Has anyone taken HESI/ TEAS V test?

bluegirlfriend · Aug 17, 2010

Hi, I've been on allnurses.com for a while now, but this will be my first post!

I took the TEAS V about a week ago, and I got an 86%. My national percentile rank is 97, which means I am in the top 3%. I also have a 4.0 GPA in the nursing prerequisites listed on their website. I'm in Texas and my top choice is Texas Woman's University. I asked the admissions counselor and she said how competitive you are depends on the class applying, which is true. This is also their first time administering the test, so they don't know what to expect.

The only book I used is the McGraw Hill's Nursing School Entrance Exams, but I think the science questions in this book were a lot easier than the ones on the TEAS V. In the English section, the grammar and sentence structure was significantly harder than the Hesi A2. You can't just go by how it sounds like you can on the Hesi A2. On the TEAS, for example, if they gave me a sentence like, "Because it was fed chicken, the dog was happy" or something like that, and they asked you which sentence would make it EVEN MORE (haha) grammatically correct, I just chose the one that switched the sentences around, like "It was happy, because the dog was fed chicken" or something like that. It's true that it was difficult to differentiate which sentence was more grammatically correct as they all sounded like something I would say!

The A&P questions, although few, were more difficult than the Hesi A2, but I wouldn't say they were difficult to the point that if you didn't already take A&P, you wouldn't know. They were more random than anything, which makes it difficult to study for.

There were many, many questions that you actually had to solve and think critically. I wasn't expecting those kinds of questions since, for the Hesi A2, you either knew it or you didn't. There were also questions where you had to follow directions, compare prices on a menu, pick the cheapest ticket price, etc. On those questions, just take your time, and don't get frustrated. It's tedious, but if you take your time, you will get it right.

I had a few Chemistry questions as well, but they give you a periodic table to answer questions, so everything you need to know is on that table. Be sure to know that table and how to read it, i.e. how many electrons in the valence shell for each family (vertical), because I got some bonding questions, like "Which element will Hydrogen most likely bond with?", etc.

In sum, for the English portion, pick the one that sounds like what you would write on a formal paper. For the science portion, take your time to answer questions that make you solve, and study some basic high school science. The answer choices aren't straightforward and are formulated to make you think. For the Reading portion, the articles are pretty interesting, and this section isn't as difficult as the one on the Hesi A2. Oh! For the Math section, study algebra and adding/subtracting negative numbers, fractions, etc. THEY DON'T PROVIDE A CALCULATOR like they do on the Hesi, so definitely know how to add/subtract negative numbers and manipulate fractions! They also had Order of Operation questions (PEMDAS) and data interpretation.

I hope this helps and if you need any clarification, you can PM me!! Good luck!!

tomall · Oct 10, 2010

To Blugirl:

Does TEAS give a national pct'ile ranking by section, or just overall?

bluegirlfriend · Oct 10, 2010

They do an overall percentile ranking and a percentile ranking by section and the sections are further divided into "National" and "Program" ranking.

tomall · Oct 10, 2010

To OP:

The ati study guide is GREAT for the math prep - if you know the methodology for the sample problems and examples you are golden.

The Reading is another issue. Its not actually a Reading Comprehension test, its a test of your ability to read the mind of the test writer. About 65-70% of the reading section is completely non-objective, and based on doing the practice tests and the actual, there are usually at least 2 and sometimes 3 supportable answers. and then sometimes there are NO supportable answers imo.

If you put 4 English PhDs in a room, the scatter diagram of their answer choices would look like loose buckshot. Its opinion guessing, not reading comprehension. It's not measuring any skill that a nurse/PA (or anyone else) would ever need in the real world. There apparantly is some fine eyelash of a difference between the best and 2nd best choice for "the main idea" of many intentionally ambiguous passages that eludes me (and everyone else in my study group - 4.0 students all).

Questions like "which of the following individuals was probably most angry" (representative) are like asking "how many angels can fit on the head of a pin". THERE IS NO ACTUAL RIGHT ANSWER. Just the answer that matches the opinion of the test writer.

ajkstief · Nov 30, 2010

When is the best time to take the TEAS test? How long does it take for the results to come in?

bluegirlfriend · Nov 30, 2010

To tomall:

I totally agree with you on the reading comprehension part. I did the worst in that section and I'm better at reading/writing than math lol.

UPDATE: I got into Texas Woman's University and start in spring 2011! I'm a bit anxious as I don't have a healthcare background, but oh well, we will see how it goes.

tomall · Dec 19, 2010

To tomall:
I totally agree with you on the reading comprehension part. I did the worst in that section and I'm better at reading/writing than math lol.
UPDATE: I got into Texas Woman's University and start in spring 2011! I'm a bit anxious as I don't have a healthcare background, but oh well, we will see how it goes.

EXACTLY! - the perfect definition of a test that doesn't measure what it is supposed to measure.

Throughout my entire academic career, I have ALWAYS scored higher ( on standardized tests) on the Reading Comprehension/Language Skills/etc sections than I did on Math sections. This was true on SRA, COOP, SAT, etc.

But somehow, on this masterpiece of revenue-generation (bottom line), I scored 7% higher raw score and about the same % normed higher on Math than on Reading.

I guess all the other tests are wrong, and only the TEAS test writers know how to assess reading comprehension skills. :rolleyes:

NAM123 · Dec 20, 2010

To tomall:
I totally agree with you on the reading comprehension part. I did the worst in that section and I'm better at reading/writing than math lol.
UPDATE: I got into Texas Woman's University and start in spring 2011! I'm a bit anxious as I don't have a healthcare background, but oh well, we will see how it goes.

Bluegirlfriend,

what was your score on TEAS for TWU? I am applying there and i am scared what they really for.. TEAS or GPA

bluegirlfriend · Dec 20, 2010

Hi Nam123:

If you scroll up and look at my very first post, I wrote my test scores and GPA in the first 1-2 sentences of the first paragraph!

NAM123 · Dec 20, 2010

o wow.. thank you.. i have a good GPA as well (3.954) lol..but i still have to take TEAS and I am scared about that since I did not do so well the first try...

megb3 · Mar 22, 2011

I am so nervous about taking the TEAS 4.0 because of not having a calculator on the math portion. I took the HESI last year and felt like it was a joke because of how easy it was. I am hoping for the same feeling after completing the TEAS. Does anyone think that the HESI review book will helpful for the TEAS so I do not have to purchase yet another book.