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!
rainbowvahmet said:Wow! Never expected this would help so many! I have not been on the website for a while, because I have been concentrating on work and nursing school. But, it is wonderful to see this thread is still helping people! I will be graduating in May 2015 from my program. I will be taking the HESI Exit exam in January. So, I will give a detailed account of my experience with that as well. Nursing school is a very big challenge. But, also very rewarding. I look forward to sharing the honor of the designation of "RN" with each of you, very soon.
WOW! We have a visit from our legendary hero! rainbowvahmet, your post has helped a LOT of us! Thank you for taking the time to write such an informative and helpful thread!
I think your assessment was spot on and reflected my own experience with the exam, only I had the luxury of using your guide to tap into while YOU did not! ?
PS: And please do follow up with us on suggestions/help with the nursing programs. I have no doubt that I would be a frequent visitor!
Sincerely,
LW
OMG THANK YOU so much!!!! I have been looking desperately for a good way to study the material and trying to figure out everything that will be on the test. your list of what to study is phenomenal, and it will help me tremendously, so again, I say, THANK YOU!!! I'll post my score once I take it in a few weeks!
Congratulations that you passed the TEAS. I have a quick question for you. Is there a strategy that one employ in English Reading. The passages are long and one has to read it thoroughly to get the topic in order to answer the questions. All this takes the time away from you. It slows you down. Help me if there's a trick to reading fast. No. 2 I know there some of the questions that are not scored. Is it the at the beginning or where so that I wouldn't waste time trying to get accurate answers for them to save time.
Hey,
Thank you for posting this study guide review it really helped me study. I just have a question regarding the math portion of the TEAS what do you mean by the "Conversion problems (miles to km...etc.) The formula will be given. Do not bother memorizing these" do we not have to memorize the conversions that is given to us in the TEAS study Manual? like the the whole 1 mile=1609m and 1 yard=0.914 is it going to be given to us? is that right? I really hope it is because its a lot of numbers to memorize.
Flornightingle said:Congratulations that you passed the TEAS. I have a quick question for you. Is there a strategy that one employ in English Reading. The passages are long and one has to read it thoroughly to get the topic in order to answer the questions. All this takes the time away from you. It slows you down. Help me if there's a trick to reading fast. No. 2 I know there some of the questions that are not scored. Is it the at the beginning or where so that I wouldn't waste time trying to get accurate answers for them to save time.
The questions that are not calculated are not known to the test-takers and I am 99.9% sure that they are NOT in a particular location on the exam. You must therefore answer every question on the test and assume that they all count. There is no other way around it.
For the reading, yes it is in my opinion one of the most difficult to improve on simply because either you can read efficiently or you cannot. However, a lot of it DOES have to do with understanding what the questions are asking for so do yourself a favor and make darn sure you know how to pick apart a passage (i.e. main idea, supporting evidence, etc... ). But, as for reading quickly and absorbing the information- that is highly personal and difficult to "improve".
Just my 2 cents!
I took the TEAS last Saturday and got an 84. I was surprised to find that I did NOT think that the real test was significantly easier than the practice tests, as everyone says. Just a few words of advice of what to study in depth:
- Know how to pick the best title out of a list of options for a passage (This was not a question on any of my practice tests, but I had multiple on the real thing)
- Know subject verb agreement backwards and forwards.. ESPECIALLY the tricky ones (ex. Each one of the cows: has/have)
- On the practice tests many of my math questions were clear cut answers and I found that I only had to calculate part of the answer to pick the correct MC answer. This was not the case on the real test, as many answers were very close and required full calculation. Be prepared for that on the regular test, and plan your time accordingly.
MarkMw
11 Posts
Oh, and I believe questions are worth 2/3rds points each, regardless of which section they are in. Earlier posters seemed confused about this.