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Getting into nursing school is more competitive than ever, and your score on the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) is a major factor in your application. This guide provides a proven strategy to help you master the current ATI TEAS Version 7 exam for 2026. Based on the experience of a student who scored in the 99th national percentile, these tips and breakdowns from the ATI Testing's official website will help you study smarter, not harder, and achieve the exemplary score you need to find the right nursing program for you. Quick Glance: TEAS 7 Exam Essentials for 2026Exam Name: ATI TEAS, Version 7 Total Questions: 170 (150 Scored, 20 Unscored) Total Time: 209 minutes (3 hours, 29 minutes) Sections: Reading, Mathematics, Science, English & Language Usage Calculator Policy: A four-function calculator is built into the computer-based exam. Key to Success: Focus on critical thinking and consistent practice. Why is the TEAS Required?Nursing schools are academically rigorous. Admissions committees use the TEAS to: Predict Success: Research shows a direct correlation between TEAS scores and a student's ability to pass the NCLEX-RN. Standardize Evaluation: It provides a uniform metric to compare applicants from diverse academic backgrounds. Identify Gaps: It highlights areas where a student may need remedial support before starting intensive medical coursework. -
If you are applying to nursing school, the TEAS exam is often the first serious checkpoint. It is not just another test to get through. For many programs, it becomes the number that places you above or below the acceptance line. Some students underestimate it and scramble. Others treat it like a ranking tool and prepare accordingly. The difference shows up in the score report. This guide breaks down what is on the TEAS test, how it is scored, how hard it actually is, when you take it, how much it costs, how many times you can retake it, and how to study in a way that moves the needle. Quick DefinitionThe TEAS test, or Test of Essential Academic Skills, is a standardized entrance exam used by many nursing schools to measure readiness in reading, math, science, and English before admission. TEAS at a Glance170 total questions 150 scored 3.5 hours Used for nursing school admission Key TakeawaysMany programs set minimum scores, but competitive applicants often aim for 70%+. The test usually costs about $115 to $120, and some schools limit retakes per cycle. Strong science and math prep often has the biggest impact on your overall score. Taking a timed practice test early helps you target weak sections fast. -
I obtained a level 3 score on mental health, nursing care of the newborn, and nursing care of the child. Prior to my proctored ATI examination, I always received two weeks to prepare for the test. Exam Preparation To prepare for the examinations, I always read the ATI books. Reading them can be daunting, but it's a necessity. As you read each chapter, it's important to complete the end of chapter quiz after reading the chapter. Pace yourself depending on your timeline. For example, read at least 3-5 chapters a day or more if you can. The key here is to retain as much of the knowledge possible. The only way to retain the knowledge is through thorough understanding of the subject matter and testing with a lot of rationales. If you come across a subject that you don't understand such as Fifth disease, then Google or Wikipedia it. Understand physiology and the complications with the disease. ATI Practice Test The next important part of studying for the ATI, is utilizing the ATI practice test in the ATI online modules. Typically, there are at least 4 practice test for each area such as mental health, pediatrics, or maternity. It's important to do each practice test throughout your study time. For example, I will complete one practice test weeks ahead of the ATI exam, then I will complete another ATI practice test at least 2 weeks before the exam. During the last 2 weeks, I will complete the rest of the practice tests. Take Screenshots Before Submitting Another tip that really helps me out, is to take screenshots of each of the questions in the ATI practice exams. For example, if there are 40-60 practice questions about maternity, I will do all of them and before I submit to get my grade I will take a screenshot and paste them into a word document. Later, I will fix screen shots such as expand them and place the document into landscape mode. Then I will print them out 2 sided and study them prior to my exam. I highly recommend NCLEX style test banks during the courses such as "Pediatric Success: A Q&A Review Applying Critical Thinking to Test Taking (Davis's Q&A Success)". They provide this book for med-surg, maternity, and mental health. I used these books to help me get high quiz scores. In addition, these books made it easier to study ATI material. This book will have multiple NCLEX style questions that help prepare for quizzes and ATI exams. So that's what I got for you in terms of studying for the ATI exams. I do a lot of highlighting, and I write multiple side notes in my ATI books. Read, recall, retain, and test. I only have my ATI Med-Surg left, and this is the heaviest one of all of them. I am hoping for a level 3 as long as my study habits will prepare me. So far it has worked.
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I recently took the ATI TEAS 6 and scored in the 97th percentile. I would like to help those who have worries or questions regarding the new TEAS test. I am more than happy to answer your questions regarding the test without disclosing any questions specifically. That being said, I will break down what you should know to the best of my ability. READING- Can't stress this enough, know what can be found in a dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, index, glossary, appendix, and table of contents. I had several questions on these. - Be able to pull information from a visual medium (graph, picture, map, etc.) - Know the difference between facts, opinions, biases, and stereotypes - Know if a text is being informative, persuasive, or expository - Know the difference between connotation and denotation, and be able to infer the definition of a word based on the context of a sentence - Be able to summarize or draw a conclusion from a given text - Be able to distinguish between a topic sentence, the main idea, and supporting details of a text - Know the difference between something being chronological or sequential MATHA preface on the math section; just because a calculator is used on this version of the TEAS does not mean the math this time is significantly more difficult than previous versions of the TEAS. You can expect mostly the same concepts. - Be comfortable converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages - Be able to do basic arithmetic (add, subtract, multiply, divide) - Know your order of operations (aka PEMDAS) when doing equations - Solve equations with one variable - Ranking rationals numbers from least to greatest, or vice versa - Know how to do to percent increase/decrease problems - Know how to convert between different units (conversation rates are given to you in the problem!) - Know what is positive, negative, and no correlation - Know what skewness is (i.e. when a distribution is skewed left or right) - Know what independent and dependent variables are and be able to recognize them in a problem - There are a few basic geometry problems regarding area and length calculation (again, formulae are given to you!) SCIENCEAnother preface! The science section is the biggest section and is mostly anatomy and physiology. The rest of is comprised of general chemistry and some cell biology. - Know the anatomical position and the terminology associated with it (e.g. superior and inferior) - Know the functions of organelles - Know the hierarchy of an organism, from atom to organism - Know the structure and function of the 11 organ systems as best you can - Know the four major macromolecules and what they are made of - Know about the differences between chromosomes, genes, and DNA - Know base pairing for nucleotides - Know how to do a Punnett square and the terminology associated with it - Know the charges and weights of electrons, protons, and neutrons - Know what a covalent or ionic bond is - Know the terms for changing between different states of matter - Be able to balance a chemical equation - Be able to determine if a scientific experiment is empirical or poorly designed ENGLISHIf I had to give a single piece of advice for the English section, it is that just thinking you are literate enough to get a great grade is not enough. Many questions ask about specific grammar terminology you likely need to study beforehand. - Know when to use an apostrophe, colon, comma, and other types of punctuation in a sentence - Know the difference between an adjective, adverb, predicate, preposition, dependent/independent clause, and pronoun - Know the difference between a sentence fragment and a run on sentence - Know what subject-verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement is - Know the difference between slang, formal, and informal language That is all I can come up with at the moment. Feel free to ask questions!
