Homeschool Testing: CAT vs Iowa Test and What Actually Works

Around this time every year, homeschool parents start typing the same thing into Google. "End of year testing." "CAT vs Iowa Test." "Do I even need to test?" If that's you, I want to walk you through what the options actually are, how they compare, and which one might make sense for your family. Not from a policy-wonk perspective, but from one homeschool mom to another, because I have asked every version of these questions myself.

This year the question feels more real than it has before. My twin 5-year-olds are entering their first testing year, which means I'll be managing testing for three kids at once for the first time. Having to think through the logistics for my own household made me dig into every detail I could find, and I wanted to put it all in one place.

A quick note upfront: I'm not a testing expert or an attorney. What I'm sharing is based on research, experience, and conversations with other homeschool families. Always verify your specific state's current requirements before purchasing a test.

Does Your State Even Require Testing?

Before we get into which test, let's handle the question of whether you need one at all.

Most states do not require standardized testing for homeschoolers. Texas, Illinois, California, and many others leave testing entirely optional. You can do it if you want the diagnostic information, but nobody is asking for the results.

Several states do require annual testing or evidence of progress. The ones that come up most often:

Pennsylvania: testing required at grades 3, 5, 8, and once in high school (portfolio review is an alternative)
New York: annual assessments required
Florida: annual evaluation, with standardized testing as one option from an approved list
Arkansas: annual testing
Minnesota: annual testing for ages 7-17 (results kept by parent, not submitted unless requested)
Ohio, Maine, Georgia: testing requirements with specific grade levels and approved tests

Virginia, where my family lives in Stafford, requires evidence of progress by August 1 each year. A standardized test is one way to satisfy that, but it's not the only way. Virginia also accepts a portfolio evaluation by a qualified evaluator, or a report card from a correspondence school. If you go the test route, the benchmark is a composite score at or above the 23rd percentile (the 4th stanine), which is an intentionally low bar. This isn't about performance pressure. It's about confirming that learning is happening.

Which states accept CAT specifically? Florida names the CAT on its approved list. North Carolina accepts it. Georgia lists it. But here's the thing: most states with testing requirements don't name specific tests. They say "any nationally normed standardized achievement test." That phrase covers the CAT, Iowa, Stanford 10, MAP Growth, Woodcock-Johnson, and Peabody equally. The states that do maintain specific approved lists tend to include both CAT and Iowa.

Which states accept the Iowa? Basically all of them. The Iowa is the most widely accepted achievement test period. If your state has a short list, Iowa is almost certainly on it. If your state says "any nationally normed test," Iowa qualifies. You can't go wrong on acceptance with the Iowa.

The HSLDA website maintains a current state-by-state breakdown of testing requirements. Worth bookmarking if you're not sure where your state falls.

The Big Two: CAT and Iowa Test

These are the two most commonly used achievement tests among homeschoolers, and they're often the ones on state-approved lists. Here's how they compare in depth.

CAT vs Iowa: Complete Side-by-Side Breakdown

Grades available:

CAT: The online version starts at grade 2. The paper version (TerraNova CAT 6) starts at kindergarten. So if you need to test a K or 1st grader on paper, CAT has you covered. If you want online testing for a K or 1st grader, CAT won't work, and you'd need to look at Iowa online or MAP Growth K-2.
Iowa: K-12 for both paper and online. Full coverage at every grade level on both formats. The online Iowa is available for all tested grades, which gives you format flexibility regardless of your child's age.

Time to administer:

CAT: Roughly 1.5 hours for kindergarten, scaling up to about 5 hours for upper grades. The CAT E Survey (short form) is the fastest option, taking about 2.5 hours total for grades 4-12.
Iowa: Generally 3-5 hours total, typically spread over 2-3 days. Most families split the Iowa into morning sessions across two or three consecutive days rather than trying to push through in one long sitting. It's more total time than the CAT, but the pacing is designed for it.

Timed vs untimed:

CAT online: Untimed option available. This is one of the biggest practical differences. If your child freezes under a ticking clock, CAT online lets them work at their own pace. The paper version of the CAT is timed but shorter, so the clock pressure is less intense than on the Iowa.
Iowa: Strictly timed. Every section has a fixed time limit, and when time is called, you move on regardless. This is the real deal in terms of standardized test format. For kids who test well under time pressure, the structure can actually be calming. For kids who don't, it's something to think through carefully.

