Writing NBTs

General Information

• There are two tests, the AQL and the MAT.  The AQL is written in a 3 hour morning session. The MAT is written on the same day in a 3 hour afternoon session.
• Each university and faculty determines which tests must be written and the deadline to receive results.
• The schedule of NBT National Test Sites is routinely updated to reflect changes in sites and number of seats available.  Four weeks prior to a test date, sites may be closed or additional ones opened due to demand.
• You must be at the check-in desk by 7:30 AM on your scheduled test date.
• A Friday or Sunday session is offered each month at major test sites to accommodate learners that cannot write on Saturday.
• You are not allowed to write the AQL test on one day and the MAT test on another.
• You must use your name as printed on your official ID when registering and when writing. Your ID will be checked before you are allowed to write on test day.
• Registration is date and site specific; learners that do not report as scheduled must re-schedule and pay for the make-up test session.

Writing of the NBT is reserved for applicants to higher education institutions in South Africa. Teachers are not permitted to write the NBT with a view to preparing their learners for the tests. “Teaching to the test” limits real engagement with the topics that are being assessed.