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I've been seeing a plethora of "Help me study for the TEAS VI" posts on the forum lately, and for good reason. It's a new version of the test; it's uncharted territory; it's scary. I mean, after all, this test is supposed to determine our fate? Some schools will only take our first passing score? Let me say this first: the better the student you were in your classes, the easier this test will be. I know this seems a bit obvious to say, but you will have to take an honest look at yourself and understand why some of your peers will have to study very little to succeed while some of your peers will have to study for months to succeed. Onto what you probably want to know. I'll separate by general steps to do well and then sections by my individual scores. Then I'll briefly talk about how hard the test is. Lastly, some general test-taking tips I'll be upfront and say this: I didn't study much for this test. Minus the practice exams I took, I studied for about 6 hours. You may need more time, you may need less. I am a tutor for A&P and I have a strong math background, so really I was only studying for two sections. I only bought the ATI TEAS VI Study Manual, and one ATI online practice test to study. Literally everything is covered by the Study Manual. Yeah, there are some mistakes in it. You can find the corrections online. It's still an immense study resource. STEP 1: Buy the ATI TEAS VI study manual and buy at least one extra online practice exam This is not a plug. I'm not paid or anything to say this. I'm telling you exactly what I did. Honestly, that manual covers 100% of what's on the exam. Aside from this and your notes from A&P, you will need nothing more to prepare for this exam. STEP 2: Take a PRACTICE EXAM before studying This seems scary, but just do it. I just did the practice section tests at the end of each section on my study manual to see where I was. This step is crucial in saving you study time. I missed a TON of reading questions, and I missed quite a few English sections. I missed very few math questions, and very few science questions. By taking the practice exam, you'll know exactly what areas you'll need to focus on to make the greatest improvements in the shortest amounts of time. STEP 3: Study your Weaknesses No one likes doing this. It's uncomfortable, and it's so easy to fall into the lull of studying what you know well as positive reinforcement. Well stop it. Be uncomfortable now while you study so that you can be confident when you walk into your test. For me, this was reading. I loathe reading. My short attention span can't absorb long passages. It was a real struggle for me to focus, but I knew that if I couldn't overcome this hurdle while preparing for the exam, I would be in deep trouble when test day came around. Deal with the pain now, so you can achieve glory later. STEP 4: Brush up on your STRENGTHS After your brain feels like mush, quickly review your non-problem areas so that they don't become weaknesses. An example for me was this: I only studied for 30 minutes for the math section because I happen to love math and be pretty decent at it. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing any detail in the manual that I didn't think would be covered on the test. STEP 5: Two nights before, take your LAST PRACTICE EXAM Up until this point, you should have made your weaknesses into not too much of weaknesses. Heck, maybe you've turned them into strengths. You should have also reinforced your strengths, so you should be well rounded to take the exam. Try to emulate your test-taking environment. My TEAS VI was online, so I took an online test. I found a quiet room. I gave myself time limits. I used scratch paper; I used the online calculator; I used #2 pencils. Anything I could replicate, I did. Taking the practice exam in a loud room wouldn't give me a good idea of how well I could take the test. Giving myself too much time wouldn't either. Be honest with yourself. This is a period of assessment. This isn't your real score, so there's no point in lying to yourself to make you feel better. It's only going to make you disappointed when the real thing comes around. STEP 6: Right after, REVIEW what you got wrong Sometimes, you just make silly mistakes. Sometimes time gets in the way. Sometimes your problem areas are still going to be problem areas. It happens. Just skim through the concepts that are giving you some trouble and do a quick, last-minute study over it. Really, this final practice test gives you an idea of how to pace yourself through the exam and to troubleshoot some last-minute issues. STEP 7: REST the night before test I'm a firm believer in not cramming. I think it's pretty detrimental, and if you've taken your studying seriously, you should be a bit burnt out. Let your mind take a break before you take the TEAS. Mental fatigue is real; don't let it happen to you. STEP 8: Take the TEAS TEST You've prepared yourself. You've learned all you could learn. You've felt out how the test will feel in terms of time and in terms of difficulty. Trust yourself. Relax. Make sure to read your questions, and do your thing. MY RESULTSREADING: 91.5% (95th percentile)So this was my worst section, but I think that I can still give you some tips to focus on. These are BROAD IDEAS. Really, the study manual covers each concept enough for you to be ready for the exam. Main idea, topic sentences, etc.What type of passage is it?Opinion vs fact.What do you find in a Table of Contents, Index, etc.?What are conclusions you can draw based off evidence from the passage?Following instructions. Rotating shapes, manipulating letter sequences, etc. The manual covers these well.Really, this section is about how well you can concentrate for a bit of time. My exam was online, so I didn't have to luxury of underlining my passages. I had to rely on my scratch paper. I'd write flow charts as I was reading, jot down key terms I thought would be useful, and anything else I thought would make it easier to answer questions without referring back to the passage over and over again. I think the scratch paper was my biggest friend. Also, skim the questions before reading the passage so you have an general idea of where you have to focus your attention. MATH: 100% (99th percentile)There wasn't really anything I struggled with per-se, but while taking the test, It was evident that the crux of this section is your ability to set up a problem correctly. It's not so focused on basic arithmetic because you have a calculator. PEMDAS or order of operations. KNOW IT KNOW IT KNOW IT.Word problems. Know how to set up a problem. You're not going to get many (3x + 6 = 12) type questions. It'll be more like (If a buy-in at a poker table is 6 dollars, and each hand costs 3 dollars, how many hands can you play with 12 dollars?)Add, difference, of, per, etc. Know what these terms mean.Areas and perimeters of basic shapes. Basic geometry.Learn how to read graphs. This means knowing general bell curves, skews, etc.Percentages to decimals to fractionsWhich fraction/decimal is bigger?Again, focus on CONCEPTS. Just because the manual gives an example of an area of a triangle doesn't mean you should neglect how to get the area of a square or the perimeter for that matter. If it's in the manual, know it! Math is tricky, and it's unfortunate because it's just super hard until it finally clicks. It's just a miserable path until it does click. SCIENCE: 100% (99th percentile)Know your A&P. Know your punnet squares. Know your basic chemistry. Really, this section is testing your BASIC A&P knowledge. I've read some ludicrous comments that this section is detailed. Let's square this away real quick. There's about 40 questions to cover 11 organ systems. There simply aren't enough questions for this test to really be that specific. Know your gross anatomy and basic