How I Studied for the TEAS

This is a breakdown I did of all the important topics I see in the book. I WILL NOT POST TEST QUESTIONS. I hope this helps someone. Nursing Students TEAS Article

I also posted my study "techniques" and websites that might be helpful if you do not have the ATI book or any book for that matter. I guess any book will do as long as you study what is below. I still suggest getting it if you can. Whatever works.

Science

  • General heart anatomy: follow blood flow through the heart in order, and know if the blood is oxygenated or not, know the valves
  • General vascular anatomy(veins, arteries, etc)
  • Respiratory System: general functions and structure
  • Nervous System: Know the subcategories, their functions, and know the anatomy of a neuron and the synapse WELL
  • Digestive System: Just follow a bolus down to the orifice and know generally what is happening to it. Like where the digestion of fat occurs first and where the absorption of water occurs, etc.
  • Immune System: Cell-mediated immunity, Humoral immunity; interferons; know the response to inflammation
  • General Biology: taxonomy(King Phillp Came Over For Granny's Soup); purines and pyrimidines; DNA functions; RNA functions; Transcription & translation; Cellular Organelles: mitochondria, ribosomes, rough/smooth ER, etc etc and their functions; Know plant cells too!!!!! ; prokaryotes vs eukaryotes; mitosis and meiosis stages: know their outcomes; mutations; punnet squares & alleles; difference between protozoa, bacteria, viruses, algae, and helminths AND their basic components(like what do they eat? how to they reproduce?)
  • Chemistry: Again, know your heterotrophs and autotrophs... who uses cellular respiration and whatnot; mass numbers and atomic weights; know what isotopes are, how to find the number of protons in them; know what catalysts are... what decomposition and synthesis reactions are; chemical bonds; know which elements are your metals PLEASE!; acids and bases... know which accept protons and know the logarithmic scale; balancing chemical equations.

English & Language Usage

  • Parts of Speech: Subject, verbs, article, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, etc. They'll make you read sentences and know which word is what.
  • First person, second person, third person verbs, pronouns, in singular and plural forms.
  • Active and Passive voice
  • Context Clues: Synonyms and Antonyms; Compare and contrast
  • Know common prefixes like un-, re-, in-, and dis-.
  • Know common suffixes like -ia, -ic, -ism, -ology, etc.
  • Know common root words like geo, cardio, ped, ortho, bio, psych, etc.
  • Know commonly misspelled words and common homophones.

Math

  • Add, subtract, multiply, divide decimals and fractions (lots of paycheck, rent, and menu questions)
  • Add, subtract, multiply, divide mixed numbers
  • Convert decimals, percents, and fractions
  • The probability of something occurring
  • Dependent & independent variables... can you find which is which in a word problem?
  • Read charts, graphs, tables etc.
  • Know to find the LCD
  • Order of operations & FOIL
  • Solving for x
  • Roman numerals to Arabic numerals... M=1000 D=500 C=100 L=50 X=10 V=5 and I=1.
  • So they can ask you what's 2011 in Roman numerals and you'd choose MMXI.
  • Know PERIMETER because there appear to be lots of "fencing" word problems.

Reading

  • Know more or less how to read nutrition labels & recipes
  • Be able to read directions clearly
  • Be able to identify the summary of a short story.
  • Read movie times, schedules, and invitation letters.
  • Be able to read line graphs, temperature, simple maps, and blood pressure screens
    • Can you find the main idea of an essay, letter, or story?
    • Can you find the supporting details?
    • Can you tell if the writer is trying to explain, entertain, or persuade?(Author's purpose)
    • Can you identify the different supporting details in each paragraph?

How I Study

I take test #1 for each separate section to know where to focus my study.

I use the ATI book and underline the important keywords, directions, or numbers. I look over EACH answer even if I think I know the answer. NEVER think you know because there might be another answer better than the one you chose!

If I think I need more practice, I use websites online. I will go over the ATI notes again, do all the practice questions, and will take the second test for the section (let's say, math). If I don't get AT LEAST 15 points higher, I'll do it all over again, going over similar questions online.

Resources

Science:

Math:

English, Reading, etc.

I scored a 72% on online practice exam. I guess I should be okay for the real one. I thought I would have scored a lot lower overall...

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab.
I scored a 72% on online practice exam. I guess I should be okay for the real one. I thought I would have scored a lot lower overall...

I got around that score on the online practice test too. So just focus more on your lowest sections and you'll be fine.

