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.

Wow this thread is so great! Thank you so much for the help. I'm taking my TEAS test soon an I'm really nervous. So seeing that so many of you are saying not to worry and especially seeing that some of you didn't even take an anatomy and chemistry class (i took both) and you passed it makes me feel A LOT better. Thank you so much.

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Thank you so much for all this sites and info, I have to take the NLN test, but this will help me greatly.

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That's what I call it a real and smart help. Thank you so much. :up:

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XYnurse9999,

Thank you for your smart post! I used lots of your information (most of all the "don't let the TEAS get to your head") and scored a 92! This is great advice, people!

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on eagles wings,

I cannot thank you enough for your help. Throughout my preparation, I would come back and checkmark everything you mentioned in your post. It was beyond helpful, and I know that you've been a HUGE help for all the anxious people about to take the TEAS.

This is the best thread for TEAS preparation, in my opinion.

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Hi,

Thank you so much for your guidance. You give me hope. THanks.

God Bless.

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Specializes in SDU, Tele.
About me: I can't get too detailed here because I am currently applying to programs and am a very unique applicant. I can say that I have extensive knowledge of all of the basic sciences (including cell biology) but that I haven't had chem or physics in 7 years and the high school sciences in longer than that.

I recently took the paper TEAS V and scored 99 percentiles in all categories. I will not post individual questions. I studied maybe 15-20 hours for it because I wanted to dominate it. If I were to design a study plan, this is how I'd do it:

APPROACH AND ATTITUDE: EGO REPLACES FOCUS.

You can do this, but study wisely. Get over the fact the most of this material and testing coverage is completely irrelevant to whether or not you can or will be a good nurse. The same can be said for medical school admissions exams. Check your ego at the door, wherever you lie on the scale of confidence. This is about your doing the best you can. No more, no less. Education is an investment only if you put your best foot forward. This includes your study time and on test day. Otherwise, you are wasting both your time and money (and likely those of someone else, too). The test really isn't very hard at all.

WHAT TO USE: YES, YOU SHOULD SPEND SOME MONEY.

- The ATI Study Manual and the two online tests. You can sell it back on Half.com for what you paid, anyways. Buy and take the two practice tests online so you are used to the scope of the material. There are mistakes in both, most of which do not matter, and most of which you will be able to recognize. I have uploaded the errata (that ATI has conveniently NOT included on their website): ATI Study Guide Errata

I had bought a 2010 edition so my book had mistakes. There are a few in the online questions, as well.

- The McGrawHill book circulated here. Superior in physical sciences. It is a quick read. The MGH book is a nice addendum where you can find some additional information. It is, honestly, one of the only other sources I used in addition to the ATI book. I looked at Chem and Bio books as needed, but most of the time I was confident that the ATI+MGH=Success equation would be enough. It was.

- You will see random questions. Some of these will count, but in my experience, if a question seems off the wall, it will be an experimental one. Since ATI as a company blows, I wasn't surprised to find that their experimental questions were so poorly written and transparent. For example, know the function of cerumen. DO NOT LET THESE QUESTIONS THROW YOU. I encountered a lot of stupid crap on the exam (and this includes a lot of real questions). Answer well and move on.

STUDY APPROACH: YOU DON'T DO YOURSELF ANY FAVORS BY STUDYING THINGS YOU KNOW.

Keeping in mind that everyone learns differently, I'll stay general. I am lucky to know how I learn. I took one of the comprehensive practice tests in the back of the book before even looking at the ATI manual. I reviewed the concepts I was weak on or missed questions on. Then, I targeted my study. You never do yourself any favors by studying things you know. Due to my strong language background, that meant that I hardly studied anything but science I didn't remember since it contained some high school level material that I hadn't had in, well, many, many years. Took my first online exam. Rinse, lather and repeat until you are done with both comprehensive practice exams at the back of the book and both online exams. Be aware that most of the explanations for the online exams suck. Usually there aren't any, just that "This doesn't explain X concept." when explaining a wrong answer choice. Remember that you learn as much from wrong answers as from right ones. If you don't know why wrong is wrong, you need to. I used the really good longer posts here, made a study sheet, and added in information in the areas I didn't know. That, combined with reading the ATI book, reviewing my flashcards on some of the rote memorization stuff, and taking all the exams, was enough. My initial study guide was made by copying in pasting from these forms and it took about an hour. I then added info into tables by science category as I missed questions and reviewed concepts along the way. I also love online flash cards like Quizlet, Flashcardexchange, etc. FCE, in particular, gives you data on your performance and it's very helpful.

