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NBT Checklist: Your Countdown to Test Day

4 weeks before

  • Register online at www.nbt.ac.za and pay (EasyPay). Choose your date and venue (or online).
  • Confirm which tests you need: AQL only, or AQL + MAT. Check your university requirements.
  • Download the official NBT exemplar questions from the NBT website and skim the format.
  • Start a simple prep routine: a bit of reading (for AQL) and no-calculator maths (for MAT) each day.

2 weeks before

  • Work through the exemplars under timed conditions. Practise solving before looking at multiple-choice options.
  • If writing MAT: focus on number sense, estimation, fractions, and formulae (e.g. compound interest).
  • If writing AQL: read complex texts and articles with graphs or tables; practise interpreting data.
  • Confirm your test venue and time. Check that your ID name matches your registration exactly.

1 week before

  • Do a final timed practice session. Review any weak areas—concepts, not just question types.
  • Get your stationery ready: two sharpened pencils, eraser. Have your ID (or passport) in a safe place.
  • Plan what you will eat for breakfast and pack for lunch (and water). You need energy for a long day.
  • If you are writing online: test your internet and device; have a backup plan for loadshedding.

Day before

  • No heavy cramming. Light review only, then rest.
  • Set two alarms. Know exactly how you will get to the venue and how long it takes.
  • Pack your bag: ID, pencils, eraser, water, lunch. Double-check the banned list (no calculators, phones, smartwatches).
  • Get a good night's sleep. You need to be sharp and calm at 7:30 AM check-in.

Test day

  • Eat a proper breakfast. Arrive in good time—check-in starts strictly at 7:30 AM.
  • Use the bathroom before the session; bathroom breaks are not allowed once the test begins.
  • Bring only what is allowed. Leave calculators, phones, and smartwatches at home or in your bag outside the room.
  • Stay calm. Read each question carefully. Solve before looking at the options. You have prepared—trust the process.

Everyone's timeline is different, but the principle is the same: spread your preparation over weeks, not days. Register and get your materials early, build habits (reading, no-calculator maths, timed practice), and taper off with light review and rest so you are sharp on the day.

Ready to put this into practice?

Our NBT courses are designed around the same strategies and content areas—with practice questions, exemplar-style tasks, and no-calculator drills.

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