Leila Readick

But is National Consumer Panel legit or a scam to stay away from?

Well, let me reveal right away that there are both very satisfied and very unsatisfied members of this panel.

I can tell right away that it is legit but whether you will be one of the happy or unhappy members depends a lot on your expectations.

So in this National Consumer Panel review, I will go over all the details so you will know exactly what to expect and can easily see if it will be worth it for you or not.

National Consumer Panel is a joint venture between Nielsen and IRi – these are two of the leading market research companies in the USA.

So there are some legit and reputable companies behind and it has been around for around 30 years so it is a legit panel.

So you do not have to worry about that part. But this does, however, not mean it will be a good panel for you to join as it is very different from most survey sites where you can get paid to give feedback and share your opinions.

So let's go over what opportunities you have as a member of National Consumer Panel.

The main thing National Consumer Panel does is to collect data about shopping habits. This is quite similar to what NielsenIQ Homescan Panel does if you know that panel.

This data is used to help manufacturers improve their products and services. So to get as much data as possible, you will as a member be given a scanner you can use to scan all purchases when you go shopping.

It can be a handheld scanner or you can use their mobile app.

From feedback, I have seen from members, there can sometimes be technical problems with the scanner.

And also, you are responsible for the equipment so if you at some point do not want to be a member anymore, you have to make sure to return the scanner.

The app, therefore, seems like the obvious choice to me. You can start using it sooner and you do not have responsibility for any equipment and do not have to carry a scanner around when you go shopping.

But anyway – once you have found the scanner method you want to use, you will use the scanner to scan the barcodes on all the products you buy during a shopping trip.

You also need to provide information about products that do not have barcodes like, for example, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, and more.

In addition to this, you need to give information about which shop you went to if you have shopped online, and some more general information.

All this data will once per week be sent to the National Consumer Panel and be used for market research.

The data is valuable info for manufacturers and retailers and they will use it to improve and therefore they are willing to pay for it.

So this is the reason you can get rewards for participating and doing this.

This is the main way to use National Consumer Panel and you have to use this option as a member. If you do not scan for a little while, they will start contacting you to ask if you still want to be a member.

So you cannot be inactive too long to stay a member from what I have been able to find out.

Below you can see a short video where National Consumer Panel itself describes how it works:

As a member of National Consumer Panel, you are also encouraged to take part in surveys.

This is a way for the panel to get more data and ask follow-up questions about your shopping habits and a way for you to give feedback.

You will also earn rewards by participating in these.

I have not been able to find any information about how many points you get for the surveys. But it usually depends on the length of the survey.

But in general, you should not expect to earn big money by taking the surveys on National Consumer Panel but mostly take them if you would like to have your opinion heard.

There will, at times, also be special studies you might be invited to participate in that can earn you extra rewards.

A great thing National Consumer Panel offers is sweepstakes with high rewards. When you participate regularly on the platform, you will get entries into these sweepstakes. They are held weekly, monthly, qúarterly, and yearly.

They actually have some really great prizes in these sweepstakes.

The biggest reward is in the quarterly sweepstakes where one winner gets $20,000. That is a really big reward so if you are lucky it can be very lucrative to be a member.

The other rewards range from $25-$500 and also include products you can win.

So overall, some really great sweepstakes options. But, of course, you have to be lucky to get any of these.

As a panel member of National Consumer Panel, you sometimes get access to special discounts from the panel's partners.

They, for example, offer discounts for AT&T Wireless Plans and Accessories.

It is not worth joining the panel just for this, but as an extra bonus, it can give some good savings at times.

Click to Check Out the Best Get-Paid-To Sites

So now you know what it takes to be a member of National Consumer Panel and how you can earn there.

But how do you then get paid for your efforts?

Well, it is honestly a bit complicated.

For every week you participate, you will earn points. Exactly how many points you get for scanning is a bit unclear. Some people report that it is around 20-50 points per item you scan. Others say it is 150 points per week when you first start.

The reason for this unclarity might be that the points depend on how long you have been a member. Because National Consumer Panel clearly states that the longer you are a member the higher rewards you get.

As for the surveys and special studies you will earn additional points depending on the length. And you will also get a bonus on your birthday as well as when you have been a member for 3, 6, and 12 months and every yearly anniversary after that.

You can then use these points to choose gifts from the National Consumer Panel gift catalog that has a lot of great gifts.

It is, however, important to notice that you cannot get paid in cash.

With the number of rewards, you can choose from it is almost as good as cash, but if you only want to participate on platforms that pay in cash, then you should instead check out the best PayPal survey sites.

The rewards start at around 8,000 points so you have to collect this before you can get a reward from their gift catalog. You can, of course, also collect more and save for bigger rewards.

It is difficult to say exactly how much you can earn by being a member of National Consumer Panel.

The longer you are a member, the better opportunities and rewards you get.

But no matter what, it will not make you big money.

It can be fun to participate in and a great way to give feedback but it can also take quite a bit of time and effort to scan all your purchases. So you need to be aware that it will not give you a great hourly rate for your efforts.