physiology. Yes, you'll have to know your hormone pathways and things like epinephrine and norepinephrine stimulate a sympathetic response. No, you will not need to know that epinephrine and norepinephrine can both use cAMP and PIP3. FOCUS on your 11 organ systems. I'd even go so far as to say review your notes about each organ system.Punnet squaresElements: atomic mass, number, protons, neutrons, electronsGeneral chemical reactionsStudy your organ systems hard. Focus on gross anatomy and really basic physiology. If I can confide in you guys, I found this section pretty easy. I heard horrors about how detailed it was, so I focused on petty things major sensory tracts in nervous, when really I just needed to know neuron anatomy, and maybe a spinal cord cross section (what goes in each horn and root). I still reckon that the study manual covers what you need to know. ENGLISH: 100% (99th percentile)Oh boy, this was also a weakness of mine, but fortunately grammar has very distinct rules that have a definitive right and wrong. I'm going to say this, from the myriad of papers you've written, your grammar is not as bad as you think. I'm assuming most of you guys are native English speakers; use that to your advantage in this section, particularly with the subject-verb agreement stuff. Subject-verb agreement. Be sure you can isolate the subject and the verb to make them match up. They'll put some tricky clauses to try and slip you up. Don't fall for itWhat makes a simple/compound/complex sentence?COMMASSEMICOLONSWho/whom or they're/their/thereContext clues to define wordsReally, there are only a few rules in grammar you need to know. I'd google the 12 grammar rules for the SAT if you want an in-depth study guide for grammar. I think the study manual does a good job still. How hard is it relative to practice tests?It's about as hard as the ATI practice tests. I think they were excellent barometers for the real thing. If I had to equate a difficulty, I'd say it's about as hard as the high school exit exam, but it also has an A&P section. So, if you've taken the SAT or ACT, both are significantly harder tests. I feel like if you're capable of getting a good grade through the A&P courses, you have the study methods and tenacity to study to excel on the TEAS. General test taking strategiesMake sure you read your questions fully. Make sure you utilize good test-taking strategies. Eliminate wrong answer choices. Pick the "most right" answer. Don't be afraid to skip questions. If you don't know the answer, might as well use that time to answer questions you CAN figure out instead of spending 5 minutes to ultimately guess. DO NOT SECOND GUESS YOUR GUT INSTINCT. ONLY CHANGE ANSWERS IF YOU READ THE QUESTION OR ANSWER WRONG. Most of all, relax. This test isn't trying to make you fail. It's a baseline to see how well you can do in these fields. Thanks for reading all of this. Good luck on your studies and exams!
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I just took the TEAS 6 this week and scored a total 86%, which personally I am disappointed, but from what I hear, I got one of the highest scores among the people I know who took it, so I am trying to be okay with it. I was trying to shoot for a 90/91 just because of the type of person I am. The program I am applying to has a 64% passing score, so I'm pretty sure I'm okay, and I have a 3.97 GPA with all prereqs being either an A or A+. What messed me up really was the English section - more about that in a minute. Unfortunately, my grade breakdown was somehow disabled on the ATI site, so I can't get the exact number, but I'm going to try and recall as close as I can: Reading: 85% Math: mid-90-something Science: 89.4% English: 75% The resources I used to study was mainly the official TEAS 6 book from ATI, but I did also use the Mometrix one if I wanted to read further about a section. I also used Khan Academy videos for things like genetics and general biology, in addition to just Googling things and reading up on different sites. Honestly the more you read something and expose yourself to the information, the easier it is that it actually sticks since you're reading it from different perspectives. I did also buy the practice test bundle - A&B - and do highly recommend it. It's a great resource for more practice and gives you an idea of where you stand and what you should really be focusing most of your time on. Oh, and I had the TEAS Mastery app on my phone and was always doing questions. I would even reset it and start over, repeating the questions many times. It was a wonderful resource that I also highly recommend. Now, for the actual exam experience and some advice. Reading Personally, I found this section to be trickier, not necessarily harder, than the practice I had done prior to the official exam. In general, I'm pretty good when it comes to reading comprehension, but made enough mistakes apparently lol I was prepared for more "main idea and theme" questions, but honestly, that did not make up the bulk of my exam. I had some questions that more than one answer seemed possible and some of them required you to think about the text rather than be able to use the text to answer the question itself. I didn't study more than skim through the main ATI manual for this section, so you should be perfectly fine and do better than I did if you actually take the time to familiarize yourself with the information in the book. The passages themselves were not long, but they were extremely boring - some more than others. I felt that there was enough time, but you do have to be able to pay attention to what you're reading the first time rather than rely on reading the text more than once. I had more than enough time to go back and double-check my answers, so if you feel as though there's a question/passage that you may want to spend a little time on, answer as best as you can, but move on and go back if you have time. Also, since this is the first section, your nerves can get the better of you. Try not to stress as you start the exam. I'm sure I made some mistakes just because it was the beginning and I was nervous. Math I found this section to be the easiest for me. I was good at math in high school, but forgot it all - it's been a few years lol -, but I was able to refresh my memory since it's really not much more than basic algebra and geometry. The calculator can be used for pretty much every single question in this section. However, be able to do some simple calculations quickly on paper or in your head only because time moves fast during this section and it takes time to key in every number. Also be very careful as you type in your numbers since that can cause a very simple mistake and it's always possible that what you think is the answer is an option. You shouldn't run out of time unless you personally find math challenging, but practice is key. Know percentages and be able to write out proportions and solve them accurately and quickly based on the word problem given. Fractions and stuff are pretty simple because of the calculator. You can convert everything to decimals. However, know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions, as well as know how to reduce fractions. Know how to put integers in order, both in decreasing and increasing order. Know your metrics, but the questions that expect you to have working knowledge of metrics are very simple. I would say the ATI manual is all you need for the math section. Know the formulas for circles - area, circumference, etc. You will most likely have at least one related to that and you will not be given the formula. I had one on every practice test and had one on my official exam, so I can pretty much guarantee you'll have one, so commit those formulas to memory. I would also check out Khan Academy's videos on finding perimeter and area of different figures if you're not comfortable with geometry