Standardized Tests

If you've opted to give your homeschooler a yearly standardized achievement test to fulfill the government's requirement (as opposed to having your work reviewed monthly by a certified teacher), here are your most widely used options:

Test	Subjects tested	Total test time (complete battery)	Test difficulty	Report analysis	Cost	Degree required to test
CAT/5®	reading, language, spelling, math, science* and social studies*	2.5-3.5 hrs	Easy	Simple	$40	No
ITBS	reading, language (includes spelling), math, science*, social studies*, sources of information*, cognitive abilities*	3-5 hrs	More difficult	More detailed	$50-70	BA/BS, OR teaching certificate, OR teach or taught in public school.
SAT	reading, math, language, spelling, science*, social studies*, listening*, thinking*	3-6 hrs	Most difficult	Very detailed	$50-70, +$20 app fee	Bachelor's, OR teaching certificate, OR teach or taught in public school.

(*optional)

These are just the basic considerations. There are other considerations out there, and a wide range of opinions about tests, if you go searching for them. But it helps to be able to see the "in a nutshell" info side by side, so there you have it. There are also other testing options, but they may or may not be approved for use in your state. These three are the most widely recognized, from what I've found.

The Cat5 test can be purchased here, and the ITBS and SAT tests can be purchased here.