The Short Answer: No
The NHBRC’s registration page says: “Assessments are conducted from Monday to Friday at your nearest NHBRC customer care office. You’ll need to enquire about the scheduled times for these technical assessments.”
So the technical assessment is written in person at an NHBRC office, not from home.
How You Book It
The same page says to book by email: “Registration technical Assessment Bookings: Email your Provincial Customer Care Office.” It lists two email addresses for each of the nine provinces under “Nearest Office” in its Builders Induction section, and it doesn’t say which one takes assessment bookings. Ask when you email, or phone the office.
If you already have an appointment, the NHBRC’s online-services FAQ explains how to move it: “Log into the portal, click on ‘Test Appointment’ and ‘Reschedule Appointment’ then select the date and the office you would like to write the technical assessment at.”
What You Can Do Online
- Apply. The registration process starts with the online application form on the NHBRC’s Online Services Portal.
- Reschedule your assessment appointment, as above.
- Receive your certificate. The FAQ says the NHBRC no longer issues manual certificates, only online certificates.
The portal is at eservices.nhbrc.org.za. The FAQ also notes that you can only change your provincial office while the application is still a draft. So choose the right provincial office before you submit, because you can’t change it afterwards.
Is It on a Computer?
The NHBRC does not say on its registration page. A 2021 NHBRC tender for an “Automated Technical Assessment Solution” describes a “web-based solution” that holds pre-set questions and answers, selects a limited number of questions at random per stage, gives the same person a unique set based on their ID or passport number, and keeps a record of how many times each person has written. The same specification also includes printing the selected questions on A4 paper “if required”, so the tender doesn’t settle whether you write on screen or on paper. Candidates commonly report writing it on a computer at the office. Neither is a published instruction for candidates, so ask your office when you book.
Nobody Can Write It for You
Offers to “write the test on behalf of your company” circulate on social media. The NHBRC describes the assessment’s purpose as ascertaining the “technical capability to construct or supervise the construction of a home” of the person who will oversee the work. The assessment system the NHBRC tendered for issues questions to a person by ID or passport number. Don’t pay anyone who offers to sit it for you.
What You Can Practise Online
Practice is the part you can do from home. Our free practice test is 10 questions in the browser, with no account, and every answer comes with an explanation and the reference behind it. The full bank is 277 questions: once-off Web Study at R200, or Full Access at R340 with the timed test. See pricing.
It is practice, not the assessment. Our question count, clock and pass mark are our own settings and are not the NHBRC’s. What the NHBRC does and does not publish about the assessment is on our technical assessment page.
Questions People Ask
Can I write the NHBRC technical assessment from home?
No. The NHBRC says assessments are conducted at your nearest NHBRC customer
care office, Monday to Friday.
How do I book it?
Email your provincial customer care office. The NHBRC’s registration
page lists two addresses per province and doesn’t say which one takes
bookings.
Can I change the date or the office?
Yes, through the portal: “Test Appointment”, then
“Reschedule Appointment”.
How many attempts do I get?
The NHBRC says builders are allowed “only two attempts in order to
pass the technical test within 30 days of paying the application
fee”. Our guide to
the pass mark and results
covers what happens after you write.
Official statements on this page are from nhbrc.org.za, checked on 28 September 2026. Processes can change; confirm with your provincial office before you book. NHBRC Test is independent test preparation and is not affiliated with the National Home Builders Registration Council.