diff --git a/doc/topics/releases/sodium.rst b/doc/topics/releases/sodium.rst
index 4bb34f8dd255..d8fc2e454ee1 100644
--- a/doc/topics/releases/sodium.rst
+++ b/doc/topics/releases/sodium.rst
@@ -17,6 +17,16 @@ The old syntax for the mine_function - as a dict, or as a list with dicts that
 contain more than exactly one key - is still supported but discouraged in favor
 of the more uniform syntax of module.run.
 
+State Execution Module
+======================
+
+The :mod:`state.test <salt.modules.state.test>` function
+can be used to test a state on a minion. This works by executing the
+:mod:`state.apply <salt.modules.state.apply>` function while forcing the ``test`` kwarg
+to ``True`` so that the ``state.apply`` function is not required to be called by the
+user directly. This also allows you to add the ``state.test`` function to a minion's 
+``minion_blackout_whitelist`` pillar if you wish to be able to test a state while a
+minion is in blackout.
 
 New Grains
 ==========
diff --git a/salt/modules/state.py b/salt/modules/state.py
index 4edca2de1d39..05cc49fdcd42 100644
--- a/salt/modules/state.py
+++ b/salt/modules/state.py
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
     "template": "highstate",
     "template_str": "highstate",
     "apply_": "highstate",
+    "test": "highstate",
     "request": "highstate",
     "check_request": "highstate",
     "run_request": "highstate",
@@ -799,6 +800,21 @@ def apply_(mods=None, **kwargs):
     return highstate(**kwargs)
 
 
+def test(*args, **kwargs):
+    """
+    .. versionadded:: Sodium
+
+    Alias for `state.apply` with the kwarg `test` forced to `True`.
+
+    This is a nicety to avoid the need to type out `test=True` and the possibility of
+    a typo causing changes you do not intend.
+    """
+    kwargs["test"] = True
+    ret = apply_(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    return ret
+
+
 def request(mods=None, **kwargs):
     """
     .. versionadded:: 2015.5.0
diff --git a/tests/integration/modules/test_state.py b/tests/integration/modules/test_state.py
index 44301badbe48..733361c92dce 100644
--- a/tests/integration/modules/test_state.py
+++ b/tests/integration/modules/test_state.py
@@ -2354,6 +2354,37 @@ def test_state_sls_id_test_false_pillar_true(self):
             self.assertEqual(val["comment"], "File {0} updated".format(file_name))
             self.assertEqual(val["changes"]["diff"], "New file")
 
+    def test_state_test_pillar_false(self):
+        """
+        test state.test forces test kwarg to True even when pillar is set to False
+        """
+        self._add_runtime_pillar(pillar={"test": False})
+        testfile = os.path.join(RUNTIME_VARS.TMP, "testfile")
+        comment = "The file {0} is set to be changed\nNote: No changes made, actual changes may\nbe different due to other states.".format(
+            testfile
+        )
+        ret = self.run_function("state.test", ["core"])
+
+        for key, val in ret.items():
+            self.assertEqual(val["comment"], comment)
+            self.assertEqual(val["changes"], {"newfile": testfile})
+
+    def test_state_test_test_false_pillar_false(self):
+        """
+        test state.test forces test kwarg to True even when pillar and kwarg are set
+        to False
+        """
+        self._add_runtime_pillar(pillar={"test": False})
+        testfile = os.path.join(RUNTIME_VARS.TMP, "testfile")
+        comment = "The file {0} is set to be changed\nNote: No changes made, actual changes may\nbe different due to other states.".format(
+            testfile
+        )
+        ret = self.run_function("state.test", ["core"], test=False)
+
+        for key, val in ret.items():
+            self.assertEqual(val["comment"], comment)
+            self.assertEqual(val["changes"], {"newfile": testfile})
+
     @skipIf(
         six.PY3 and salt.utils.platform.is_darwin(), "Test is broken on macosx and PY3"
     )
diff --git a/tests/unit/modules/test_state.py b/tests/unit/modules/test_state.py
index ca0b3e7aadb6..93effa90ea50 100644
--- a/tests/unit/modules/test_state.py
+++ b/tests/unit/modules/test_state.py
@@ -432,6 +432,23 @@ def test_apply_(self):
         with patch.object(state, "highstate", mock):
             self.assertTrue(state.apply_(None))
 
+    def test_test(self):
+        """
+            Test to apply states in test mode
+        """
+        with patch.dict(state.__opts__, {"test": False}):
+            mock = MagicMock(return_value=True)
+            with patch.object(state, "sls", mock):
+                self.assertTrue(state.test(True))
+                mock.assert_called_once_with(True, test=True)
+                self.assertEqual(state.__opts__["test"], False)
+
+            mock = MagicMock(return_value=True)
+            with patch.object(state, "highstate", mock):
+                self.assertTrue(state.test(None))
+                mock.assert_called_once_with(test=True)
+                self.assertEqual(state.__opts__["test"], False)
+
     def test_list_disabled(self):
         """
             Test to list disabled states
@@ -1194,6 +1211,14 @@ def test_lock_saltenv(self):
             with self.assertRaisesRegex(CommandExecutionError, lock_msg):
                 state.apply_(saltenv="base")
 
+            # Test "test" with SLS
+            with self.assertRaisesRegex(CommandExecutionError, lock_msg):
+                state.test("foo", saltenv="base")
+
+            # Test "test" with Highstate
+            with self.assertRaisesRegex(CommandExecutionError, lock_msg):
+                state.test(saltenv="base")
+
             # Test highstate
             with self.assertRaisesRegex(CommandExecutionError, lock_msg):
                 state.highstate(saltenv="base")