COVERAGE OF MATERIAL: EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SAID

I can't speak specifically here, of course, but the few posts in here have it SPOT ON. Use those as your resource, especially if you are low on time. There were very few questions that I was surprised to see. What I can tell you is this. Know the ATI book cold. I mean cold. Don't know that difference in embryonic cell layers? You should. All of them. For example, everyone can understand why the ectoderm forms what it does, but do you know the Meso from the Endoderm? For Math, I always calculate everything, but if you want to use the answer choices and go backwards on some problems, that is a completely valid approach. One thing I would like to remind people about percentages is that you can always divide by 10 and another time and then add or subtract the 1%s from there For example, instead of multiplying 0.17 x 57 if the test asks "What is 17% of 57?", you can also solve it by taking 10% of 57 (5.7), multiplying it by 2 (11.4) to get 20% and subtracting 3%(1.71) to get back to the 17% to find your answer. I did a lot of estimation in my head to get close to the answers, but this is dangerous if you don't know where this can bite you in the ass. If this doesn't make any sense, just calculate on paper, but I like to ballpark answers or completely solve them before looking at answer choices. The same goes for any questions. Answer the question yourself before looking at the choices. In the question above, I would just have taken 15% and 20% in my head and found an answer in between and gone from there.There are cases, however, where the TEAS offers answer choices very closely together, but I found this to be the exception rather than the rule and it was always on questions where you would expect them to do so (What's 8.0x10^-3? and every answer has an 08 of some kind in it). Use the MGH book if need be - know the different types of bonds and be able to apply them to chemical formulas, and you may have one question on the application of PE/KE concepts.

TIMING: YOU ARE LIKELY OKAY

I have never had timing issues whatsoever on standardized tests of any level, including those taken for professional and graduate school. That said, please be aware that the reading passages are a bit longer. If you get nervous and you think that will bog you down, or you are a slow reader, consider starting at the first reading question that does not require a passage (I'm talking about the "Choose the lowest price/unit" type of stuff) and come back to the passages. Otherwise, I finished substantially early on everything else after checking all of my answers, and this appeared to be true for a good number of people in the room. Reading literally took me 10 minutes and I couldn't believe someone exited the room more quickly than I. Don't worry about what other people are doing. This is your time to shine and your opportunity to do the best you can. DO NOT RUSH. UNLESS YOU HAVE CHECKED ALL OF YOUR ANSWERS OVER, YOU ARE NOT DONE WITH THE SECTION. IF YOU COMPLETE A SECTION AND HAVE TIME, REVIEW ALL CIRCLED QUESTIONS. DO NOT CHANGE AN ANSWER UNLESS YOU HAVE A *VERY* GOOD REASON TO DO SO. DO NOT GET BOGGED DOWN ON QUESTIONS THAT ARE TROUBLING YOU. MARK THEM, MOVE ON, AND COME BACK TO THEM. They read out time left at 15 minute increments, but that isn't standard across the different testing centers, apparently. Don't forget to rest your eyes. Look away at something for 5 seconds here and there that isn't your paper test or computer screen.

TEST DAY

I took the paper version. Show up early and bring a snack, as you'll have one 10 minute break between the second (Math) and third (Science) sections. One of my pet peeves is sitting in an exam room for a long time prior to taking the test. I can't stand the way other people can't handle stress, so I removed myself until the minute before they were going to close the room. If this is you, I'd recommend the same thing. I also reviewed some last minute concepts that I had had some trouble with.

Lastly, I'd really just reemphasize not rushing unless you have severe timing problems and making sure you have a valid reason to cross out every wrong answer, especially if you are reviewing a question and change an answer. This is an important approach to use. I truly believe anyone with enough time on his or her hands and a dedicated and targeted study approach can do very well on the TEAS V. Godspeed.

Thank you for this post! Excellent info! Good luck to you in all your endeavors!!

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Taking the TEAS V on the 27th of Oct., will be studying about an hour everyday until then using the ATI guide, and this forum as my study tools. Will let you know how I did after.

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Made a study guide out of all the posts here, studied for about an hour a day for about month and got a 77.3%. The average for my testing group was 70%, and the national is 64.3%. I'm okay with my results. Thanks for posting all this helpful information! Good luck to all the others!

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So when it says percentile rank- program is that meant for everyone that took the TEAS V for the same program and at the SAME SCHOOL? I have been curious about that?

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no it's not enough!

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Thanks for the awesome post! I used this, along with XYnurse9999's post. My goal was to get a score that was over 90%.

3 months before the test, I was nervous. I knew I needed to begin studying NOW if I wanted to do well. (for me, I need that long term studying haha)

First of all, I prayed to God because I didn't know how to start. For some reason after that prayer, I started waking up at around 5-6AM every day. Since my class started at 9AM, I decided to use this morning time to study. I also was sleeping earlier after that, so I didn't feel tired.

I started with the science portion, the most intensive one. I studied 2 pages every day. Just two pages. It's not hard when it's bite sized.

I made flashcards; I made questions out of every useful sentence in the science section. Then I did that with the other sections, studying 4-5 pages each day... cause they were easier than the science section.

I studied for around 1-3 hours each day for those months. Sure, there were some days that I didn't... but I tried my best to be consistent and show up to study. I bought the practice test A & B, and got 72% and 78% on both.

Also, I bought the ATI study guide and the McGraw practice tests. (I kept scoring around a 78-82% in the practice tests in both books Dx)

The test was last Saturday. It was alright... Then i got my score today. I got a 92%~ hurrah. All those studying paid off.

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Reading, math and grammar - pretty straight forward,just go over the ATI sections and the McGraw tests, learn from the mistakes you make, so that you know what to go over. The math section was a bit tricky, had a couple of word problems... get some outside practice. It's pretty straightforward. I felt like the McGraw really helped me best in the grammar and structure section, and science of course.

Good luck everyone!! :) You don't get great things accomplished in a big swift step, it is the build up of small steps that really counts. Just take the first step, and keep walking. Persistence is your friend.

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