Got into nursing school with a TEAS score lower than 65%

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Jun 15, 2016

It depends on the applicant, their application, and the prospective entering class. Often times schools request that a TEAS score be 70 or even 80 percent, but will accept people in different ranges based on the strength of their application and references.

It is important to note that there are multiple study materials available for the TEAS exam and that it is written at a high school level, The exam is used as a predictor of success in nursing school completion.

loisa · Jun 22, 2016

Guess I am lucky TEAS test was not invented when I went to nursing school.

Animalsrock · Jun 22, 2016

Yes! Luck you lol! I wish!!

Columnist · Jun 22, 2016

Moved to Pre-Nursing Student forum

Idiosyncratic, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2016

No. Not where I live. They give you points for the percentage. Most people don't get in with under a 75.

ItsThatJenGirl, CNA · Jun 23, 2016

It's going to vary from school to school. For my school, it counts pretty heavily. The average score for the accepted applicants for Spring was 82.

FutureNurseglen · Jun 23, 2016

It really depends on the school, but some community colleges here in CA require a minimum score of 62-64% to be considered eligible for the Nursing Program.

oldsockventriloquist · Jun 23, 2016

Why wouldn't you just work on your weak sections, take a few practice exams to see if you're ready, and then retake the exam? I feel this would be more practical than trying to be the exception to who usually gets accepted.

Animalsrock · Jun 23, 2016

Because I thought it would be best to finish my A&P and Chem prerequisites before preparing. I just finished them spring 2016 and the deadline for the program I'm applying to is July 1st. I started preparing after the semester, had to get the money for the study material, and the test as well. This is the only school that will allow me to apply without all my prerequisites completed. I can show proof of enrollment of my final prerequisites for fall semester. All the other programs require me to finish all my prerequisites before applying. Worst case, I will retake the TEAS and apply to more when I can if I'm not selected.

oldsockventriloquist · Jun 23, 2016

Oh, I assumed from your first post that you had taken all your prerequisites and had received a TEAS score less than 65%. So, if the program only requires proof of enrollment, I would see how much time you would save, by applying with that TEAS test, and what type of programs you are applying towards. For example, if you are applying one quarter/semester early to an ADN program in the summer versus enrolling in a BSN program in the fall, it might not be worth it, excluding costs (which are a huge factor). Also, if you are still need to submit those fall grades for let's say a winter quarter/semester nursing program start around the same time you would be applying to other winter nursing programs, then it really doesn't give you any advantage. Finally, I would check to see how local schools view retakes, by looking at the school websites and calling each school.

So, if you do get an early start, then I would take a practice exam or two and see how well you perform. If you are getting very low scores in the science sections, then I'd look into some major online review courses for each subject taught. For example, finding good videos on each anatomy subject. If you continue to perform poorly on the science section, perhaps you should consider finishing your prerequisites. If you, however, can perform well on that subject and have tested yourself with most of the topics covered in the official test prep book, then I might go ahead and take the test. Make sure you can perform well on all the sections though and really review everything discussed in that official test prep book.

Animalsrock · Jun 24, 2016

Thanks! This was the first opportunity I've had. I went for it in hopes of starting spring following right after my final prerequisites are completed fall. I will definitely look into how schools look at two scores as well. That's an excellent idea!