as a just in case you are asked about a shape other than a circle. For this section, I wasn't able to go through my questions twice. As I was checking my answers over, about halfway through I realized there's 3 minutes left, so definitely don't waste your time and try to move quickly, but be careful not to make silly mistakes. You can also write down on your scrap which questions you aren't 100% sure about and want to go back to to not waste time on questions you know you got right the first time. Science I also found this section to be relatively simple. It truly is all A&P I and II. I had 2 very basic chemistry questions on my exam and everything else was very basic anatomy and physiology. You will not be asked anything truly in-depth. I actually overstudied because I was scared that they'd ask about hormones in great detail for the endocrine system. They did ask about hormones, but it was more like what organ produces/secretes this hormone. I do not think the ATI manual really did enough for this section only because it tells you what you should know, but doesn't really go into detail. I'd even go as far as to say it tells you you should know more about stuff than you probably will not be required to know, but leaves things out for other things. For example, I was asked about what type of cell secretes a specific hormone, which the book did not tell me I should know. Studying for this section, I mainly used the secrets book and Google as well as practice exams. This is the section you have more than enough time for. You have like an hour for this one and you really don't need it. I went back and forth over my answers probably 7 times just to ensure I didn't make a careless mistake or was really unsure about a question and still didn't run out of time. The truth about this section is you either know it or your don't. Process of elimination will only help so much because the couple questions I got stuck on really had 2 options I thought were possible because I just couldn't remember which one it was. English Now, this one was the worst, which I did NOT expect! I write very well. I know grammar and I know proper sentence structure. In fact, out of every practice test I took prior, I was scoring 90s. The difference? While studying, everything that I was usually faced with dealt with picking out the proper sentence or picking out punctuation. However, my actual exam had a lot of questions that would give me a sentence and then ask me what a word is functioning as: pronoun, adverb, preposition, conjunction, etc. I've honestly never been good with those and some of them were very, very tricky. So, my suggestion is get very comfortable with being able to pick out a word in a random sentence and say what that word is. You will definitely have questions like that on the exam. The rest of them were proper sentence structure and things like that, which the ATI book I would say is enough to prepare you for. However, this is the section that kills most people, so definitely dedicate time to it unless you know for a fact that you're good with it. This is the one section you have no time to waste. With such few questions, you are given a very limited amount of time and it moves very fast, so try to be careful but move at a good pace. It's really a hit or miss with this one IMO, but everyone I've spoken with has told me this is the section they did worst on and this is the section that dropped my grade down as well, again, unexpectedly. Some other points from this section are be able to pick out the word that is spelled correctly, so check out commonly misspelled words in the book if you're not good with spelling, and know prefixes, suffixes, and root words. That should have you covered for the english section. Conclusion If you have any specific questions, I'm glad to answer them ? I hope this helps some of you guys that are about to take the exam and I wish you guys luck! Number one thing is don't stress. Remember this test doesn't expect you to have the knowledge base a nurse has. It really is just testing your basic knowledge of these subjects to ensure you're capable of successfully completing the nursing program, which requires you to be able to turn a sentence into a mathematical problem that you then calculate, communicate effectively, have very basic knowledge with regard to A&P and chemistry, and be able to read material. Study and you WILL be fine ?
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Today, I took the TEAS 6 for the first time. I scored 86.0% overall and ranked in the 96 percentile "Advanced". Reading: 87.2% Math: 93.8% Science: 72.3% English and Language: 100% Practice A: 87.3% (2nd) 77.3% (1st) Practice B: 85.3% (2nd) 73.3% (1st) OK, Let me start by saying, this exam is absolutely doable; however, you have to force yourself to focus on one thing at a time. Clear your mind, take the exam one question at a time and before you know it, you will have arrived at the last question of the last section of the exam. STUDY TOOLS I used the official ATI manual (revised version), and the Mometrix manual. DO NOT let people talk you out of the ATI manual, you at least need it for the basic information regarding the test. The Mometrix manual alone can be overwhelming so I highly recommend reading the ATI manual front to back, then using the Mometrix for categories you struggle with as well as the review questions. PRACTICE EXAMS I took both of the ATI practice exams on the website and they were 120% worth every dime. Practice A (87.3%) was closer to the real exam in my opinion, but the Science section of Practice A was easier than the actual TEAS science. Practice B (85.3%) was tough and a weee bit harder than the actual TEAS. READING The biggest piece of advice I can give for the reading section is to use ONLY the information that you are given, if it is not stated in the text then don't assume it to be relevant. The process of elimination will help tremendously! If you can narrow your choices down to 2 answers, then you are already halfway to the correct answer. Know the different style of writing and the use of an index, dictionary, encyclopedia, almanac**, and glossary. (All of which is covered in the ATI Manual) MATH For the math section you will be allowed to use a computerized calculator (which I used the entire test). The Calculator was basic and about half the size of the calculator in the practice tests. I used the calculator to shield the answer selections until I had fully read the questions and come up with an answer. I am terrible in math and I am convinced that this method helped me get a 93% in the section. You already know PEMDAS, know your percentages, know the decimal places etc... Science For this section it's either you know it, or you don't. Like many before me have said, this section is basically ALL A&P. Furthermore, this section has ALOT of Endocrine (Hormones, Anatomy and Physiology of the Endocrine System, Glands etc.) Thankfully I just completed the Endocrine System last week so I flew through those questions. Know the basics of the 11*** Systems of the body, know the basics of organelles, basic Biology, balancing an equation in Chemistry (Atomic Mass, Protons, Neutrons etc.). I can say there was a fair mixture of EXTREMELY EASY questions and fairly detailed questions. I wouldn't say that this section was any harder than a typical A and P final exam. English and Language I was banking on this section to be my saving grace and thankfully it was! If you are naturally a proper grammar queen/king, then simply brush up on your semicolon* and dash* usage and you should be just fine. If you are not ABSOLUTELY sure that you are strong in grammar, then Study! The other sections are hard enough so this can set your curve for the exam. Well, that's all folks! Give yourself about 3 months to casually study or 1 month of focused study and you should do great! Best of Luck!