But as a way to earn a bit extra, it can be a different way to do it, and if you are lucky, you can win some really great prizes in the sweepstakes.

But overall, it will take some patience to earn and get paid from NCP.

A tricky thing about National Consumer Panel is that it does not just allow anyone to become a member. First of all, it is only a panel for the US.

If you do not live here but are interested in a similar option, then you can instead check out Nielsen Homescan as it is similar in some ways but available in more countries.

Even if you live in the USA, you are not guaranteed to be able to become a member. You have to apply and be accepted.

Whether you will be accepted or not depends on your demographic group (meaning where you live, how many you are in your household, etc.). Sometimes they are looking for specific groups but have too many of others.

If you do not get accepted, you get on a waitlist.

But if you are interested then why not give it a try? They are often looking for new members so it might very well be that you are in a group they are looking for.

If you should need support from National Consumer Panel, then you have several options. You can write them an email, send them a message on Facebook, or you can call them.

On their website, they have a phone number you can call which is a nice and fast way to get help if you need it.

I have heard different opinions about their support. Some people complain on their Facebook page that there are technical problems or similar and that the support is not very responsive. Others mention that the support is really helpful.

What I can see is, however, that when someone posts on their Facebook page, they are very fast at getting back to them.

They get back to people whether they leave a positive or negative review.

This is a very good sign and shows they are aware and they care about what the members say.

It does, of course, not mean that it will be the best site for you to join as it depends a lot on what you expect. But no matter what, it is good to know that their support does pay some attention if you join and need help.

National Consumer Panel is definitely a legit panel and a bit different from many other panels where you can get paid to give feedback.

But whether it is worth joining for you depends a lot on your expectations.

So let's finish this review by summing up the pros and cons so you can get a better overview before deciding if it is for you or not.

Pros:

Cons:

Overall, I think National Consumer Panel can be a different way to give feedback and get some rewards at the same time.

You just have to do it for fun and to earn a bit extra as it will not make you huge money unless you win the quarterly sweepstake.

If you decide to join, I would clearly recommend opting for the mobile app option once you are a member as this is a lot more practical and will, in my opinion, save you a lot of time compared to having to use the scanner.

Just be aware that they do not always accept new members, but if you think it sounds like an interesting panel, then why not give it a try?

If you instead want to join sites where you can earn some extra money more effectively by doing small online tasks, you can check out the best survey and Get-Paid-To sites here.

There I was - another night of lying wide awake in the dark.

My husband - snoring peacefully next to me - didn’t know I was worried.

Like, really worried.

I was at the beginning of the college admissions journey with my first kid.

And what I was obsessing about most was the homeschool transcript.

One page. That’s all it is! And it was enough to keep me up at night.

How can a one page document sprinkled with letters and numbers cause us so much aggravation?

Because this simple document tells our homeschooler’s story. And this simple document is supposed to move admissions officers to say yes to that story.

After launching 5 of my own kids into college and helping hundreds of other homeschoolers, I’ve learned that there’s no one way to create a transcript. There are lots of great ways.

Just find the way that best reflects your homeschool and your homeschooler’s story.

Find the way that allows you to sleep peacefully at night.

The homeschool high school transcript is a great way to tell your story in the college application.

Very simply, the transcript is a one-page document that provides a quick glance at a student’s high school courses, grades, GPA, and, if desired, test scores (more on that later).

Not only does a transcript serve as a key college admissions piece, but can also be used for scholarships, contests, internships, certifications, and jobs. Note that the transcript differs from another document called Course Descriptions.

Note: College admissions officers prefer a one-page, simple, easy-to-read transcript.

Should your course names be creative? Or should they be standard?

Your homeschooler’s education was not standard, so if you have the chance to label their English Class, The Power of Voice in Women’s Literature, do it. Sounds better than 11th grade English, eh? Just make sure it isn’t difficult to decipher what subject the class is!

To weight or not to weight? That is the question.

Because Honors and AP courses are more demanding, some schools give more weight to them. Instead of a class being 1.0 quality point, they assign it 1.5 or 2.0 quality points - weighting those classes by .5 or 1.0 respectively.

Whether you weight or not is really a personal choice, as is so much of this process.

Many schools unweight grades before reviewing the homeschool high school transcript.

Why? Because there is no standard in the way schools weight courses. Some base it on a 4.0 scale, others on a 5.0 or 6.0 scale.

In order to streamline the process, admissions officers recalculate on an unweighted 4.0 scale (many times excluding electives). They then assess those courses according to their school’s particular rubric used when evaluating an applicant.

It seems that unweighted grades are the way to go, right? However…

Some schools use weighted grades for scholarship purposes.

If your student is going to compete with others from schools that weight courses, you should consider doing the same.

What’s the best way to know if the schools on your homeschooler’s list use weighted grades for merit scholarships?

Some institutions will share this information; some will not. It is best to call the admissions office and ask!

If an outsourced course is labeled Honors or AP, certainly call it that on your transcript. If you think the course is much more demanding than a typical high school course, feel free to call it Honors.

How much it matters depends on the specific admissions officer and if those grades are backed up by thorough course descriptions and/or Subject Tests or AP scores.