Administrator qualifications:

CAT: No bachelor's degree required. No teaching certification required. No special credentials at all. For the paper version, you complete a test agreement form from the provider. For the online version, there are no supervision requirements at all. This alone makes CAT the default choice for many families where the parent doesn't have a degree or simply doesn't want to deal with the qualification paperwork.
Iowa paper version: Bachelor's degree required. You also need tester certification approval from the testing organization (usually BJU Press or Seton handles this). The degree doesn't have to be in education, but you need to have one and submit it.
Iowa online version: The testing company administers the test. You supervise: keep the testing environment quiet, make sure your child stays on task, handle bathroom breaks. But the actual administration (reading directions, timing sections, managing the platform) is done by the company's proctor. This bypasses the degree requirement entirely, which makes the online Iowa accessible for any parent regardless of educational background.

Number of subtests:

CAT: Fewer subtests, more streamlined. The CAT groups skills into broader categories. You get a reading score, a language arts score, a math score, and typically science and social studies. The breakdown is useful but not deeply granular.
Iowa: More subtests with finer grading. In math alone, you might get separate scores for computation, concepts, problem solving, and data interpretation. In language arts, you'll see breakdowns for vocabulary, reading comprehension, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and usage/expression. If you want to know exactly which skill areas need work, the Iowa subtest structure gives you that.

Scoring detail:

CAT: Percentile rank, stanine, and grade equivalent. These three metrics together give you a solid picture of where your child stands relative to national norms. You'll know if your child is above or below average and by roughly how much.
Iowa: All of the above plus subtest-level breakdowns and, on newer versions (Form E), a Lexile measure. The Lexile score maps directly to book-leveling systems, so you can walk into a library or browse Amazon and find books at precisely your child's reading level. This is genuinely useful for curriculum planning.
Both tests also report a "scale score" or "raw score" internally, but that's the technical underpinning. The reports you'll actually use are built from those.

Group testing:

CAT E Survey: Grades 4-12 can be tested together in one session. If you have a 5th grader, a 7th grader, and a 10th grader, you can test all three at the same time with the same materials.
Iowa: Grades 3-8 can be tested together, and grades 9-12 can be tested together. So you'd run two sessions maximum if you have kids in both age bands. If all your kids are in grades 3-8 (a common window for required testing), you get everyone done in one group session.

Cost:

CAT: $25-60 per student, depending on the provider and grade level. The CAT E Survey through Christian Liberty Press or Seton tends to be at the lower end. The TerraNova CAT 6 Complete Battery runs higher.
Iowa: $45-80 per student. Paper is generally more expensive than online. BJU Press and Seton have different pricing tiers. The online version is typically cheaper than paper because there's no physical shipping.

Where to buy:

CAT: Christian Liberty Press (paper and online), Seton Testing Services, Academic Excellence Testing Services (online), BJU Press (TerraNova CAT 6)
Iowa: Seton Testing Services (paper and online), BJU Press Testing & Evaluation (paper and online), Abeka Testing (paper and online)

California Achievement Test (CAT)

The CAT is the shorter, simpler, more flexible option. It's a norm-referenced test that compares your child's performance to a national sample, giving you a percentile rank rather than a pass-fail judgment. If you need to satisfy state requirements efficiently and get a general sense of where your child stands, the CAT was designed for exactly that.

What it covers: Reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies.

Test form breakdown:

CAT E Survey (grades 4-12): The shortest version. "Survey" means abbreviated: fewer questions per subject, less administration time, and a broad-strokes picture of achievement. This is the version most families use for straightforward state compliance. The E Survey is the fastest route from "I need to test" to "I have scores to submit."
TerraNova CAT 6 Complete Battery (grades K-12): The full-length version. "Complete Battery" means all subtests at full length in every subject area. More questions, more data, more administration time. Think of it as the CAT equivalent of the Iowa's full battery: still shorter than the Iowa overall, but much more detailed than the Survey.
TerraNova CAT 6 Basic Battery (grades K-12): Reading and math only. No science, no social studies, no language arts subtests beyond what's in the reading section. This is the narrowest version. Some states accept it, but verify before buying. If your state wants a "complete" or "comprehensive" test, the Basic Battery won't qualify.
CAT Plus (supplementary): Additional subtests for word analysis, vocabulary, and language mechanics. Used as a supplement to one of the above forms if you want more granular data in specific skill areas. Not typically needed for state compliance.