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Stats: 89.4% Reading 96.9% Math (strongest) 91.5% Science 79.2% English (weakest) How I studied? I'm currently taking A&P this semester so this class really helped me out so much for the Science section. I definitely recommend taking an A&P course before you take the TEAS because it will help you so much - I took my TEAS a week before my A&P Final at school so I basically knew a whole semester of A&P before I took the TEAS. The Science section is like 75% Anatomy, 15% basic Chemistry and 10% Charts/Graphs/Punnet Squares. As for the Reading/English/Math sections, everything I learned for my TEAS was known previously already from my past knowledge + the TEAS ATI Study Manual. I really liked the Study Manual from the ATI website because it helped me remember all the stuff I knew but forgot ( like certain Math problems from Algebra or Subject/Predicate sentences from English). I literally went page by page (the book is like 100 pages long) looking at every exercise for every subject to prepare me. For the Reading section, this is pretty basic knowledge. Honestly if you have a good vocabulary & are an articulate person, this should be pretty easy. No studying needed - just do the sample problems to refresh you memory. There is nothing fancy here - just common sense. Read the passage + answer the questions. For the Math section, the book is extremely helpful. I forgot how to do certain math problems that I did easily in Highschool. I've always had a great Math score for all my standardized tests like the SAT/ACT so this wasn't any different. However, learn about percentages. learn how to get the percentage of something, how to find a discount of a store item, how to find the percentage of a percentage, etc. There will be alot of percentages (10-15 problems). Use the Study Guide book to help you remember all the tricky problems. Be careful, they like to trick you! Fancy problems! Finally, we have the English section ( I hate you). One of my classmates (smart girl) had a 4.0 GPA and got like a 95% in the Science section but failed BOTH times in the English section. She was ineligble to apply to my University's nursing school because she didn't reach the minimum English score. Anyways, this was my hardest section as you can see from my scores above. I spent many hours studying the English portion of the TEAS to remember all the small things. This section is extremely detailed. This section was hard for a young person like me because I use slang in everyday life. Know how to use commas, semi-colons, SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT. Learn how to use context clues. Pay attention to detail. People get low scores because there's only 26 questions in this section (most have 50); so, if you miss 5-6 questions you are already in the 70's. Prior knowledge + studying the Official ATI Study guide helped me out SO MUCH. Also, buy the practice tests! I found so many Practice problems from the Science portion on the actual TEAS test. The Practice test helps you know what is your strong/weak points; I knew English/Science was my weak point going into the test, so that is why I spent extra time studying the sections. Use the Pratice Test to help you realize what exactly is bothering you so you can focus on it extra. The actual TEAS is online and you have like 3 1/2 hours to complete, I think. Each section has like 40/50 questions and the English however only has like 26. The Reading section is the only section I felt pressured because reading the long passages took away time from me! Time won't be an issue unless you like to daydream alot. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll help ya out! Goodluck
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Kenoi (name changed), is a young, bubbly 22 y/o who has set upon the path of becoming a nurse. She performed fairly well in her prerequisite classes; strong in math and science, and fair in reading and comprehension. She has reached out to me, her future mother in law, to help her pass her TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) exam. Now, I truly adore Kenoi, because she reminds me of myself at her age. Lots of passion and driven to succeed. So of course I accept and we set up a date to review material. What I did not know at this point was... Kenoi has taken, and failed the TEAS twice already... She doesn't really like reading... She lets gloom and doom invade her mental space, crowding out processes and retained information. Shocked and a tad perturbed at this revelation, I ask Kenoi what made her wait so long to seek help, knowing this is her last attempt at passing this test, and preparing for the nursing program. Remember what I said about gloom and doom, when she spoke, she had bags and buckets of negativity, feelings of failure, defeat, and self loathing. I could clearly see challenges forming. I examined her scores for the recently taken second TEAS exam. Small mistakes had big consequences. Kenoi had problems understanding what she was reading. Not only that, in some cases i discovered she wasn't reading at all as evidenced by a passage that I had her read aloud. At the end of the passage there were three questions that were related to the last sentence. Kenoi got them all wrong, as she did not read to the end of the paragraph. Kenoi admitted skimming often as she read, even less if she did not find the topic interesting. I helped her see that those three questions she missed were 33.3% each, and she just failed the whole section. This could have easily played a hand in her failed attempts. Gently getting her attention, I let her know that if you want a different result, changes have to be made. If the same behavior is repeated, you will have the same result. I could tell Kenoi was getting a bit flustered and apprehensive. We had a lot of ground to cover, but clearly she wasn't feeling it. I stopped her, and told her that her energy was off. I got some Lavender essential oil and put a dab on her bilateral wrist pulse points, both ears, and temples. I also placed Ylang Ylang to her heart, throat, and third eye chakras. I urged her to push out negative feelings of angst, failure and despair. and replace them with sun, damp earth, and rainbows. As she sat, I felt the energy around her, it was dense and hot, almost oppressive. I continued this action of swatting and replacing energy until it felt lighter, and she more relaxed. We were far from finished. After reviewing more material, we mapped out her strengths and weaknesses, and came up with a study plan. Kenoi was told to pace herself as she read. Take note of the content being asked, especially percentages and comparisons and ask herself, could this be a question? She was told that all the material is important to read, and the questions answered. Just answer the question, don't ponder "what if", "I think it's asking", or "I thought that meant"...just answer the question. Pick the answer that addresses all elements of the question. I urged her to tell the Negative Nellie to "kick rocks", as she is no longer welcome. Lastly, I instructed her to see me the night before testing for a full body massage. She thanked me for the insight, and set off to prepare for this final round, differently. The night before testing came a week later. During the massage session I applied Lavender infused oils and performed a full Reiki session. Afterwards, as we sipped coconut water I asked her how she felt, and did she feel prepared after making the changes in her review process. Her eyes were bright, and she exclaimed "Yes!" with the biggest smile. She did appear more focused, and much calmer. I hugged her and sent her home with solid words of encouragement. Testing was at 09:00 the next morning. I sent Kenoi a message of love and encouragement, and told her "You got this, get it done". She replied and thanked me for the sweet words and the awesome massage. She said she felt ready, and would call me after the test. And so I waited, seeing sun, wet earth, and rainbows... Kenoi passed with marked improvement compared to the previous test. No errors on the math, and reading scores were exceptional. She was later accepted into the Spring 2016 nursing class. I told her to see me often as needed for tutoring, pow wow sessions with a study group, or pretest prep. I am sure she will do well.
