About
The NBTP was commissioned in 2005 by HESA.  In 2018, the project reached maturity as a standalone and self-funding project. The four core objectives listed below have remained a consistent thread in the evolution of the NBTP since inception:

• To assess entry-level academic and quantitative literacy and mathematics proficiency of students;
• To assess the relationship between higher education entry level proficiencies and school-level exit outcomes;
• To provide a service to HE institutions requiring additional information to assist in placement of students in appropriate curricular routes; and
• To assist with curriculum development, particularly in relation to foundation courses.

In essence, then, the NBTs are designed to provide criterion-referenced information to supplement the NSC results, and to help institutions to meet the educational needs of their incoming students as effectively as possible.

There are two tests, briefly described below:
The Academic and Quantitative Literacy Test – AQL (3 hours)
[The two sections of the Academic and Quantitative Literacy are reported separately]
Relates to students’:

• capacity to engage successfully with the demands of academic study in the medium of instruction provided.
• ability to manage situations or solve problems in a real context that is relevant to higher education study, using basic quantitative information that may be presented verbally, graphically, in tabular or symbolic form.

The Mathematics Test (3 hours)
The test targets a student’s ability related to mathematical concepts formally regarded as part of the secondary school curriculum.
*** Important Distinctions

If you took Mathematical Literacy, here is how the NBTs typically work for you:
The NBT Mathematics (MAT) test is specifically designed for students who took Mathematics (often called “Core Math”) as a subject in Grade 11 and 12.

Because the test covers the CAPS curriculum for Core Mathematics—including Trigonometry, Functions, and Calculus—students who took Mathematical Literacy generally do not have the required background to pass or even attempt the MAT paper.
1. You only write the AQL
Most degree programs that accept Math Lit (such as Law, Humanities, or certain Arts degrees) only require you to write the Academic and Quantitative Literacy (AQL) test. This test does not require Core Math knowledge; it focuses on reading comprehension and “functional” math like percentages, basic graphs, and logic.
2. University Entrance Requirements
Most South African universities have strict prerequisites for degrees that require the MAT NBT (like Engineering, Medicine, or Science). If a program requires the MAT NBT, they almost always require Core Mathematics as a high school subject with a specific minimum percentage (usually 60% or higher).
*** Pro Tip: Use Firefox or Internet Explorer to register. Many users report technical inconsistencies when using Google Chrome for the NBT registration portal.