Question types: Multiple choice only, straightforward format. Every question has four or five answer options. The format is consistent across grade levels.

Time: The online version is available untimed, which is a major selling point for kids who freeze under a clock. The paper versions are timed but shorter overall than most alternatives.

Qualifications to administer: No bachelor's degree required for the CAT. This is one of its biggest advantages. You don't need a teaching certification or college degree, just a completed test agreement form from the provider. For the online version, there are no supervision requirements at all.

The CAT is practical. It's what many families use when they just need to check the box for state compliance and get a rough sense of where their kids are. The percentile scores are useful as a benchmark, not as a definitive judgment.

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)

The Iowa is the more thorough, more detailed, more time-intensive option. If the CAT is a snapshot, the Iowa is a full portrait. Families tend to choose the Iowa when they want the data to drive next year's curriculum decisions, not just meet a compliance checkbox.

What it covers: Reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies, with more subtests and finer-grained scoring in each area than the CAT provides.

Test form breakdown:

Form E (2018): The current version. Designed to be more accessible for English language learners, with full-color materials and slightly shorter administration times than the older Form C. Form E introduced color illustrations throughout, which makes the test feel less intimidating for younger students. The reading passages are more contemporary. The math problems use updated contexts and visuals. If you're buying new, this is almost certainly what you'll receive.
Form C (2008): Still available from some providers for families who prefer the older format or need a specific version for an unusual testing situation. Black and white, slightly longer administration times for some sections, older norms. There's rarely a reason to choose Form C over Form E unless your provider only stocks Form C for a particular grade level.
Complete Battery: All subtests, full length in every area. This is the version that gives you the detailed subtest breakdowns. If you want to know your child's computation score versus concepts score versus problem-solving score in math, you need the Complete Battery.
Survey Battery (abbreviated Iowa): Shorter like the CAT E Survey. Fewer questions per subject, broader score categories. Less administration time. This is less common than the Complete Battery among homeschoolers because most families choosing the Iowa specifically want the detailed data.

Question types: Multiple choice primarily, but some sections (particularly at upper elementary and secondary levels) include different response formats such as reference-format questions where students consult a provided chart, map, or passage to answer a series of questions. The science sections in particular often use data-interpretation formats: a graph, a table, or a diagram followed by questions about it.

Time: Timed. Takes longer than the CAT but less time than the Stanford 10. The total testing time varies by grade but is generally 3-5 hours spread over multiple days. A typical split is two mornings of 1.5-2.5 hours each, or three shorter morning sessions.

Scheduling advantage: Grades 3-8 can be tested together, and grades 9-12 can be tested together. If you have kids spread across those ranges, you can run two sessions instead of four or five, which matters when you're homeschooling multiple children and your testing window is already tight.

Qualifications to administer: A bachelor's degree or teaching certification is required, plus approval from the testing organization through a tester certification form. Some providers offer an online option where the company handles the administration and the parent just supervises. This bypasses the degree requirement.

The Iowa gives you more data. The subtest breakdown tells you not just "math is at the 68th percentile" but "computation is strong, problem-solving needs work." That granularity is valuable if you're actually trying to adjust your curriculum based on results, rather than just documenting progress for the state.

It also permits greater flexibility for students testing out of grade level. If your child is working above grade level in math but at grade level in reading, the Iowa accommodates that more naturally than the CAT.

Other Testing Options Worth Knowing About

Stanford Achievement Test, 10th Edition (Stanford 10)

The Stanford 10 is the most comprehensive option and the most time-intensive. It's untimed with flexible guidelines, which helps with test anxiety, but it takes longer to administer than either the CAT or Iowa.

Question types: Multiple choice plus some open-ended response formats in certain sections, which is unique among the major achievement tests. This mixed format can give a fuller picture of a student's thinking than multiple choice alone, but it makes scoring slightly more complex and administration more involved.

The Complete Battery includes a Lexile reading measure, which is useful if you want a reading level benchmark that correlates to book-leveling systems. An Abbreviated Battery is also available if you want shorter.

Qualifications: bachelor's degree or teaching certification required for paper administration. Online version available where the testing company administers and the parent supervises.

Available through Seton Testing, Abeka Testing, BJU Press, and others. Cost runs higher than the CAT.

