I recently took the TEAS V exam and I thought I would share test prep ideas, covered material, as well as test taking hints. Note: To respect forum rules and academic integrity (mine and yours) I will not post specific exam questions or examples, nor will I answer questions in regard to them. Nevertheless, I am hoping that by sharing my experience, I might help you in preparing for and taking the exam.
Updated:
Members are discussing their experiences and strategies for taking the TEAS V exam. Some members shared their scores and study methods, while others expressed frustration with the exam content and preparation materials. There is also mention of the upcoming TEAS VI exam and requests for study material recommendations.
This post is not intended to replace any post like this that may have come before it. It is very likely that you will see things in this post that have already been stated (more eloquently) by others. I simply wanted to relay my experience. It may help some of you to see patterns in the testing process, and thereby help you focus your efforts. That is my goal, as I am very aware of how taxing this can be.
Let me start by saying that, in my experience, the TEAS V is not necessarily a difficult exam, it simply requires critical thinking. I can not stress how important that concept is. As you study, it is critical to understand why your answer was correct/incorrect. If you understand that, you have already won half the battle.
I used a number of resources to prepare for the TEAS V. However, the content of this thread will deal largely with one source: The ATI Study Manual.
All of the sources I am listing were helpful, but in my opinion, if you are going to spend money on one source it should be the ATI Study Manual. While it is not the easiest book to work with, it does do a better job of introducing you to the subjects and style of questions you will see on the actual exam. After all, it is written by the same company that administers the exam. I purchased the manual/online practice exam combo for $50 from the ATI website. It is well worth the money and you are allowed to take each of the two online practice exams twice. This allows you to take both form A and form B the first time, then use the results to know which subjects you should concentrate the bulk of your study time. What that means for you is that you get to study smarter, not harder!
Though I have noticed that some felt the ATI manual a waste of money, I found that every question (without exception) on my TEAS exam was covered in the manual. It may not have been covered directly. However, the subject was covered, leaving no surprises in content. My suggestion would be to take the subjects covered in the manual and go into each of them a bit more in depth. Make your own notes and research topics that you find difficult, adding the fundamentals to your base knowledge. This is especially true in the sciences.
The best money I spent in my prep was on the online practice exams. As I stated, I got them as part of a bundle. Let me tell you, they are worth their weight in gold. These tests are invaluable in helping you understand what to expect on the actual exam, in both form and content. I found neither form A or B superior to the other, yet both are an excellent litmus test for the real deal. Additionally, the online practice exams will also give you an idea of the timing of the test...allowing you to judge whether you are taking too long in a given subject. Many people run out of time on the actual exam. Let these online tests assess how you are doing in that area. It's better to over run your time in practice, than on the actual exam. After all, blank answers are scored as wrong answers. Learn what you need to do faster, then practice, practice, practice.
My first attempt on online practice forms A and B produced a 78% and 82% respectively. I found the results very helpful because a breakdown of areas I needed to concentrate on was included. I simply focused my studies on those subjects. When I retook them, I scored higher...an 82% and 86%.
I found the online practice exams to be more difficult than the study manual questions. Surprisingly, in opposition to what I have read on this site, I found the questions on the actual exam to be more difficult than the practice exams. However, as has been stated by many, I scored significantly higher on the actual exam.
The point of all of this: buy the online exams. There is not a better way to get a feel for the actual exam. By the time you take each of them twice, you will be well versed in the form of the exam; and you will have a better idea of how you need to rationalize your way through each type of question. Trust me...these are your best prep resource.
Reading: Expect the stories on the actual exam to be longer then either the online practice exam or the manual. However, content is very similar, as are questions.
Math: This section was the most similar to both the online practice exams and the manual. After all, there aren't many ways to shake up an algebra problem. It is entirely possible to make a 100% in this section. You just need to practice.
Science: As many have stated, this section is the most random. All of the topics you need to study ARE covered in the manual. Make sure you know them cold. I would further suggest becoming familiar with each subject on a deeper level...keeping it in the fundamentals. You don't need to know graduate level concepts. But, the manual does not necessarily cover every fundamental on each subject. More on this later...
English: I found this section to be very similar to both the online tests and the study manual. If you are comfortable in both, you will do well on this section in the actual exam.
As far as the manual goes, read everything. It reads much like directions to programming a VCR, but force your way through it if necessary. I often found some of the most useful information in the middle of a lengthy, seemingly unimportant paragraph. I won't lie to you and tell you it's fun. But, I can honestly say that it is worth the time.