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Just wondering how long people are taking to prepare for the TEAS? And the week before your exam, what do you usually do to prepare? Take it slow on the reviewing or go hard?

ps. Should we know how to solve cubed roots?

Thanks!

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I'm taking the Test for the second time in 2 weeks! I'm freaking out!! I took the assessment test, they have on the official website, and I haven't got the score I wanted!

I think the hardest part is not knowing exactly what the test will cover, sometimes I spend lot of time going into the details specially in science, and there is not even one question about that specific subject, meanwhile, some other subjects I've studied in general...and specific questions came up!! aaaaa... frustrating...

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Hi,

You mean you've taken the actual Teas and didn't do well? Or just the practice ones online? I'm nervous too..same deadline for me, 2 weeks. Just going through the book & the kaplan one. I haven't finished kaplan yet. Ahh...whats so nerve wracking, is the time crunch. So much to read still, hoping I get it all done. I wonder what people do they day before the exam, still study or relax?

-Chelsea p.s Any advice on last minute studying??

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Both! I took the actual test a few months ago, and I have to retake it. Now I've done the practice one, but I was hopping to get a better score since I'm putting much more effort now. I do think the actual test was easier than the practice....but since I haven't pass...I think my judgment may not count.;)

there was one question in the practical test asking, if the source of Mitochondria DNA was maternal or paternal. (didn't know I had to go that deep on organelles...which btw is not in the study guide)

and another one about the relation between exons, introns and operons with Prokaryotes ans Eukaryotes. ( again....not in the study guide)

Good Luck!

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Both! I took the actual test a few months ago, and I have to retake it. Now I've done the practice one, but I was hopping to get a better score since I'm putting much more effort now. I do think the actual test was easier than the practice....but since I haven't pass...I think my judgment may not count.;)

there was one question in the practical test asking, if the source of Mitochondria DNA was maternal or paternal. (didn't know I had to go that deep on organelles...which btw is not in the study guide)

and another one about the relation between exons, introns and operons with Prokaryotes ans Eukaryotes. ( again....not in the study guide)

Good Luck!

it's maternal. I knew that just from always reading about human evolution and stuff, its not in any of my textbooks though. as for the prokaryotes and eukaryotes I didnt know that one its not in any of my biology textbooks or the ati study guide

were those questions on the actual test? what did they ask on the real TEAS?

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Thank you for this thread, just what i was looking for.

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Just took my test this morning. I do remember concerning the Science that there were questions about pores, the Lymphatic System functions, the Brain anatomy and functions, Base/acidity(the basic scale is really all it covered), what was present in both Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes, Some minor Mitosis/Meiosis questions(just the products were mentioned on my test), about 3 questions concerning genetics(One on phenotype/genotype and at least one or two dealing with Punnett Squares), and something I was glad to see - multiple questions about complimentary DNA/RNA strands. Just know your nitrogenous bases and their compliments for that aspect. Surprisingly, there was only maybe two questions concerning chemistry on my exam, which was an unbelievable relief! The large majority of my test dealt with A&P and Biology, luckily!

And Rosie1012, I'm an absolute failure concerning math in every way, and it ended up being one of my highest scores! You really don't have a whole lot to worry about with it as long as you can remember your basic math and a few formulas like percent change, converting decimals/fractions/percents, and managing to add/subtract a lot of things for problems that include things such as "minus all of the expenses listed, how much of this paycheck will be brought home weekly". Nothing extensive with solving for x, as they didn't make it too complicated. Just remember to pace yourself and don't overlook your basic math steps, and you should be fine!

I'll edit later if I can manage to remember more. :)

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So I just retook the test for the second time today. My last attempt scored me an 85, and I wanted to do better. I am going to include my original post here (done after my 1st attempt last month), and add on what I encountered differently in my second attempt in italics.

THE BIGGEST THING you should know: all conversions are provided for you! If they ask you to go from F to C, they will give you the formula. If there is a questions about yards to cm, they give you yard, feet, inch and cm conversions. This was something I had spent time trying to memorize when I didn't have to. My test did not have questions on the metric system, so I am not sure if it would have been provided. You need to know how to SET UP the conversion, but the conversions themselves are provided.

1) Reading and Comprehension: Read the passage, answer the questions. Something I wasn't prepared for was knowing what type of passages were being presented, such as narrative, cause-effect, creative, past-present etc. There were also questions that included charts or pictures, not all straightforward reading. Some also included very basic math, such as looking at a pamphlet for a park and figuring out how to spend the least amount of money doing certain things. Same stuff on this portion. Felt that there were a few more questions which required some math on my part.