NWEA MAP Growth Assessment

The MAP Growth is entirely different from the others. It's online, untimed, and adaptive. The questions get harder or easier based on how the student is performing, which means it pinpoints their actual level more precisely than a fixed-form test ever could.

How adaptive testing works: Your child starts with a grade-level question. Answer correctly, and the next question is slightly harder. Answer incorrectly, and the next is slightly easier. The algorithm narrows in until it finds the exact difficulty band where your child answers correctly about half the time. That's their true instructional level. A bright 3rd grader working at a 5th-grade level in reading will get 5th-grade questions. A struggling 5th grader will get questions at their actual level, not their enrolled grade level. The score reflects where they are, not where the grade says they should be.

Question types: The adaptive format means every test is different. Questions change based on prior answers, so the content is literally tailored to the individual student in real time.

The MAP Growth K-2 version is specifically designed for pre-readers, with audio support and a kid-friendly format. For older students with special needs, it offers text-to-speech and other built-in accommodations.

This is a strong option if you have a child who doesn't fit neatly into grade-level testing. Available through Affordable Homeschool Testing Services and similar providers.

Woodcock-Johnson Test, 4th Edition

An oral test administered one-on-one by a trained examiner. It measures academic achievement, oral language, and cognitive abilities. So you're getting information about how your child learns, not just what they've learned. Takes 60-90 minutes for the standard version, up to 2.5 hours for the extended version.

The examiner comes to your home, a public place, or administers via video call. Untimed. Scores available immediately. The oral format eliminates reading speed, handwriting, and test-taking anxiety as variables, so you're measuring knowledge and reasoning more directly.

Peabody Achievement Test

Also oral, also one-on-one with a trained examiner. Non-bracketed, which means there's genuine flexibility for testing out of grade level. You get true grade equivalency scores rather than being pegged to a single grade's content. Takes 60-90 minutes.

Both Woodcock-Johnson and Peabody require finding a qualified tester in your area. Search for local educational psychologists or testing centers that serve homeschool families.

What to Expect: A Full Administration Walkthrough

If you've never administered a standardized test before, the process can feel opaque. Here's what it actually looks like from start to finish.

Ordering the Test

Pick your provider. For CAT: Christian Liberty Press, Seton, Academic Excellence, or BJU Press. For Iowa: Seton, BJU Press, or Abeka. For MAP Growth: Affordable Homeschool Testing Services.
Select your grade level. Order the test for your child's current grade level, not where you think they "should" be. The norms are built on grade-level samples, and testing out of level changes what the percentiles mean.
Choose your form. Survey, Complete Battery, or Basic Battery (depending on the test). When in doubt and testing for compliance, Survey is usually fine unless your state specifically asks for a complete battery.
Pay and wait. Paper tests are shipped to your home. Online tests send you access credentials by email. Plan to order 2-3 weeks before you want to test for paper versions. Online access is typically immediate or within a day or two.
Receive and review. When your materials arrive, open everything immediately and read the administration manual cover to cover. Do not wait until test day. The manual tells you exactly what to say, when to say it, how long each section runs, and what materials your child needs at their desk.

Setting Up Your Testing Environment

The setup matters more than you'd think. A distracted, uncomfortable child doesn't produce a representative score.

Location: A quiet room with a door that closes. Kitchen tables are tempting but central traffic means interruptions. A bedroom desk, a cleared-off dining table in a room you can close off, or even a folding table in a quiet corner works.

Materials checklist:

Sharpened #2 pencils (at least three, pre-sharpened)
Scratch paper (blank, not lined with old math problems)
A reliable timer (your phone works, but put it on Do Not Disturb)
Water bottle (no snacks during timed sections, but water is fine)
Tissues
The test booklet, answer sheet, and administration manual, obviously

What to remove from the room: Wall posters with math facts, maps, spelling words, or educational content. You want the score to reflect what's in your child's head, not what's on your walls. This feels nitpicky, but it's standard practice in every school testing environment for a reason.

Test Day: What to Say (and What Not to Say)

How you frame the test to your child shapes their entire experience.

What to say:

"This helps us see what you've learned so far and what we should work on next."
"Some questions will feel easy, some will feel hard. That's how the test is designed. Just do your best."
"You won't know every answer, and that's completely fine."
"This is one piece of information about your learning. It doesn't measure everything you know or everything you are."

