Real teachers, in the room, getting Cape Town students ready for the NBTs.
AceNBT is an in-person tutoring course run by four UCT graduates in medicine, tech and actuarial science. No videos, no app, just real teaching, small groups, and printed notebooks to work from.
Small groups · Cape Town venues · Printed course materials included
Next 2-day intensive
NBT Requirement Checker
Figuring out which NBT to write, and what result to aim for, can feel daunting. This tool helps you check which NBTs a course requires, and the scores worth aiming for, in a couple of clicks.
All the information displayed in this NBT checker is sourced from the latest 2026/2027 South African university handbooks. Requirements can change by year and by faculty, so always confirm current requirements directly with the university or at nbt.uct.ac.za before you apply.
What the National Benchmark Tests actually measure
The NBTs are used by most South African universities alongside your NSC results to help decide admission and course placement. They test skills your school exams don't always focus on directly, so targeted, hands-on prep makes a real difference.
Academic Literacy
Your ability to engage with the kind of texts you'll meet at university: interpreting arguments, tone, evidence and structure.
- Reading comprehension & inference
- Understanding academic vocabulary
- Evaluating arguments and evidence
Quantitative Literacy
Working with numbers, graphs, tables and data in everyday and academic contexts, not the same as school Maths.
- Interpreting graphs, tables & data
- Ratios, rates & percentages in context
- Estimation and quantitative reasoning
Mathematics
Required by specific faculties (e.g. Engineering, Commerce, some Sciences) to assess core mathematical competence.
- Algebra & functions
- Number patterns & sequences
- Geometry, trigonometry & graphs
Why we believe in-person beats another video course
There's no shortage of NBT content online. What's harder to find is a real teacher who can see exactly where you're stuck and fix it on the spot. Most other NBT prep sites aren't personal; they're built around pre-recorded videos you work through alone. We believe the tried-and-tested traditional method, a real teacher, in the room, adjusting to how you actually learn, is ultimately far more beneficial than sitting alone watching videos.
| AceNBT: in-person, Cape Town | Typical online-only NBT sites | |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching format | ✓ Live, face-to-face teaching in small groups |
✕ Pre-recorded videos, watched alone |
| Feedback | ✓ Immediate: a tutor sees exactly where you're stuck |
✕ Delayed or none: you mark your own work |
| Accountability | ✓ Scheduled sessions keep you on track |
✕ Easy to fall behind with self-paced content |
| Who teaches you | ✓ Four UCT graduates in medicine, tech and actuarial science, who've sat these tests themselves |
✕ Often unclear who wrote the content |
| Best for | ✓ Students who learn best with real interaction and structure |
✕ Students happy to skim material solo, with no check-ins |
Run by four UCT graduates who've been exactly where you are
We're not a content company that hired tutors; we teach every session ourselves.
Devanya Raja
Devanya studied Actuarial Science at UCT and now works as an intermediate actuarial scientist at Old Mutual. She knows first-hand how much a strong Quantitative Literacy foundation opens up, and teaches it that way.
Darren Piaray
Darren is a UCT medical graduate currently completing his internship. He remembers exactly how much a clear, structured study plan mattered on the way into medical school, and brings that same structure to how we teach Academic Literacy.
Jordyn Nitch
Jordyn studied Computer Science at UCT and now runs his own software company, Dev 3 Studio, as a full-stack developer. He handles the systems behind AceNBT (bookings, scheduling and course logistics) so sessions run without a hitch.
Musinse Mooya
Musinse graduated in Actuarial Science from UCT and has a knack for making tricky MAT concepts click. He designs our Mathematics sessions to build confidence step by step, not just cram content.
The 2-Day In-Person NBT Intensive
Ten focused, in-person sessions across two days, covering Academic Literacy, Quantitative Literacy and Mathematics, taught live by our founders in small Cape Town groups.
2-Day NBT Intensive
- Covers AL, QL and MAT in full
- Small groups
- Taught live by our founders and tutoring team
- Full mock test with personal, one-on-one feedback
- Printed notebooks and course materials provided on Day 1
Upcoming in-person intensives
We run the 2-Day Intensive several times a year, timed around school holidays and NBT sitting dates. Pick the one that fits your schedule.
Illustrative dates for this preview site; replace with your real course calendar before launch.
How the 2-day intensive works
Day 1, morning
A short diagnostic, then straight into Academic Literacy: reading, inference and argument skills.
Day 1, afternoon
Quantitative Literacy: graphs, tables, ratios and estimation, worked through in small groups.
Day 2, morning
Mathematics (MAT): algebra, patterns, functions and trigonometry, led by Musinse.
Day 2, afternoon
A full mock test, then one-on-one feedback, plus your printed notebook to keep practising at home.
Printed notebooks & course materials, no app required
On the morning of Day 1, every student gets their own printed AceNBT notebook covering Academic Literacy, Quantitative Literacy and Mathematics, plus loose practice sets and a full mock test paper. Everything you need for the two days, and to keep practising afterwards, is on paper, not behind a login.
What Cape Town families say
"Having Musinse right there when I got stuck on a MAT question made all the difference, no waiting for a forum reply."
"Two solid days and it all clicked. Way better than the online-only course I tried first."
"My daughter actually looked forward to the sessions. Small group, real teachers, real feedback."
"We drove in from Constantia both days, completely worth it for the one-on-one attention."
"Darren has this calm way of explaining things that just works, especially the day before the real test."
"I'd tried three different NBT YouTube channels before this. Nothing compares to actually being taught in person."
Sample testimonials for this preview site; swap in real student feedback before launch.
Frequently asked questions
No. AceNBT is an independent tutoring service. Official registration, test dates and results always come from the NBT Project at nbt.uct.ac.za.
We believe the tried-and-tested traditional method, a real teacher in the room, adjusting to how you actually learn, gets far better results than sitting alone watching videos. That's why AceNBT is in-person only for now: no app, no video library, just live teaching and a printed notebook to work from.
Our intensives run at venues around Cape Town; see the Course Dates section for the next one near you.
It depends on the faculty and university you're applying to. Check your target institution's admission requirements; our intensive covers all three components either way.
Sessions build on each other, so we strongly recommend attending both days in full. Get in touch if you need to discuss your specific situation.
Book your seat on the next intensive
Tell us which date works and your target university and we'll confirm your spot at one of our Cape Town venues.