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I want to share some resources for those of you struggling to study for the TEAS or do not know where to begin. I will preface this with saying I did buy the $200 prep course from ATI and I will review it here as well. The prep course also gives you the 2 practice exams and the study manual. I also finished Anatomy and Physiology 1, Chemistry 1, and Microbiology prior to taking the ATI TEAS exam. I studied arduously for about 2 weeks. First, I'll give you a breakdown of my scores. Overall: 96% Reading: 89.4% Math: 100% Science: 100% English: 95.8% READING:On the ATI TEAS exam, you will have 64 minutes to complete 54 reading questions, containing 6 pretest questions. Obviously, reading was my worst section. I was really nervous when I was taking the test in the beginning and this is the first section you take on the exam. I think this is what tripped me up. I was focusing a lot on the time as well, and this caused me to have to reread the passages over and over. However, it was not excessively hard and I know I could've scored better had I calmed my nerves. So do not fret! I will highlight some major things to focus on; ✔️ be able to read a passage and summarize it quickly ✔️ be able to read a passage and identify what the main ideas ✔️ be able to look at a set of directions and evaluate it (ex:which comes first?) ✔️ be able to interpret charts and graphics ✔️ be able to distinguish fact from opinion ✔️ be able to read a passage and determine what an appropriate title may be ✔️ be able to read a passage and infer conclusions ✔️ know the different types of writings; expository, informative, analytical and be able to tell which form a passage employs ✔️ be able to use context to understanding a words meaning ✔️ understand what a primary source is VS a secondary, tertiary, etc Something to note is the passages you will be reading on the ATI TEAS exam are longer than what is given in the study manual. If you purchased the practice exams and did them, they are about the same as what is on there. They are about 3-5 paragraphs and you may be asked up to 5 or more questions about a particular passage. Managing your time here is key - I know many people struggle with it because simply reading the passage can take a lot of time and having to reread it multiple times starts eating away at the time you have to answer questions. Practice, practice, practice. You need to become skilled at reading a passage the first time and understanding it. I did have a few minutes left over at the end to review my answers, but this section definitely took me the most time to complete. There were definitely some easy questions and some that really stumped me! The format of the reading section on the practice exams were very similar to the actual exam. MATHEMATICS:On the ATI TEAS exam, you will have 54 minutes to complete 36 math questions, containing 4 pretest questions. I personally do not like math and do not claim to be good at it whatsoever; yet, I made a perfect score! If I can do it, you definitely can. Honestly, you just need to become familiar with what is in the manual especially in regards to the practice problems. If you solve every problem and understand why you missed the ones you did, you will be good to go for the exam. I found the actual exam to be way easier than both the practice tests and the practice test in the manual! The greatest part of the math section? You get a four function calculator. You can use the calculator at any time throughout the math section. I used it on almost every question just to make sure I didn't slip up and make any silly errors. I was not given any formulas on the exam. I was however given conversion factors, such as how many ounces were in a pound. They do not give you conversion factors between the metric system, so be sure to study and understand how to convert between one and the other. For example, there are 1,000 milliliters in a liter. I will highlight some major things to focus on; ✔️ be able to round ✔️ be able to solve multiple variable equations ✔️ be able to set up and calculate proportions ✔️ understand percentages and percent increase/decrease ✔️ be able to rank numbers from greatest to least ✔️ understand units of the metric system ✔️ be able to read a graph and chart and interpret data from it ✔️ know the equations for the circumference and area of a circle Here is a helpful mnemonic; Cherry pie? Delicious! C=πD Apples pies are, too! (too for squared!)A=πr^2 So, to reiterate, do all the practice problems in the manual and understand the steps to every single one. You will do fine! It's nothing more than basic algebra and maybe a little geometry! SCIENCE:On the ATI TEAS exam, you will have 63 minutes to complete 53 science questions, containing 6 pretest questions. The dreaded science section...this is typically the lowest scoring section. It's just over so much material! I personally took Anatomy and Physiology 1, General Chemistry 1, and Microbiology before taking the ATI TEAS and I believe it helped me immensely. If you can, take at least Anatomy and Physiology before taking the exam. It helps a lot, especially if you don't have weeks and weeks to study. This section for me was easy because I studied it the most (and maybe I had a little dumb luck). The manual clearly states the objectives you need for the science section, and trust me; you want to learn them ALL! I personally scoured through each section, over and over, until I felt decently confident. Then, I took a practice exam and realized where my weaknesses still lied. Then, I scoured those sections even more. It was hard, but given my score, it's worth it! I will highlight some major things to focus on; ✔️ know basic anatomy terminology and directional terminology ✔️ know the 11 body systems to the best of your ability ✔️ know the 4 macromolecules and the types of bonds they form ✔️ understand chromosomes, genes and DNA ✔️ understand Mendel's Laws of heredity (independent assortment, equal segregation) ✔️ understand non-mendelian inheritance (codominance, epistasis, and incomplete dominance) ✔️ understand atomic structure (protons, neutrons, electrons...what makes up the atomic number? The atomic mass?) ✔️ properties of substances (solid, liquid, gas) ✔️ understand the types of chemical reactions and be able tobalance a chemical equation ✔️ understand basic measurements and measuring tools (graduated cylinder, balance) ✔️ understand hypotheses and conclusions Personally, I found the practice exams science sections to be much harder than what I was given on the actual ATI TEAS exam. RESOURCES FOR THE SCIENCE SECTION:YouTube: I watched lots and lots of videos. There are a few channels I really recommend...especially for the body systems! Bozeman Science: I've been watching this guy since I was in high school biology. He is great at explaining and I've found his videos to coincide very well with the ATI TEAS manual for the body systems! Seriously, I prefer him to KhanAcademy sometimes, which I know lots of people swear by. Give him a look! KhanAcademy: Of course, I've still found KhanAcademy helpful as well. These videos contain extra information, I've noticed. I like to learn a system pretty well and then watch KhanAcademy to solidify what I know, and learn a few new things. KhanAcademy also has a website I highly recommend making an account on. They have a few lessons for a few of the body systems, with tons of videos and practice questions. It's free, might as well give it a shot! PRACTICE EXAMS : If you can afford to buy them, just do it. It gives you a feel for the real exam and if you can do well on them, you will do well on the actual exam. ENGLISH:On the ATI TEAS exam, you will have 28 minutes to complete 28 English questions, containing 4 pretest questions. Personally, this was the section I was most worried about. I don't know why. I've spoken English my whole life but a lot of it was terminology I hadn't remembered from grade school. For this section, it is best to read over the manual and learn the terms especially well. Then you can use those terms to determine how words function in sentences. Then, practice, practice, practice. Seriously, do as many practice questions as you can, especially if it isn't your strong suit. I contribute my perfect score to a lot of studying and again, dumb luck. The manual explains the objectives you need to know for this section. Just go over all of them. You'll need to understand spelling, sentence structure, the types of sentences, how word parts function within sentences, grammar, the difference between formal and informal language, steps of the writing process and using context clues