2) Math: I had been under the impression math was the big deal, which perhaps it was on TEAS IV. It was a breeze for me. There wasn't a question I didn't know how to answer. Know fractions, decimals, percentages, and how to convert in between. Be able to solve for X, understand how to look at basic graphs. Know where to put your decimal after adding, multiplying, dividing- This could drastically affect your answer if you do it wrong. All of the options in the math section are varying forms of each other, such as 1.001, 1.101, 11.010, you get the idea. This time around I had one question on Pythagorean Theorem. The question provided C, so I solved for A and B.

3) Science: Very hard for me on the test. Nothing on basic anatomy. It went pretty deep into cellular biology, which I wasn't prepared for. There was also a good portion of physiology. Know Mitosis and Meiosis very very well. Even though there are only few questions, they are extremely detailed. Know basic system and organ functions. Chem was light, be able to balance reactions and charges. Physics was practically non existent. Know Potential/Kinetic energy. I read over the science portion of the study booklet this time, and I’m glad I did. Again, not a single Anatomy question. Large on Physiology and Cellar Biology (or life science in the ATI booklet). Also some stuff on Scientific Method, such as describing what someone is doing, and then asking “what part of the scientific method is being decribed” (harder than you think). Some O-Chem, like knowing solubilities in water based on Bonds (like the alkenes had double, wont break bonds). The immunology page of the ATI booklet, talking about how the immune system works- memorize it. I had a few questions straight out of it.

4)Grammar: Pretty much what you would expect. Sentence structure, spelling, grammar. etc. Know when to use different forms, such as whom, who, whose, etc. Also know adverbs, pronouns, clauses, etc. My advice if you can't figure it out is to read it aloud. If you absolutely know that you dont know the answer, choose the best looking one immediately. Sitting and staring at the question starts to give you all kinds of false "well that looks right and maybe that works" type of thinking. Especially with the spelling. I feel better this time around. On the spelling, I used a great approach. The moment I saw the question (obviously you kinda see the options as youre reading it), which would say “which of the following is spelled correctly”, I would immediately write the word down on my scratch paper. This way I wasnt confronted with 4 choices of one word, which ALL LOOK RIGHT. They make sure to choose the hardest words. Writing it on the other paper immediately, from memory, is the best approach. Also, on both tests I had a few questions on adverbs. Adverbs end in “-ly”, memorize that. Know when to use an apostrophe and when not to (such as “hers”, not “her’s” when its possessive).

Overall I feel the test version I received this time around was easier, but maybe the extra little studying I did paid off. Focus on the Science and Math, then move on to grammar. Both times I took the written version. This time around I did the sections out of order and started with Math and ended in Reading comprehension. I think it was a great idea! When you get in there you’re all hyped up and analyzing paragraphs is nuts when you are that over stimulated.

As far as studying: 1st attempt I used McGraw Hill study guide, this time I got the ATI from a friend. I waaaay prefer McGraw. Diagrams are WAY better, and the explanations are easier. Also, the math in McGraw actually teaches you, in ATI it just kinda shows you. ATI had a GREAT science portion (although McGraw was fine), except for the Meiosis and Mitosis. For the amount of detailed questions I received on both my tests, you’d think ATI would included full diagrams. Don’t study that out of ATI if you aren’t super familiar with it. Overall, don’t spend the money on the ATI. McGraw is cheap, has diagnostic test to see what you should study, then has questions in each section, and then 2 different practice tests at the end. BUT, if you do get the McGraw Hill, realize it is for Version IV, as well as a comprehensive book for other tests. You need to know what to, and what not to study.

I know this test is nuts. Please email me if you want more info. [email protected]. No, I dont have a pdf of the McGraw Hill book for you.

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Thank you so much this helps. Can you please email me more info please!

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Hi guys,

I'm just wondering everyone thats taking the TEAS right now, are you guys applying for fall 2012 nursing program? Where are you in your academic progress? (like are you done wtih all your nursing prerequs and have applied to the nursing program already?)

I'm at a CC right now and applied for transfer to different CSUs for fall 2012 and have done 99% of my prereqs. I am planning to apply for nursing programs for spring 2013 upon acceptance to my transfer schools. Should I be concerned about taking the TEAS soon? I'm so confused!!!!??? and I heard I cant take the TEAS until I get accepted to any of my transfer schools... is that true?

a little clarification would help a lot!

Thanks=)

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