Each transcript should have a grading key or grading scale. This explains your grading system in an efficient way to the admissions officer. There are a variety of scales from which to choose. Pick one and be consistent.

Here are two of the most commonly used grading scales.

The easiest way is to use the Fearless Homeschoolers free online GPA calculator.

If you’re interested in doing it the old school way, here’s the blow by blow:

There are two GPA calculations on the transcript. First, there is GPA by year. Second, there is cumulative GPA.

3+4+3+2+2= 14

14/4.5= 3.11 GPA

To get a cumulative GPA, add up each year’s grade points and divide by the number of credits taken over those years.

​> Note: the cumulative GPA is NOT an average of each year because the number of classes taken each year is different.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Credits for Homeschool

SAT scores, ACT scores, Subject Test scores, and AP scores can be included UNLESS applying test-optional (choosing to not send scores to a test-optional school.)

For obvious reasons, you wouldn’t want those scores on the transcript. Also important: Do NOT self-report those scores in the Common App.

There are two main kinds of transcripts that homeschoolers use; they differ in their organization.

Which transcript to use depends on your homeschooler. Does one type seem to reflect their story better than another?

Does one highlight their strengths better than another? If you have a student who has studied a few languages or a student who has doubled or tripled up in math, a subject transcript may work best for you.

On the other hand, if your teen isn’t strong in a particular subject, a subject transcript will make that painfully obvious!

Your transcript has a job - to tell your homeschooler’s academic story in one easy-to-read, easy-to-understand page. Here are some important questions to ask when looking for the best transcript template or transcript service for you.

If you’re looking for one that considers all of the above, grab my Transcript Template now!

In the your “Students” Section of the Counselor’s Common App account, click on your homeschooler’s name, click on “School Report” and then “Transcripts”.

Here it will ask you how many transcripts you want to upload. Read as “How many pdfs do you want to upload?”

If you’re including Course Descriptions, you would select 2.

Upload the transcript in the first slot. (Course descriptions would go under “Additional Transcript” slot.)

New in 2022: If you select “1” transcript, you’ll be able to choose up to 3 files from your computer files. If you choose your transcript PDF & your course descriptions PDF, they will be combined into one long PDF. This is a fine option. But if you’d like to keep them separate, select “2” transcripts & upload in 2 different slots.

There’s no need to send every transcript or grade report. Here are the basic guidelines for what gets sent and what doesn’t.

Ask the school to send your homeschooler’s transcript directly to colleges.

Sometimes online providers offer an official grade report. Your homeschooler takes English from one provider and math from another? Unless your student has taken the bulk of their classes from that provider, just transfer the grade onto your homeschool transcript.

If your homeschooler’s high school years included a school that was not legally a homeschool, you have two choices.

Create and send a homeschool transcript (with course descriptions and counselor recommendation letter) directly to the school. This clears up any questions admissions officers have regarding the specifics of their homeschool education.

In general, middle school courses should not be listed. The high school transcript is a transcript for high school courses.

However, look at each school’s requirements. Do they require 4 years of each subject? Do you need that 8th grade Algebra course on the transcript to meet those requirements? If so, then include it. If not, then it’s not necessary.

The two middle school subjects - if taken at a high school level - acceptable to put on a high school transcript are Math and Foreign Language. A high school biology class taken during middle school is also commonly seen.

Yes! Include all planned 12th grade courses on your transcript. For fall classes, include the names of the courses and note that that they are “In Progress” or “IP”.

As with the fall classes, list any spring classes as “TBD” or “in progress” or “IP”. The grades for those classes will be sent with the counselor’s final report.

(Yes, you’ll be sending a final report with an updated and “FINAL” transcript. Be sure to include the graduation date on that final transcript.)

Look at the application in its entirety. When put together, the application should reveal all that your homeschooler is.

There are two places independent projects and studies can go - on the activities list or on the transcript. First, ask yourself if the independent study involved enough hours. If so, the transcript is an option. Then ask yourself if it is worthy of a course description, rather than the 150 characters available in the activities section of the Common App. If so, the transcript is the way to go.

If the electives are interesting and important to the student’s story, include those electives. Physical education or health? There’s no need to include them unless you’d like to.

Note: For most of you, the transcript you send to colleges does not need to include all of your state’s requirements. For CA and NY residents applying to in-state schools, it may be a different story.

Activities, awards, and course descriptions do not belong on the transcript, especially if using the Common App. There are specific sections to list those items. If not using the Common App, and there’s no section to include such accomplishments, consider creating a separate document.

Use this checklist as you create and review your transcript.

As you can see, much of what you choose to include is up to you. Ask yourself how you want your homeschool and your homeschooler’s story to be told. Yes, there are plenty of details to think about, but as a homeschooler, you’re used to that!

3 Things Colleges Want to See on Your Homeschool TranscriptHow to Create Course Descriptions as a HomeschoolerHow to Navigate the Common App as a Homeschool ParentHow to Create Your School Profile as a Homeschooler

What trips you up most about the homeschool transcript? Share in a comment below!

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