to determine a words meaning! RESOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH SECTION:-Someone on this site actually gave me a link to a great website with practice questions. When you miss a question, it gives rationales and explains why. It was awesome and exposed me to different types of questions you may be asked. Question 1 of the English and Language Usage Practice Test for the TEAS -Others suggested an ATI TEAS app. There are so many on the app store, but I cannot guarantee all of them are good. There are some free and some you have to pay for. I personally did not use apps, but I can see how itwould be beneficial for someone on the go. You could answer questions as you had time throughout the day for those with busy schedules! The ATI TEAS Prep CourseI had hardly found any information about the prep course before deciding to buy it. I was skeptical because it was so expensive, but I was worried I wouldn't do well without it especially with my limited time to study. This prep course is available through ATI's website. Here were my experiences with the prep course. #1 Some information was in the prep course online modules that was not in the manual and vice versa. You do get the manual with the prep course. I personally did not like this because I wanted to have all the information in one place which I thought I would get with the prep course. Saying that, it was inconvenient but not too much. I was fine because I scoured the manual just as much as the online modules. #2 The prep course divides into 4 modules; one for each section of the exam. It starts you off by taking a pre-test for each section of the exam. Then, it tells you areas you may want to focus on more than others based on your score. After that, it breaks down each objective and supplies you with information and videos. At the end of each objective, you have a 5 question quiz. After completing all the objective quizzes for the first time, it allows you to take the post-test. The post-test contains a few less questions than what the actual exam has, so I found it helpful for me to practice my timing. After you do this post-test, it tells you again the areas you should focus on. You can then go back through whichever modules you want and complete another set of 5 questions for each objective. After that, you can complete the post-test again. I should tell you though, it is the same post-test you already took. The quizzes are different questions, but the post-test is the same. Be warned, the prep course only lasts 3 months! But, you can go through the modules as many times as you want during that time! #3 Here was my biggest problem with the prep-course; I found errors in some of the questions. I would answer a question correctly, but it would tell me I was wrong and they would highlight the "correct" answer (which was not correct). I emailed ATI about 2 that I noticed and they said it would be remedied. Still, I was upset because I paid so much for the prep-course and yet there were errors. It made me wonder what other errors I might've missed! Despite that, I found the prep course helpful. It condensed information for me to cram, cram, and cram some more. The price is a bit steep for what you're given so it's really up to the individual to decide what's best for them. Let me know your experiences with it! There is so much more I could say, so I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has. Feel free to comment, I'll try to answer to the best of my ability. I know I was extremely nervous to take this exam, so I want to help others if I can.
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My TEAS ScoreComposite 96%Reading 93.6% (44/47)Math 93.8% (30/32)Science 97.9% (46/47)English 100% (24/24)Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutesPractice Test ScoresMometrix Review Book: 90, 92, 92ATI: A version- 92 / B version- 92.7ResourcesMometrix TEAS Book with 3 practice exams ($40 amazon - cheaper on Mometrix site)ATI study guide ($25 ATI site)ATI Practice Tests ($78 - cheaper to buy tests & book separately when they are on sale)TEAS Pocket Prep - 1400 questions completed. Correct 82% of total /75% question of the day ($15)A&P bookHoe's Human A&P Tests - 24 subject testshttp://teasprep.blogspot.com/Various TEAS reviews on Quizlet (especially endocrinology)Youtube:Crash Course A&P / Biology (DNA, Krebs Cycle, etc) / Chemistry (periodic table, bonds, balancing equations)Khan Academy (endocrine, mitosis, meiosis, Krebs cycle, Chemistry)Mometrix videos (search TEAS & HESI Mometrix review videos)INTROI completed the standard prerequisites for a nursing program eleven years ago. I then took a different career path, and had few occasions to use the knowledge in my work. When I decided to pursue a career change (or another career change, rather) and go after my old goal to become an RN, I was in serious need of refreshing. Like many others, I'm a non-traditional student. While studying, I had to manage a demanding job, relationships, and all the usual daily tasks that compete for time. What worked for me in this aspect was to carve out a schedule with dedicated time to study, and to stick to it. I had a review book and a review app with me at all times, and would take advantage of scattered downtime to study. I think it's important for us who are coming back to formal education after a long break to figure out how we learn now, and not get stuck on how we learned in the past. For me, I found I learn and retain more now by doing something interactive, like taking quizzes and looking up things that I missed, as opposed to just reading and note-taking. The internet offers so many resources for this now as opposed to eleven years ago. My school puts a lot of emphasis on the TEAS for nursing admissions. Also, the program weighs Reading and Science sections more heavily (30% each) than Math and English (20% each). The particularities of your school are good to keep in mind when reviewing. I felt had a huge deficit to overcome due to the time it had been since I had last studied this material. In total, I spent about two months learning, updating my knowledge, and doing targeted reviewing. I devoted some time to it six out of every seven days. After two months, I was reaching a point of diminishing returns as well as a desire to focus on something different. I took my last ATI practice test. Since my score didn't significantly change, I scheduled my test for one week out. My goal was to get at least a 90% composite score. This was partially done as a way to make myself get back into the habit of regular focused studying. I also wanted to be as competitive as possible, as well as rebuild the knowledge base for the future. I'll break down my thoughts on each section below, with what I did to prepare. I want to give a slightly different perspective on how to prepare for the test. There are many great articles and posts on allnurses.com that can provide you with more information on preparing for the TEAS. General Prep/The TestUnder resources is a list of what I found it was necessary to purchase, and what I found helpful for free. Understand that the ATI review book does not have enough information in the science section to be a sole review source. For example, under the digestive system, it says something to the effect of, "understand the process of digestion." That is pretty vague... However, definitely know all the particular information the book does provide, and fill in with the Mometrix guide. I feel like the ATI practice tests are ESSENTIAL. They look just like the test, and are of comparable difficulty in my opinion. Most people seem to score within +/- 2-3 percent of their practice test scores, though there is a group that seems to do much better on the real thing after taking both practice tests. My sense of this is those people are nervous test-takers, and this helped to familiarize themselves with the process and feel of the test. If you find yourself in that category, spend the money to become familiar with the look and format of ATI's testing. The Mometrix tests are great to disperse through your study time to gauge where you are, and to pinpoint weaknesses. I feel the science sections were easier than the TEAS, but the other three sections were very comparable. I had plenty of time to complete the TEAS and review each section. I finished the test in about 85 minutes. This is going to vary with each person. Don't get bogged down in the Reading section. The entire test could take almost four hours if you use all the available time, so schedule it for a part of the day when you are at your best mentally. For example, I'm not a morning person, so I scheduled mine for 2pm. Lastly, get