1.3 Format, Timing, Languages & Materials
Key Takeaways
- Both NBT papers are multiple-choice; AQL contains separately timed Academic Literacy and Quantitative Literacy sections, and no calculator or dictionary is allowed.
- The FAQ states that each test is 3 hours, while the Tests page also describes an AQL writing time of three hours and five minutes; follow the session instructions on the day.
- Typical online starts are AQL at 09:00 and MAT at 14:00; pencil-paper check-in is 07:30 and doors close at 08:30.
- English or Afrikaans may be chosen, and that one language applies to the whole sitting; Braille versions exist through official CEA arrangements.
- Venue what-to-expect lists no scrap paper, notebooks, or smart devices; the online FAQ allows one piece of paper and a pen or pencil in the room.
Why format rules change what you carry and when you arrive
The National Benchmark Tests (NBTs) are timed multiple-choice sittings. Format mistakes look small until a calculator is collected at the door, a writer brings the wrong language paper, or someone arrives after doors close. This section covers timing language, online start times, pencil-paper check-in, English or Afrikaans, Braille, and the difference between venue and online materials. It is independent OpenExamPrep study material for the combined Academic and Quantitative Literacy (AQL) and Mathematics (MAT) sitting. It is not a substitute for the session instructions you receive from the Centre for Educational Assessments (CEA) for the National Benchmark Tests Project (NBTP).
Skills practice without these rules produces a confident writer who is still turned away. Quantitative Literacy and MAT items assume you can work without a calculator. Academic Literacy items assume you can read university-style text without a dictionary. The clock assumes you are in the room when doors close.
Multiple-choice papers with timed AQL sections
Both AQL and MAT are multiple-choice. AQL combines Academic Literacy (AL) and Quantitative Literacy (QL); each of those sections is timed. You cannot borrow leftover AL time for QL if the section has closed. MAT is its own afternoon paper when mathematics is a programme requirement.
No calculator and no dictionary on either paper. Working numerically in QL and MAT means number sense, estimation, and paper methods — not a device. That is why later chapters drill calculator-free quantitative work instead of teaching calculator menus.
The official 2023 Intake National Report describes MAT as 60 items. The shorter live Test Content page does not restate a count, so do not pace against a 100-question practice-bank rumour: use the session clock and any instructions issued for your booked date.
Timing: three hours, and the extra five minutes wording
The official FAQ states that each test is 3 hours. The Tests page also describes an AQL writing time of three hours and five minutes. Those two wordings both appear on nbt.ac.za. Do not invent a third timing model. Follow the session instructions on the day for the clock you will actually sit. Treat MAT as a three-hour test unless the session instructions in front of you say otherwise. The extra five minutes on some AQL descriptions is not a lunch break, not calculator time, and not a reason to arrive late.
Typical online starts, unless you are told otherwise, are AQL at 09:00 and MAT at 14:00. Online writers should still follow the login and simulation rules published for that cycle; this section does not replace those checklists.
Pencil-paper venues use an earlier arrival: check-in from 07:30, and doors close at 08:30. Arriving at 08:40 is not a few minutes late for a 09:00 test. It is after doors close.
| Mode | Arrival / login facts | Typical start | Working paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pencil-paper venue | Check-in 07:30; doors close 08:30 | Follow venue session instructions | What-to-expect table: no scrap paper, notebooks, or smart devices |
| Online | Follow the published login time, often by 08:30 | AQL 09:00; MAT 14:00 unless told otherwise | Online FAQ: one piece of paper and a pen or pencil allowed in the room |
Languages and Braille
You may write in English or Afrikaans. You choose one language for the whole sitting. You may not write AQL in English and MAT in Afrikaans on the same day. Dictionaries are not allowed in either language. Braille versions exist; arrange them through official CEA channels (https://www.nbt.ac.za, nbt@uct.ac.za, 021 650 3523), not through a school photocopy.
Language choice is a comprehension decision. Afrikaans AL items are still academic literacy items. English QL items still forbid calculators. Pick the language in which you can read university-style text faster, then stay in that language for AQL and, if booked, MAT.
What you may bring — venue versus online
No calculator. No dictionary. That pair is common to both modes.
Venue what-to-expect language is strict: no scrap paper, no notebooks, and no smart devices. Do not pack a second rough-work exercise book because QL looks numerical.
Online FAQ language is different: one piece of paper and a pen or pencil are allowed in the room. That is not permission to open a second laptop, a phone, or a dictionary app.
If you write MAT, bring lunch and water for the afternoon. Bring two pencils and an eraser for pencil-paper sittings. Identification: a South African ID book or ID card or a passport. If you do not have those, the published alternative is a birth certificate plus a police affidavit with a photo. A student card alone is not the document list on the official pages.
Smart watches, phones, and wireless earphones fall under smart devices. Leave them out of the venue process. Online, they are still not extra research tools.
A realistic NBT day
Pencil-paper, AQL only. Check in from 07:30 with ID and two pencils. Doors close 08:30. Write AQL as timed AL then timed QL. No calculator. No dictionary. No scrap book. Leave when AQL ends; there is no MAT afternoon.
Pencil-paper, AQL and MAT. Same morning process, then lunch and water, then MAT in the afternoon. Still no calculator. Still the same language you chose for AQL.
Online, both papers. Login by the published time. AQL typically starts 09:00. MAT typically starts 14:00. One piece of paper and a pen or pencil in the room, according to the online FAQ. Follow the compulsory simulation rules for that cycle.
Braille writer. Use official CEA arrangements. Do not assume a venue will improvise Braille on the day.
Scenarios and traps
Scenario A — bilingual writer. Choose English or Afrikaans once. Switching at lunch is not allowed.
Scenario B — scientific calculator packed for MAT. It will not be allowed. Practise MAT and QL without a calculator.
Scenario C — venue writer packs a notebook for QL. The venue table says no scrap paper or notebooks.
Scenario D — online writer prints a dictionary page. Dictionaries are not allowed; one piece of paper is not a glossary.
Scenario E — arrives 08:35 at a pencil-paper venue. Doors closed at 08:30.
Scenario F — confuses FAQ 3 hours with Tests-page 3 hours 5 minutes. Report both wordings and obey the session clock.
Traps
- Treating online scrap-paper permission as venue permission, or the reverse
- Bringing a calculator, dictionary, or smart device
- Choosing two languages for one day
- Using a student card instead of ID, passport, or the birth-certificate-plus-affidavit route
- Skipping lunch when MAT is booked
- Pacing MAT against a 100-question practice-set rumour
Which statement correctly describes NBT language choice?
How do venue and online rules differ on working paper?
The FAQ says each test is 3 hours, and the Tests page also states an AQL writing time of three hours and five minutes. What should a writer do with that wording difference?