Understanding Your NBT Results: Where to Find Them and What They Mean
Where to find your results
NBT results are available online. Log in to your profile on the NBT website (www.nbt.ac.za) using the same details you used when you registered. Your results will be shown there once they have been processed. You do not need to request a physical certificate for most universities—they request your results directly from the NBT project when they process your application.
When your results are ready
Results are typically available about three weeks after you write the test. Allow for this when planning: if a university needs your NBT score by a certain date, write your test at least four weeks before that date so your results are released in time. You will not get results on the same day or the day after.
How long they are valid
Your NBT results remain valid for three years from the date you wrote the test. So if you write in 2025, those results can be used for applications in 2025, 2026, and 2027. You do not need to rewrite simply because a year has passed—unless a university has a different policy, which is rare.
What the three levels mean (in plain language)
- Proficient: You have shown a high level of readiness for university. You should be able to cope with mainstream degree programmes without extra academic support. This is the band that signals "ready as is."
- Intermediate: You have shown that you may need some support in certain areas. Universities often place students in this band into supported or extended programmes so you can strengthen skills while studying. It is not a rejection—it is a placement that aims to help you succeed.
- Basic: You have shown that you would likely struggle with the demands of a regular first-year programme right now. Universities use this to place you into foundation or extended programmes that build the skills you need before you tackle mainstream content. The goal is to set you up to graduate, not to exclude you.
There is no pass or fail
The NBT does not give a pass/fail grade. It places you in one of these three bands so that universities can make better decisions about admission and support. Whatever your result, it is one piece of information—used together with your NSC and other criteria—to find the right place for you.
If you have not yet written, give yourself enough time before any deadline: results take about three weeks. Log in to the NBT site periodically after that window to see when your results are posted, and keep your login details safe so you can access them when you need to share with universities.
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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