University of Fort Hare UFH NBT Test
The NBTs focus on academic readiness for university study. Each test requires you to apply prior learning – what you know and are able to do – to materials that
reflect expectations for first year students in university programmes. A brief summary of the skills assessed in each test follows:
| ACADEMIC LITERACY | QUANTITATIVE LITERACY |
| • Make meaning from academic text;
• Understand vocabulary related to academic study; • Evaluate evidence used to support claims made by writers; • Extrapolate and draw inferences and conclusions from text; • Differentiate main idea from supporting ideas in the overall and specific organisation of a passage; • Identify text differences as related to the writers’ purposes, audiences, and forms of communication; • Understand how syntax and punctuation are used to express meaning; and • Understand basic numerical concepts used in text. |
• Apply quantitative procedures and reasoning in symbolic and nonsymbolic situations;
• Apply information from a variety of tables, graphs, charts and text; • Integrate information obtained from multiple sources; • Perform multiple-step calculations using information presented with text, symbols, and graphs; • Identify trends and patterns in various situations; • Apply properties of simple geometric shapes to determine measurements; and • Interpret quantitative information presented verbally, symbolically, and graphically. |
| MATHEMATICS | |
| • Understand and apply properties of the real number system, including surds and exponents;
• Recognise and use patterns, including sequences and series; • Apply relationships such as ratios and percentages in a variety of contexts; • Apply the results of algebraic manipulations with equations and inequalities; • Understand the function concept and identify properties of functions • Interpret transformations of functions represented algebraically or graphically; • Identify relationships between graphs and their equations, or inequalities and the regions they describe; • Apply trigonometric identities and concepts in solving problems; • Understand properties and interpret representations of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes; • Apply principles of analytic geometry; • Interpret various representations and measures of data; and • Use logical skills in making deductions and determining the validity of given assertions. |
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You are required to write the National Benchmark Tests (NBTs) as part of the 2015 University of Fort Hare’s admission process. The National benchmark Tests are used to inform placement decisions, curriculum development and academic support programmes.
The NBTs are an assessment of prospective first year applicants into Higher Education. The assessment was designed to measure a writer’s levels of proficiency in Academic Literacy, Quantitative Literacy and Mathematics as related to the demands of tertiary study. The NBTs also provide information to assist in the placement of students in appropriate curricular routes (e.g. regular, augmented, extended, bridging or foundation programmes ) and with the development of curriculum for Higher Education programmes. In addition, they assist Higher Education to interpret school-leaving results, such as those of the National Senior Certificate (NSC)
HOW TO REGISTER TO WRITE THE NBT
You can register to write the NBT online or by cell phone: To register online you have to access the website:
www.nbt.ac.za. Read the instructions, then click on “Register to Write”.
Once you have filled in all of the information required, click “SUBMIT”.
Your acknowledgement letter and EasyPay barcode number will be available for you to download. You must then take this letter or your EasyPay barcode number to an EasyPay paypoint to pay the testing fee.
To register on your cell phone, access the website: www.nbt.ac.za/mobile and follow the prompts. This is used in exactly the same way as you would with “mxit”, “facebook”, etc. To access your acknowledgement/EasyPay letter you may:
(1) enter your email address and the acknowledgement letter will be sent to you automatically.
(2) log onto the NBT website and print the acknowledgement letter
(3) enter your cellphone number and you will receive only your EasyPay Barcode number.
THE FOLLOWING TESTS MUST BE WRITTEN BY PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS:
If you are applying to the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Education and Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities you must write the Academic Literacy and Quantitative Literacy (AQL) ONLY. If you are applying to the Faculty of Science and Agriculture and the Faculty of Management and Commerce you must write BOTH the Academic Literacy and Quantitative Literacy (AQL) AND the Mathematics (MAT).
| Faculty to which you are applying | NBT |
| Law | AQL |
| Education | AQL |
| Social Science and Humanities | AQL |
| Science andAgriculture | AQLand MAT |
| Management and Commerce | AQLand MAT |
Most EasyPay paypoints will accept the EasyPay barcode number only, but there are some that accept only the full letter. Remember to enter your cell number so that you receive the EasyPay barcode number.
HOW AND WHERE TO PAY FOR THE TESTS:
Once you have registered you must use your EasyPay barcode number to pay the testing fee at any EasyPay point (in ZAR ONLY). The testing fee is not refundable.
