had 17 questions (wiskunde B) and 20 questions (wiskunde A). Wiskunde B covers functions and graphs, calculus, trigonometric functions, and coordinate geometry with vectors; wiskunde A covers algebra and counting, functions, sequences, and derivatives.
Duration
3 hours (13:30 to 16:30). In 2027 both papers are on Friday 28 May.
Scoring
Points out of a maximum (75 in 2026) are converted to a grade from 1 to 10 with a yearly N-term; in 2026, 32 of 75 points earned a 5.5. Your final mathematics grade is the average of the school exam and this central exam grade.
Calculator
An approved graphing calculator in Dutch exam mode is allowed in both subjects. In wiskunde B, questions marked "exact" or "algebraïsch" must be solved without its solving features.
Study Strategies
- 1In wiskunde B, train exact algebra without the calculator: in 2026, 11 of the 17 questions, worth 47 of 75 points, were marked "exact" or "algebraïsch", which rules out the graphing calculator's solving features.
- 2Know what is on the formula sheet and what is not: wiskunde B prints only the trigonometric sum and double-angle formulas, and wiskunde A only the differentiation and logarithm rules, so derivatives of standard functions, exact trigonometric values and integration rules must be memorized.
- 3Write down every step and, when you use the graphing calculator, say what you entered: answers without the required working usually score zero, and each arithmetic slip costs one point.
- 4Do not round in the middle of a calculation: when rounded intermediate answers change the final result, one point is deducted on that question.
- 5Work through recent central exams from examenblad.nl under timed conditions: papers from 2018 onward count as example material, and the 2027 syllabi are unchanged from 2026.
How Math Zen Helps
Math Zen covers the core of both VWO mathematics courses: functions and logarithms, derivatives with the chain, product and quotient rules, integrals including volumes of revolution, trigonometric equations, circle geometry, sequences, and counting. The adaptive difficulty builds the exact, calculator-free technique that the "exact" and "algebraïsch" questions in wiskunde B demand.
Topics Covered
Functions
5 subtopics, 10 templates
Graph Analysis
4 subtopics, 10 templates
Logarithms
4 subtopics, 9 templates
Algebra
10 subtopics, 29 templates
Derivatives
12 subtopics, 24 templates
Integrals
19 subtopics, 22 templates
Trigonometry
5 subtopics, 12 templates
Geometry
12 subtopics, 29 templates
Sequences & Series
7 subtopics, 17 templates
Probability
7 subtopics, 16 templates
Statistics
8 subtopics, 16 templates