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The Pass Mark, and What Happens After You Write

The NHBRC does not publish a pass mark. Candidates and preparation providers commonly report 13 out of 25. This guide explains the difference between those reports and official information, and what happens after your assessment.

Last reviewed 6 September 20264 sources3 minute read

What the NHBRC Publishes Official

The NHBRC publishes the fee, study material, booking process and retake rule. It lists an application fee of R745.61, once off and not refundable, with the technical assessment included in the application rather than charged separately. It issues the Home Builders Manual to study. It allows two attempts, within 30 days of paying the application fee.

Application fee
R745.61once off, not refundable
Attempts
2within 30 days of paying
Checked
9 Aug 2026against nhbrc.org.za

It does not publish the question count, duration or pass mark. Confirm these details with your provincial customer care office when you book.

What Candidates Report Reported

Candidates and preparation providers commonly describe about 25 multiple-choice questions, open book with the manual and your ID, 13 out of 25 needed to pass, and results the same day. Reports of the duration split between one hour and two.

These reports are not official requirements. Follow the instructions your provincial customer care office gives you when you book.

Our Practice Pass Mark Our setting

The free timed test here passes at 80%, on 8 questions with 90 minutes on the clock. Those are our practice settings and not a claim about the real assessment. The higher practice target encourages you to build a consistent understanding of the material. Passing a practice test does not guarantee an assessment result.

If You Fail the First Attempt

You have a second attempt within the same 30-day window. The NHBRC's own training material refers to applicants who have failed a first or a second assessment, so a retake is a normal part of the process rather than a reason to stop preparing. Use the time between attempts to revise the areas you found difficult.

After the assessment, note the topics you found difficult and find the relevant clauses in your manual. Use that list to plan your revision.

After You Pass

The assessment is one requirement among several. Registration also needs your tax clearance and company documents, the Builders’ Induction workshop, and annual membership of R526.32 to stay active. The full sequence is in the registration guide.

Fees and requirements change. The official figures here were checked against nhbrc.org.za in August 2026; candidate and preparation-provider reports are not official NHBRC guidance.

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Sources and Review

  • NHBRC, nhbrc.org.za — the R745.61 application fee, the R526.32 annual membership, the two attempts within 30 days, and the Home Builders Manual. Checked 9 August 2026.
  • NHBRC training material referring to applicants who have failed a first or a second assessment, for the retake being an ordinary part of the process.
  • Candidate and preparation-provider reports for the 25 questions, the 13 needed to pass, the open book, the same-day result and the one-to-two-hour duration. None of this is published by the NHBRC.
  • This site’s own settings for the practice pass mark, the paper length and the clock.

Written and checked against the sources above by The Mahlangu Elites (Pty) Ltd, and last reviewed 6 September 2026. We are independent of the NHBRC. How we check and correct what we publish, including what we have decided not to publish.

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