FEES
AQL fee R110.00
AQL & MAT feeR195.00
You can pay at any of the following EasyPay points:
- Best Electric
- Checkers
- Internet onwww.easypay.co.za
(click on options to Pay Bills or Buy Prepaid)
- Lewis
- Lifestyle Living
- MTN Banking’s Mobile Money product via cellular handsets (MTN Sbuscribers only) Call Centre: 083 2265 to open an account.
- Pick and Pay
- Selected Spar, Score and Boxer stores
- Selected Petroleum and Convenience stores
- Shoprite
- Woolworths
- Wizzit Bank via mobile handsets (Call Centre 0861 949 948)
Your EasyPay payment advice/till-slip must be kept in a safe place and must be produced at the test venue. It is advisable to keep a copy of the EasyPay payment advice/till slip as proof of registration.
WHEN AND WHERE TO WRITE THE NBT:
You will be asked to choose a test date and venue when you register to write the NBT (see the table of test sites and dates). You may write at any test site and on any date provided.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: What does NBT assessment involve? There are two NBT tests:
The Academic Literacy and Quantitative Literacy (AQL) are combined into one multiple-choice test. The AQL Test is written by ALL UFH applicants.
The second test is Mathematics (MAT), and is written by applicants to
Faculties of Science and Agriculture and Management and Commerce. The Mathematics test is also multiple choice.
The AQL and MAT Tests are written on the same day. Each test has a time allocation of three hours. The AQL test is written during the morning session, and applicants should be at the test venue by 07:30 (or earlier) on the test date. The Mathematics (MAT) test is written in the afternoon session with a short break between the two tests.
How can I prepare for the test?
No special preparation is required for any of the NBTs, However:
The Academic Literacy test (one of two components of the Academic & Quantitative Literacy test) assesses capacity to engage successfully with the demands of academic study in the medium of instruction.
The Quantitative Literacy test (one of the two components of the Academic
& Quantitative Literacy test) assesses ability to manage situations or solve problems of a quantitative naturein real contexts relevant to higher education. It is closely related to the intended outcomes of the NSC subject Mathematical Literacy.
The Mathematics test is based on the Curriculum Statement for the NSC
subject Mathematics, Papers 1 & 2 only.
What if I can’t write on a Saturday?
As shown on the NBT test schedule, there are writing sessions scheduled on
Fridays and Sundays.
What if I miss my scheduled test?
Registration for the NBT is specific to the date and the site you selected.
If you miss your scheduled date, or change your mind about the test
session, you must register and pay again.
Should there be an emergency, you must send an e-mail to nbt@uct.ac.za as soon as possible. NBT Project staff will contact you the following week to explore your options for a make-up test. With documentation of a legitimate emergency, you may not be required to pay a second time. Legitimate situations that have occurred in the past include taxi accident on the way to the test site, hospitalization, broken collar bone, and family funeral.
Writers that become sick during the NBTs are always offered the next available writing session. However, the entire test must be written at the make-up session as partial answer sheets are not scored.
The best way to prepare yourself is to have a good night’s rest before the testing, eat a healthy breakfast and make sure that you arrive for the testing in good time.
What must I bring with me to the tests?
On the morning of the test, you must bring with you to the venue:
- Your ID Book together with a photocopy of your ID. The venue administrator will keep the copy of your ID.
- Your receipt as proof that you have paid the testing fee. The venue administrator will stamp the receipt and hand it back to you.
- An HB pencil and a black ballpoint pen (not a fibre tipped pen)
- An eraser
- A pencil sharpener
- Something to eat/drink
- Bus/Taxi fare home, if required.
What happens on the day of testing?
You will meet the test administrators at the test venue at least 15minutes before testing is scheduled to begin.
Administrators will identify the tests you will be required to write and show you where to sit.
The test administrators will check your identity book for security reasons. After each test, question papers and answer sheets will be collected, and you will be given a break before continuing with the next one.
CONTACT DETAILS
NBT website on www.nbt.ac.za or www.nbt.ac.za/mobile
NBT Call Centre: 021 650 3523
University of Fort hare Student recruitment unit: 040 602 2616
043 704 7075
University of Fort Hare admissions office: 040 602 281 / 2174 or
043 704 7004
No prospective student shall be registered as a student at the University for any programme unless he / she meets the general entrance requirements and has written the National Benchmark Test (NBT).
