cannot participate in the graduation ceremonies for students in the public high school because these are
ceremonies for students who have successfully met the graduation requirements and are graduating from that
particular school.
40.Can MDE verify or certify a home-school diploma or transcript for employers, military or
college admission’s offices?
MDE is not able to provide any verification or certification of any home-school diploma or transcript.
Organizations need to work directly with the parent who instructed the student.
41.How can home-school students take college entrance tests?
Home-educated students wanting to take either the ACT or SAT college test will usually find many options
through local high schools and colleges. However, the corresponding practice tests may be harder to access.
Home-schooling advocates recommend using home-school codes when you test so that the scores are sent to
you at your home address, and not to the high school where you tested.
• PreACT: if you want to take the practice ACT, check with your local public high school. Some home-
school organizations also offer it. PreACT code for homeschools is: 979-999.
• Taking the ACT: The ACT is offered four to six times throughout the year. Homeschool students can
register on the ACT testing site and follow the directions for downloading the necessary documents for
testing day. The homeschool high school code for the ACT is 969-999.
• Taking the PSAT/NMSQT: The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
(PSAT/NMSQT®) is given each year in October. It measures the same knowledge and skills as the SAT
and is the qualifying test for entry to the National Merit® Scholarship Program. To take the
PSAT/NMSQT, you’ll need to contact a high school near you that’s administering the test. We
recommend contacting them several months before the test date. Since the test is given in October this
means contact the high school where you want to take the test in late May or early June. Many high
schools will not allow this because of limitations on the number of tests they are allowed to order. For
annual PSAT dates, please visit the SAT Suite of Assessments
. If a student who wants to take the PSAT to
compete for the National Merit Scholarship missed the test, contact the National Merit Scholarship
Corporation for next steps. Code for the PSAT for Minnesota residents is 992449.
• Taking the SAT: Homeschooled students can register for the SAT online or on paper, just like any other
student. Anywhere you’re asked for your high school code on the registration form, use code 970000.
• Free Practice for the SAT and PSAT/NMSQT: One of the best ways to prepare for the SAT or
PSAT/NMSQT is to use Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy
®. It’s free, it’s online, and it gives you a
personalized practice plan based on your scores on a previous SAT or PSAT/NMSQT or on short quizzes
you take on Khan Academy.
Websites for additional information include College Board (PSAT, SAT, Accuplacer, CLEP, and AP) and ACT (Pre-
ACT, Aspire, ACT).
E-Library Minnesota provides free online access to prep tests through the LearningExpress Library. The
LearningExpress Library is geo-located for authentication so a library card is not necessary. For more information
on LearningExpress Library, please visit LearningExpress Library.
Update 06/06/2024
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