What NOT to say:

"Don't worry, it's easy." (If they hit a hard question, they'll think something is wrong with them.)
"I need you to do really well on this." (Pressure distorts the score and stresses the child.)
"Your brother finished faster last year." (Never compare.)
"This determines whether you move up a grade." (It doesn't, and threatening with it is cruel.)
"Just guess if you don't know." (Better: "Pick the answer that seems most right, and move on. It's okay not to be sure.")

For younger kids, especially kindergarten and first grade, explain that you'll be reading the directions to them and they just need to listen and follow along. Keep it light. For my twin 5-year-olds this year, my plan is to present it as a quiet morning activity we're doing together, not as an "exam."

During the Test

Reading directions: The administration manual gives you a script. Read it exactly. Don't ad-lib, don't explain in your own words, don't give hints. Standardized means standardized. You can repeat the scripted directions if a child didn't hear them, but don't rephrase.

Timing each section: Set your timer to the exact minutes specified in the manual. When time is called, say "pencils down" and move on. Do not give extra time. It's tempting when your child is on the last bubble, but it invalidates the comparison to the norm group who didn't get extra time either.

Bathroom breaks: Between sections only. If a child needs to go during a timed section, pause the clock if the test format allows it (some paper tests do, some don't, check your manual) or let them go and note the interruption. One interrupted section doesn't ruin a test. A miserable, squirming child for three sections does.

What if they freeze? If your child stares at a question for a long time and starts to get visibly upset, you can quietly say: "It's okay to skip and come back" (if the test allows returning to skipped questions) or "Just pick your best answer and move on." The goal is to keep them moving through the test, not to achieve perfection on every item. Long freezes on single questions are the enemy of valid scores because they create time pressure on later sections without improving accuracy.

What if they finish a section early? They close the test booklet and sit quietly. No reading, no drawing, no getting up. Reviewing answers within the section is usually allowed, but ask your child if they want to check their work rather than ordering them to. Some kids genuinely do better on their first instinct.

After the Test

Packing up (paper tests): Follow the return instructions exactly. Typically you'll place the answer sheet in the provided return envelope, keep the test booklet (it's usually reusable or yours to keep), and mail the answer sheet within a day or two. Don't let it sit on your desk for a week.

Submitting (online tests): Results are submitted automatically when the test is complete. Confirm the submission screen before closing the browser.

When results arrive: Paper test results typically take 2-4 weeks. Online results are much faster, often within 1-5 business days for CAT online, and sometimes instant for MAP Growth. Iowa online results through BJU Press or Seton generally arrive in 1-2 weeks.

Reading the Score Report

When the report arrives, it can look like a wall of numbers. Here's what to look at and what to ignore.

The key metrics:

National Percentile Rank (NPR): This is the headline number. A score of 68 means your child scored as well as or better than 68% of students in the norm group at the same grade level. The national average is the 50th percentile. Anything between the 25th and 75th is in the broad middle.
Stanine: A simplified 1-9 scale that groups percentiles into bands. Stanines 1-3 are below average, 4-6 are average, 7-9 are above average. The 4th stanine (23rd-39th percentiles) is often the threshold states use. If your state requires "above the 4th stanine," they mean at or above the 23rd percentile.
Grade Equivalent (GE): This is the most misunderstood score on the report. A grade equivalent of 5.3 does NOT mean your 3rd grader is doing 5th grade work. It means your 3rd grader scored as well on the 3rd grade test as the average 5th grader would have scored on that same 3rd grade test. It reflects performance on grade-level material, not mastery of above-grade material. High grade equivalents on a grade-level test usually mean your child has thoroughly mastered their grade-level content, not that they should skip two grades.
Scale Score: The technical raw score the test is built on. You can ignore this. It's the engine, not the dashboard.
Lexile Measure (Iowa Form E): A reading level metric that maps to book difficulty. A Lexile of 800L means your child can comfortably read books rated around 800L. This is genuinely useful for picking independent reading material. Search "Lexile find a book" and you'll find free tools that match Lexile scores to specific titles.

