{"id":661,"date":"2026-03-17T06:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T06:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/?p=661"},"modified":"2026-09-18T02:23:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T02:23:57","slug":"nbt-performance-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/nbt-performance-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"NBT Performance Levels: What Your Benchmark Scores Mean"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The National Benchmark Tests are assessments used by universities in South Africa to measure whether students are ready for university study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tests evaluate skills in Academic Literacy, Quantitative Literacy, and Mathematics depending on the program applied for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After writing the NBT, students receive performance levels rather than traditional percentages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding these levels is important because universities use them to make admission and placement decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students can access official NBT information and results <\/a>on the National Benchmark Test Project website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students must log in using the same details created during registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are NBT performance levels?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Performance levels indicate a student\u2019s academic readiness for university study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NBT uses six performance levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Level 1 \u2013 Basic: Student may struggle significantly with university study.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Level 2 \u2013 Basic: Student may need extensive academic support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Level 3 \u2013 Moderate: Student may require some support in specific areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Level 4 \u2013 Moderate: Student is mostly prepared for university but may need occasional assistance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Level 5 \u2013 Proficient: Student is well prepared for university coursework.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Level 6 \u2013 Proficient: Student is highly prepared and can manage university demands comfortably.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Universities may interpret these levels differently depending on the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How are NBT results structured?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    NBT results are reported separately for each test section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Most students write the Academic Literacy and Quantitative Literacy (AQL) test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Some students also write the Mathematics (MAT) test if required by their program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Performance levels are displayed for each section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Academic Literacy \u2013 measures reading comprehension, academic reasoning, and language understanding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Quantitative Literacy \u2013 measures numerical reasoning and data interpretation skills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Mathematics \u2013 evaluates mathematical reasoning and problem solving for mathematics-intensive programs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      These scores help students identify areas of strength and weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      How to interpret Academic Literacy performance levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Academic Literacy results indicate a student\u2019s ability to understand and analyze academic texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      High levels (5\u20136) show strong reading and reasoning skills suitable for university study<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Moderate levels (3\u20134) suggest the student may benefit from additional reading and comprehension practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Low levels (1\u20132) indicate the student may require significant support in understanding academic texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Universities may provide academic support programs for students with lower Academic Literacy levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      How to interpret Quantitative Literacy performance levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Quantitative Literacy results show a student\u2019s ability to work with numbers and interpret data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      High levels indicate strong data analysis and numerical reasoning skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Moderate levels suggest some areas need improvement for university study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Low levels show that the student may need extra support in courses requiring data interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Universities use these results to determine readiness for programs involving quantitative work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      How to interpret Mathematics performance levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      MAT results are required for students applying to mathematics-intensive programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      High levels (5\u20136) indicate strong mathematical problem solving skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Moderate levels (3\u20134) suggest the student may need extra practice or support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Low levels (1\u20132) indicate that the student may face challenges in programs requiring mathematics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Understanding MAT performance levels helps students prepare for the mathematical demands of their program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      How do universities use NBT performance levels?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Universities combine NBT performance levels with school marks to make admission decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Some programs require minimum levels in specific sections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      For example, commerce programs may require Level 4 or higher in Quantitative Literacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Engineering programs may require high performance in MAT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Performance levels also help universities determine whether students need academic support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      How can students use their performance levels to improve?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      NBT results provide insight into academic strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Students can focus on areas where performance levels are lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Practice exercises, online tutorials, and academic support programs can help strengthen these skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Students planning to rewrite the test can use their performance levels to guide targeted preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Using NBT results effectively helps students prepare for university and increases chances of success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The National Benchmark Tests are assessments used by universities in South Africa to measure whether students are ready for university […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_ba_keyfacts":"","_ba_provider_contact":"","_ba_provider_name":"","_ba_provider_type":"","_ba_provider_cat":"","_ba_writer":"pieter-van-der-merwe","_ba_reviewer":"naledi-khumalo","iawp_total_views":121,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nbt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":662,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions\/662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}