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Healthy Assessments Strengthen Families

Parents of homeschoolers should be aware that test scores are not only important for college admissions but also provide valuable information on the areas where their child may need additional support. Despite some claims that tests are going away, they are still crucial for gaining admission to college, with 85% of schools tying scholarships and admission directly to test scores.

Tests like the CLT, SAT, and ACT are particularly important for homeschoolers as they provide a fair way to compare students equally and level the playing field. As top colleges like MIT and Purdue have gone back to requiring tests, other colleges are following suit. The resources below will help you navigate which tests are best for your family.

Father with three daughters indoors at home, playing on floor.

Stop listening to those who say tests are going away—they are wrong. Test scores are still the golden tickets to free college.

Jean Burk
Homeschool Mom and Founder, College Prep Genius

Mother helping teen daughter studying

Stanford-10 Online

Grades 3­–12

Recognized for aligning with U.S. national standards, the Stanford-10 gives home educators information about their student’s achievement and provides comparisons based on nationwide test results covering reading, listening, vocabulary, writing, mathematics, and science.

  • Parents receive a one-page comprehensive report of their student’s results.
  • Almost every state accepts Stanford-10 results for state-required testing.
  • Results interpretation of your student’s report is available for a fee and conducted one-on-one via video conference.
  • Offered by Homeschool Testing Services (HTS)—CC families save 15% on all Stanford-10 tests!
Discover the Stanford-10 Exam
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Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP)

Grades 3–11

The Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) helps educators assess content-specific, general curriculum-based performance alongside reasoning ability and conceptual knowledge. It’s a rigorous assessment covering reading, listening, vocabulary, writing, mathematics, and science with verbal and quantitative reasoning subtests.

  • Parents receive an in-depth, seven-page comprehensive report of their student’s results.
  • Most states accept CTP results for state-required testing.
  • Results interpretation of your student’s report is available for a fee and conducted one-on-one via video conference.
  • Offered by Homeschool Testing Services (HTS)—CC families save 15% on all CTP tests!
Discover the CTP Exam
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Classic Learning Test (CLT)

Grades 7–12

The Classic Learning Test offers three assessments at middle to high school grade levels designed to complement a classical education by engaging students with reading passages from Plato, C. S. Lewis, Charlotte Brontë, William Shakespeare, and other Great Books authors. These exams assess students in three areas: Verbal Reasoning, Grammar/Writing, and Quantitative Reasoning. Upon completion, parents receive an in-depth analytic report detailing their student’s achievement in 15+ academic domains. In addition, many classical colleges award scholarships based on outstanding CLT scores.

As a Classical Conversations® partner, the Classic Learning Test offers CC members a 25% discount on all three CLT exams. Just click the button below to find your promo code.

  • CLT8: Formative and summative assessment for 7th–8th graders
  • CLT10: College preparatory exam for 9th–10th graders
  • CLT: College entrance exam for 11th–12th graders
Get 25% Off Every CLT Exam
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SAT

Grades 11–12

The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is recommended for students pursuing college and also counts as a standardized test in states requiring homeschool families to complete one of these exams each year. Ultimately, an SAT score is an indicator of a student’s potential college or military academy success and is a metric for many scholarship applications. Although mainly a multiple-choice exam, the SAT does include an optional essay.

Find an SAT Center Near You
Homeschool mom and son studying at home

ACT

Grades 11­–12

The ACT, or American College Test, is a multiple-choice college entrance exam similar to the SAT. It includes English, math, reading, and writing sections, as well as an optional essay. While some states will require your student to take this exam, most do not. Even so, high ACT scores may help your student gain admission to their college of choice as well as qualify them for scholarships.

Find an ACT Center Near You

How Should Your Student Prepare for These Exams?

While the Stanford-10 Online and CTP exams require no preparation and are recommended as standardized tests to assess your student’s academic achievement yearly, your student should prepare diligently for the CLT, SAT, ACT, and, if applicable, the PSAT/NMSQT®—the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test—which enables students to enter the National Merit Scholarship Program.

We recommend College Prep Genius—which provides practice tests and coaching for the CLT, SAT, ACT, PSAT, and more—to homeschool families seeking to prepare their students well for these college entrance exams. As a Classical Conversations partner, College Prep Genius offers CC families $50 off their membership access. Just log on to your CC Connected account to find your promo code.

Get Started with College Prep Genius