When the numbers seem to disagree:

High percentile, low grade equivalent? This is mathematically unusual, but if it happens it might mean the norms for that particular grade or subject have shifted. A newer test with a more competitive norm group can produce this pattern. More likely it means a scoring error or that the child tested above grade level and the GE calculation got stretched. Check with your provider.
Low percentile, high grade equivalent? Much more common. A 3rd grader gets a GE of 5.2 but a percentile of 45. This means the child scored better than 45% of 3rd graders, and that score happens to be the equivalent of what an average 5th grader would get on the 3rd grade test. The child is solidly competent at grade level but not outperforming peers by a wide margin. The high GE is misleading in this case. The percentile tells the real story.
Reading percentile of 85, math percentile of 30? A real split. Your child reads well above grade level and is struggling in math. This is the most useful kind of result because it tells you exactly where to focus next year. Adjust your math curriculum, consider extra practice, look for a different approach. The split is information, not a problem.
Everything at 95th+ percentile? Your child is doing very well on grade-level material. Consider whether they might benefit from more challenging work in some areas. But also: it's one test on one day. A high score is great. It doesn't mean your child is gifted or needs acceleration. Keep perspective.

What score actually triggers state concern: Most states that set a threshold place it at the 23rd percentile (bottom of the 4th stanine) for the composite score. That's a deliberately low bar. A child at the 30th percentile is above the state threshold even though they're below the national average. The difference between "below grade level" and "below state threshold" is real and important. A child can score below the 50th percentile (below grade level relative to the average) and still be well above the 23rd percentile (above the state concern threshold). Do not conflate the two.

Virginia specifics: The requirement here is a composite score at or above the 23rd percentile in language arts and mathematics only. Science and social studies scores don't factor into Virginia's benchmark. If your child is above the threshold in math and language arts, the science score could be a 5th percentile and it wouldn't matter for compliance. The due date is August 1, which gives you the entire spring and summer to schedule testing. No rush in March if your family does better testing in June.

How to Decide: Questions to Ask Yourself

I've found that the decision gets clearer when you answer a few honest questions about your situation, rather than trying to find the "best" test in the abstract:

Do I want to administer this myself or have someone else do it? If you want to do it at home, personally, the CAT (no degree required) or the Iowa online version (company administers, you supervise) are the easiest paths. If you'd prefer someone else handle the whole thing, the Woodcock-Johnson or Peabody might be worth the extra cost.

Can my child handle a timed test? If the clock creates anxiety that distorts the results, the untimed CAT online or the Stanford 10 are better choices. The MAP Growth is also untimed. The Iowa is strictly timed.

Is my child a strong enough reader for a bubble test? For pre-readers or early readers, the MAP Growth K-2, Woodcock-Johnson, or Peabody are designed with this in mind. Most paper bubble tests assume the child can read the questions independently by about grade 2 or 3. Testing a kindergartener is a different animal entirely. Check out my guide to homeschool testing for kindergarteners if your child is at that age.

How many kids am I testing? If you have multiple children, the scheduling logistics matter. The CAT E Survey lets you test grades 4-12 together. The Iowa groups grades 3-8 and 9-12. The Stanford 10 has more flexible grouping. Think about how many separate sessions you're realistically going to run.

Am I testing for compliance or for information? If you just need a score to submit, the CAT does the job for less money and less stress. If you actually want detailed diagnostic information that will shape next year's curriculum, the Iowa or MAP Growth give you more to work with.

What does my state accept? This is the one you can't skip. Before you purchase anything, check your state's current approved test list. Most states accept "any nationally normed test," but some have specific lists. Verify.

Do I need the Complete Battery or will Survey do? For state compliance, Survey is almost always sufficient unless your state regulation specifically calls for a "complete" or "comprehensive" battery. Survey is shorter, cheaper, and less stressful. Complete Battery is for when you want the diagnostic detail. If you're testing for compliance only, start with Survey. You can always buy the Complete Battery next year if you decide you want more data.

A Practical Note About Test Anxiety

If your child has never taken a standardized test before, the format itself can be the biggest variable. Fill-in-the-bubble answer sheets, time limits, not being able to ask mom for clarification. These are skills separate from the academic content, and a first test can measure test-taking unfamiliarity as much as it measures knowledge.

I think it's worth doing a practice test or at least walking through the format before the real thing, especially for younger kids. Most test providers include practice materials.

If your child's first score is lower than you expected, consider the possibility that the test format was the challenge, not the content. Try a different format next year. An oral test like the Woodcock-Johnson can reveal a very different picture than a paper bubble sheet.

