NATIONAL BENCHMARK TESTS (NBTs)

In the past Standardised Assessment Tests for Access and Placement (SATAP) were used in conjunction with matric results, to decide on the placement of the average and below- average matric students either on mainstream or extended programmes.

SATAPs have been widely used throughout the higher education sector, particularly in the so-called historically disadvantaged institutions.

However over the last few years there have been concerns that the security of these tests is questionable as they have been re-used so many times at WSU. SATAPs have now been replaced by the National Benchmark Tests (NBTs).

These are assessments for first year applicants into Higher Education that were designed to measure a writer’s ability to transfer understanding of Academic Literacy, Quantitative Literacy, and Mathematics to the demands of coursework at university.

The tests are administered under standardized testing conditions. Here is more detailed information on NBTs.