NBT Online Test – Courses24

With NBT Online Test, the NBTs can be written online or at a physical venue.

The NBT Test are assessments for first-year applicants into higher education institutions.

The NBTs were designed to measure a writer’s ability to transfer understanding of Academic Literacy, Quantitative Literacy and Mathematics to the demands of tertiary coursework.

NBT Online Test Rules

The NBT Online test is undertaken in a secure proctored online environment. You will be monitored throughout the test to ensure that you follow all testing procedures. Your entire test session will be recorded. Writers are required to comply with all test rules and requirements to avoid the invalidation of your test. The rules may be accessed from this link.

For NBT Online:

Note that learners without an official ID will not be able to complete the compulsory Simulation and will not allowed to write the NBT online. If you do not have a South African ID booklet or foreign passport and need to use your birth certificate for ID verification, you will need an affidavit from the police including a recent ID photograph that confirms your identity. This must be stamped with the relevant police stamp or it will not be accepted.

Present the affidavit with photo attached to the camera during the verification instead of the ID. On the third attempt you will be given the option of a manual verification. Choose this option BUT you will need to make sure the photo of you and the Affidavit are clear and readable or it will still be rejected.

The test “Simulation” prior to the test day is compulsory. The simulation allows completion of the Photo ID verification process and ensures the Lockdown Browser downloads successfully to prevent any unexpected problems on the test day.
Please take note of the supported devices for taking the NBT test online (FAQ 43) and the recommended browsers; Chrome and Firefox.
You must have administrator rights on the computer as you are required to download the Lockdown Browser software onto the computer and may be prompted for the admin password. Please ensure that you have access to the same computer for both the simulation and test. The NBT Online test must be taken in a quiet room with a blank wall behind you, with good lighting.
The Laptop or Computer camera must be operational and facing your face at all times during the test, otherwise, your session may be invalidated. There is a photo panel visible to you during your test so that you can check your camera is functional and your face visible.
Your face must be visible so no hoodies or clothing that completely obscures the face are allowed.
You may not wear headphones during the test session.
No other person may enter the room during your test session. Movement in the room will be picked up by the camera and will invalidate your test session.
You may only have a piece of paper and a pen/pencil in the test room. Books, cell phones, smart watches, calculators, and any other items are strictly prohibited. These items will be picked up by the system and will invalidate your test session.
Bathroom breaks are permitted but must be less than 5 minutes in duration.
You may have a bottle of water (or other liquid refreshment) with you during the test.

How to book a test

Registration is online.

You NEED the following to register:

Your official ID book (if you are not a citizen of South Africa, you will need your passport)
City and site where you want to write
NBT requirements from the institutions where you plan to apply
Date when you want to write (allow 4 weeks to receive results)
Pen and paper to record your username and EasyPay number

Take note of the following:

The NBT Project does not determine which test you must write nor the deadline for submitting results.
Most higher education institutions in South Africa post their requirements on their website and in their prospectus.

Your username (ID or Passport number) and password are used to:

Complete the registration process if you did not finish
Correct personal information
Request change to test date or site

The EasyPay number assigned to you during registration is used to:

Verify payment so that your results may be released.

You will receive an sms and an email confirming your test venue two days before your test.