Which is better for a child with test anxiety? Start with an untimed format. The CAT online untimed version, the MAP Growth (also untimed), or an oral test (Woodcock-Johnson, Peabody) remove the clock as a variable. Oral tests remove both the clock and the bubble-sheet format. If anxiety is significant, the extra cost of an oral test might be worth it for a result that actually reflects what your child knows rather than how they handle testing stress. The Stanford 10 is also untimed but has more content volume than the CAT, so it can feel longer even without a clock.

Testing accommodations for special needs: The MAP Growth has the most built-in accommodations: text-to-speech, audio support, untimed format, and adaptive difficulty that prevents the frustration of hitting walls of impossible questions. The Woodcock-Johnson and Peabody are inherently accommodating because they're oral and one-on-one. For paper tests, accommodations depend on the provider. BJU Press and Seton can advise on what modifications they permit for the Iowa or Stanford 10. Contact the provider before ordering if you need specific accommodations; some require documentation.

Where to Buy

Most of these tests are available through a handful of providers that serve homeschool families specifically:

Seton Testing Services: offers CAT E Survey, TerraNova CAT 6, Iowa, Stanford 10 (online)
BJU Press Testing & Evaluation: offers Iowa and Stanford 10 (paper and online)
Abeka Testing: offers Iowa and Stanford 10
Christian Liberty Press: offers CAT (paper and online versions)
Academic Excellence Testing Services: online CAT
Affordable Homeschool Testing Services: MAP Growth

The test is shipped to you (or accessed online), you administer it (or supervise while the company administers), and results come back in a few weeks for paper tests or much faster for online ones.

Other Testing Details Worth Knowing

Can I test multiple kids at the same time with different tests? Yes, if you have the space and focus to manage separate test booklets, timers, and directions for different tests. But it's a lot to track. Easier to test kids together when they're taking the same test (using the group-testing grade bands described above) or to stagger: one child tests in the morning, another in the afternoon. Testing three kids on three different tests simultaneously is a recipe for chaos.

Can I test in summer? Yes. Most providers allow testing year-round. If you finish your school year in May and want to test in June or July, go ahead. The norms are built on spring testing (when schools typically administer), so a July test might show slightly higher scores simply from the extra weeks of life and learning. But the difference is small, and summer testing is common among homeschoolers who prefer a relaxed timeline. Just make sure you'll have results back before your state's submission deadline. For Virginia's August 1 deadline, testing in July with a paper test is cutting it close. Use an online format if you're testing late.

Is online or paper better? Depends on your child. Online is faster to get results, often cheaper, removes shipping logistics, and for CAT specifically, offers an untimed option. Paper is familiar, doesn't require computer skills (bubble-filling is a different motor skill, but a simpler one for young kids than mouse-and-keyboard navigation), and gives you physical materials to review. For younger children who aren't comfortable with computers, paper might produce a more representative score. For older children who are digital natives, online is usually smoother. If your state requires a specific format (rare but worth checking), that overrides preference.

How long do results take? Paper: 2-4 weeks after the provider receives your answer sheet (so add mailing time). CAT online: typically 1-5 business days. Iowa online through BJU Press or Seton: 1-2 weeks. MAP Growth: often instant or same-day. Woodcock-Johnson and Peabody: the examiner can usually give you verbal results immediately and a written report within a few days.

The Short Version

If your state requires testing and you want simple and affordable: get the CAT. No degree required, untimed online option, costs $25-60, satisfies most state compliance requirements, and the results are back quickly.

If you want detailed diagnostic information that will actually shape your curriculum: the Iowa or MAP Growth give you more to work with but cost more, take longer, and (for the Iowa paper version) require a bachelor's degree to administer.

If your child doesn't test well in written format: the Woodcock-Johnson or Peabody are oral, one-on-one, and worth the cost if the results matter for your planning.

If you're brand new to homeschooling and still figuring out the landscape, start with my post on getting started with homeschooling. If you're stocking up on supplies to make the school year run smoother, my list of the best homeschool supplies on Amazon has what my family actually uses day to day.

None of these tests define your child or your homeschool. They're a single data point, taken on a single day, in an artificial format. Use the information they give you, file the paperwork your state requires, and get back to the actual work of learning together.

This post is a personal overview based on research and experience, not professional or legal advice. State testing requirements change. Always verify your state's current laws and approved test list before purchasing.

Affiliate disclosure: this post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you buy something through one of those links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.