Benchmark tests tipped to play major role in preparing pupils for university
The NBTs are designed specifically to complement the National Senior Certificate as they provide an independent and objective assessment against which the performance of students on the National Senior Certificate can be compared and calibrated.
JOHANNESBURG - Statistic South Africa said that the country’s unemployment rate had crossed the feared 35% threshold in the fourth quarter of 2021, bringing the rate to 35.3%.
Recent research shows that in the long-term, the South African youth unemployment rate is projected to trend around 64% in 2022 and 62% in 2023, according to Statistics South Africa’s econometric models.
Advantage Learn said that looking at the numbers, learners should be prepared for the education skills transfer needed for the future.
The path to university is never an easy one if you are unprepared.
Manager of operations at education provider Advantage Learn, Tracey Young-Thompson said that the National Benchmark Test (NBT) during matric plays a huge role in preparing students for university life.
“The NBTs were set up to test a learner’s academic readiness for tertiary education. Effectively they are standardised tests which give universities a good sense of a learner’s skill sets and readiness for the rigours of higher education,” said Tracey Young-Thompson, Manager of Operations at education provider Advantage Learn.
The National Benchmark Tests Project (NBTP) was commissioned in 2005 by Higher Education South Africa (HESA), now called Universities South Africa (USAf).
The main objective of the project was to assess the entry-level academic skills of candidates in academic literacy, quantitative literacy, and mathematics.
“Most degree programmes require that the NBTs be written,” said Young-Thompson.
The NBTs are designed specifically to complement the National Senior Certificate as they provide an independent and objective assessment against which the performance of students on the National Senior Certificate can be compared and calibrated.
According to Advantage Learn, most grade 12s applying for tertiary study in South Africa, as well as learners looking to enter competitive degree programmes and/or scholarship programmes, write the NBTs.
The NBTs are a unique assessment as they are different to what learners are used to. They are in a multiple-choice format and calculators are not allowed in the mathematics portion of the test.
The NBT results are valid for three years once a learner has written the tests.
“Acing the NBTs is more important than ever because there is a growing competition to get into tertiary institutions. More and more institutions require it to be written before the application date for that course closes,” Young-Thompson said.