Moving on...here is a breakdown of the subjects covered on the version of the TEAS V I took. Again, I am listing subjects/concepts that relate specifically to the ATI Manual:
The TEAS V is not an easy test; neither is it an impossible one. It does require some effort and some dedication. But, if I can score a 94, you can too! I spent a month studying for this exam, going over the material for an hour or two a day. But, I am an older student who hadn't had Chemistry in 18 years. Remember to focus on the subjects you are least familiar with and simply go over the subjects you are more familiar with. And about all else, practice, practice, practice.
And, last, but not least...Best of luck to you all!
I took the teas last week and scored a 82.7%
This is my thoughts... Reading was ok! Some of the passages were just boring; hardly keeping my attention. Pay attention to details; read the question carefully and what it is asking you! Your brain might be automatically looking for something else when in fact the wording of the question is asking you something different! I scored 75%
Math - I'm not the greatest at math and reading those word problems gave me a headache. You just need to work fast. I made the mistake of spending too much time on trying to multiple and divide a problem I couldn't get the right answer too .. Just move on and guess. There will be other problems ahead that you will be able to compute faster and get correct! I made the mistake of stopping at question 30 and going back and reworking problems I had trouble with, by the end I didn't realize I had another page of questions that I didn't answer with 48 sec left ....so I had to guess fast (better than no answer) I scored 73% overall in this section.
Science is was where I made up for my poor math and reading. Know basic anatomy (basic!!!) chemistry I had to balance one equation and know acid/base. Know photosynthesis and oxidation/reduction. My rule of thumb is questions asking something about amino acids chances are that the answer is proteins, or vice versa! 89% in this section! Straight forward stuff.
English I was really nervous but you just need to know basically when to use comma, semi-colon etc. they will give you a sentence and you will need to know why it's wrong or what you would add to make it correct! Few spelling words, I believe I had two. Know your capitalization rules!! They will give you a few choices and ask which one is correct; it's almost certain they will test your knowledge of how to use cardinal directions vs regions ; ex Northwest Canada , southern New York. I ended up with 90%,
So even if you feel like you are bombing the test like I did you still can do well!
FYI - I took both practice test A and B and did awful 66% and 77%. Those test way harder than real exam.
Thank you so much for this. When you said you took both practice test A and B are you referring to the test in the back of the ATI book?
Dam239 said:I took the teas last week and scored a 82.7%This is my thoughts... Reading was ok! Some of the passages were just boring; hardly keeping my attention. Pay attention to details; read the question carefully and what it is asking you! Your brain might be automatically looking for something else when in fact the wording of the question is asking you something different! I scored 75%
Math - I'm not the greatest at math and reading those word problems gave me a headache. You just need to work fast. I made the mistake of spending too much time on trying to multiple and divide a problem I couldn't get the right answer too .. Just move on and guess. There will be other problems ahead that you will be able to compute faster and get correct! I made the mistake of stopping at question 30 and going back and reworking problems I had trouble with, by the end I didn't realize I had another page of questions that I didn't answer with 48 sec left ....so I had to guess fast (better than no answer) I scored 73% overall in this section.
Science is was where I made up for my poor math and reading. Know basic anatomy (basic!!!) chemistry I had to balance one equation and know acid/base. Know photosynthesis and oxidation/reduction. My rule of thumb is questions asking something about amino acids chances are that the answer is proteins, or vice versa! 89% in this section! Straight forward stuff.
English I was really nervous but you just need to know basically when to use comma, semi-colon etc. they will give you a sentence and you will need to know why it's wrong or what you would add to make it correct! Few spelling words, I believe I had two. Know your capitalization rules!! They will give you a few choices and ask which one is correct; it's almost certain they will test your knowledge of how to use cardinal directions vs regions ; ex Northwest Canada , southern New York. I ended up with 90%,
So even if you feel like you are bombing the test like I did you still can do well!
FYI - I took both practice test A and B and did awful 66% and 77%. Those test way harder than real exam.
AmbitiousMink said:Thank you so much for this. When you said you took both practice test A and B are you referring to the test in the back of the ATI book?
I think he or she was referring to the online ATI assessment practice test you could buy from ATI to prepare for the teas.
The back of the book practice tests don't have letter a or b associated to them.
Wow, I just took online assessment A and it was surprisingly hard to me! I got an 82, and I got a 90 and 94 on the practice tests in the ATI book. I'm taking the actual test on Thursday and I need a really high score.. this online test is stressing me out. Looks like I have some more to review..
Ldy76
186 Posts
Hi there. I understand u got good grades in math n science, but is it the same level as the TEAS math n science? U've gotta study the ATI Manual. It helps a lot, n I'm speaking from experience. I also bought the ATI online practice test. It's worth the money. It gives u an idea on how the questions r formatted n also time urself. Time will go by fast when u're doing the actual test. If u don't understand something on the book, YouTube it. Hope this helps.