Test Preview: Verification

Content Areas

To earn this credential, you will need to know the basic principles and processes for verification of a student’s FAFSA® application data. You will need to know when verification is required and for which student applicants, which data elements must be verified, and what documentation is acceptable. You also will need to know about the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange, and tax-filing thresholds and forms, as well as the  corrections process, interim disbursements, timeframes and deadlines, and how verification relates to the exercising of the financial aid administrator’s professional judgment authority. This will help you demonstrate the ability to ensure your school’s verification policies and procedures result in the use of accurate data to establish eligibility for need-based federal student aid. 

The range of topics in this test include:

  • General Concepts of Verification
  • Changing Applicant Data
  • Disbursements, Timeframes, Policies and Procedures, and Reporting

Tests may include questions pertaining to a variety of program structures, such as credit- or clock-hour, term or nonterm, standard or nonstandard term, undergraduate or graduate/professional programs, and programs of various length (shorter than one year, two-year, four-year, certificate, etc.).

Sample Test Questions

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Review the following examples, which are similar in structure and scope to the questions that will appear on the test for this topic. Check your answers by selecting the question's link.

1. The list of required verification items for each award year is published first in

    • the Federal Student Aid Handbook.
    • the Federal Register.
    • a Dear Colleague Letter.
    • the Application and Verification Guide.

2. Which of the following students is the school permitted to exclude from verification of income information, even if federally selected for verification?

    • A graduate student accepting an unsubsidized loan and Federal Work-Study
    • An undergraduate student declining a subsidized loan and accepting an unsubsidized loan
    • An undergraduate student eligible for only an unsubsidized loan
    • An undergraduate student potentially eligible for a Federal Pell Grant

3. Which of the following documents is NOT acceptable for the purpose of verifying the student’s high school completion status, when domestic U.S. students are federally selected for verification and assigned to tracking groups V4 and V5?

    • A copy of official high school transcript that shows the date the diploma was awarded
    • A copy of the “secondary school leaving certificate” from a foreign country
    • A signed and notarized statement from the student
    • An academic transcript for completion of a two-year program that is acceptable for credit towards a bachelor’s degree

4. If the parent of a dependent student remarries between application and verification, the family must

    • update the family size to include the new stepparent.
    • add the new stepparent’s income and assets.
    • not change any information provided on the application.
    • provide Tax Return Transcripts for the new stepparent.

5. Prior to completing verification, the school has the option to

    • make one disbursement of Pell and FSEOG funds for the applicant’s first payment period.
    • permit FWS employment for the first 90 days of enrollment.
    • make one disbursement of Direct Subsidized loan funds for the applicant’s first payment period.
    • make one disbursement of Direct PLUS Loan funds for the applicant’s first payment period.

Recommended Resources

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