a study app for your phone! I bought TEAS Pocket Prep. Another one is TEAS Mastery. They're well worth $10-$15. I finished Pocket Prep's entire 1400 question bank, and made an effort to learn from the questions I missed. This helped a lot for reviewing cell reproduction, Chemistry, English and math. I found the reading questions to be repetitious, and definitely the weak spot for the app. You will be better served by doing practice tests for that section, as they are more reflective of the exam. MathThis testable material seems to be focused on algebra, metric unit conversions, and a few geometry problems. Make sure to know formulas for area and circumference of circles, as this seems to be a commonly tested topic. You should be able to quickly convert fraction/decimal/percentage, and be comfortable with determining percent changes and differences. A calculator is built into the test, so you don't have to worry about doing problems by hand. Go back and check your answers for this section if you have time, and use the calculator to check your solutions. Generally, I have used only basic math in daily life, though I have done things like payroll, business taxes, etc., in the past. Research online indicated that getting a 100% in the math section was totally doable. I focused on Math first since to me it seemed like a more discrete subject, and I could use a new required math prerequisite to review. I began studying by going over the math sections in the review books, and doing all the practice problems. You should be able to easily focus in on the areas you are deficient. I worked ahead in my math prerequisite homework and projects, and this definitely helped me get extra practice. If you are in a similar situation to me, and struggle with math, I would recommend finding a structured way to relearn the basic math skills needed for the test. ReadingThis was the longest section for me in terms of the time required. Many people say they run out of time, or nearly so. I feel like this may be due to spending too much time reading prior to looking at the question. My only strategy suggestion is to read the question before reading the passage so that you have an idea of what to look for in the passage itself. Practice tests are very reflective of what you will find on the TEAS. Reading is probably the hardest section for which to prepare. I found the only thing to help was PRACTICE. Do all the practice problems in all the books, and make an effort to understand the rationale behind the WHY of what you get wrong by referring to the study guides. In this section, often you have to consciously put yourself in the mental framework of ATI, as there is a rubric of how passages are analyzed. It is easy to overthink it. I found that since I had been in a career requiring me to regularly read and digest a lot of information quickly, this experience was an asset. Remember that though you may be the most non-traditional of students, the skills and experiences you bring can be utilized as a solid foundation for not only this test, but your entire career in nursing. EnglishThis section has the fewest questions but the shortest time. Spelling, subject-verb agreement, noun-pronoun agreement, parts of speech, punctuation, and "what type of sentence is this" are essential to understand. The good thing is all of this is very study-able, though perhaps not the most engaging material. I thought English would be easy. Then I started doing practice questions... I made a point to work on English for a short time everyday, since for me it felt tedious. The Pocket Prep app was a huge help for this material. I also read over the list of commonly misspelled words every week or so, as the study guides virtually guaranteed to see at least a few on the test. I have had an extremely writing-intensive job for years, but felt like my spelling skills have actually decreased over time due to spellcheck and texting. My ability to define the rules of grammar was lacking as well. I would say the test covers material roughly equivalent to 8th grade English. However, I'm very far removed from 8th grade! The short but daily preparations for this section paid off for me. ScienceThis is what everyone always wants to know about! My research indicated a strong trend towards more endocrinology-related questions, and I feel that was true in my experience. I would strive to be comfortable with knowing the neuro-endocrine pathways. Be familiar with Mendelian genetics/Punnett squares, the cardiac cycle, respiration and gas exchange, cell biology, cell reproduction (including the form/function of DNA & RNA), macromolecules and the process of digestion. Also, be able to balance simple chemical equations, understand bonds (especially hydrogen bonds) and when you are likely to see the bonds in macromolecules, and know the basics of the periodic table. The focus seems to be more on physiology over anatomy, and pure anatomy was very basic. However, I think this section has a particularly deep question bank, and individual experiences will vary widely. The science section is effectively A&P trivia, and it is possible for almost anything to show up. Ideally, one would finish their A&P courses and then take the TEAS soon after. Notes would be great to keep to review. If you are in that situation, I think a read-through of the review books and taking the practice tests should suffice. Since I had finished these classes so long ago, I had none of these things. I found a fairly recent textbook, and then proceeded to read or skim the physiology-focused sections to try and make the information fresh in my mind. This helped for things like cell biology and basic systems. The Hoe's A&P quizzes are a hugely beneficial study aide if you look up the answers that you get wrong. Be aware they are at a higher level than the TEAS, but by using these as a guide, you will fill in a lot of gaps in your understanding. I have not taken a Chemistry class since high school. I devoted a lot of time to familiarizing myself with the subject. In the end, I likely spent too much time on it. It would have been better to focus on the relatively narrow Chemistry information in the review books. Under resources, I included a list of Youtube channels that are frequently mentioned as great resources. I cannot recommend Crash Course enough. They are short in length but dense with information. Once you target your weak areas in A&P, search out videos for those topics. Try to avoid information overload, or over-saturation! Instead of watching ten videos in one sitting, spread them out over several days, and watch each one more than once. For additional endocrinology study, you can search for worksheets to fill out to help learn the pathways from hypothalamus to target organ. ConclusionI think the nursing prerequisites from my program did a great job of preparing me for this test. The education I received in those classes was better than most of what I had at university. If you have completed those recently, you will do great. If you're like me and there's a long gap since you initially learned the material, prepare to spend some time studying. The TEAS is an important test, so whatever time you spend working on it is worthwhile. Let me know if you have any questions that I can help with!
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Hey everyone! I took the TEAS 3 days ago. I scored a 78 (advanced) which for some may not be great, but the programs I am applying for require proficient or higher so I am psyched! I remember searching frantically through this website just to get some more information on what to study/expect... So, I am feeling generous and I hope whoever chooses to read this will feel that their questions are answered. Here it goes and I hope this helps! Reading (first section):I thought this section was pretty hard honestly. Similar set up to the practice exams on the ATI website, however, the answers are less obvious. I remember constantly feeling tripped up between 2 answers. This section requires the most focus, and honestly kind of sets you in the right mindset for the rest of the exam because after it you will feel like you are micro-focused on everything. Anyways...I would recommend reading the question first, then reading the passage. Also - read the passage from beginning to end! I noticed a lot of questions asked about the tone of the passage (informative, entertaining, etc.), what type of writing it is (expository, narrative, autobiography, etc.) so be sure to familiarize yourself with that. The best way to do that is to take the 2 practice exams on the ATI website. Questions on the test are phrased exactly the same... the test also looks exactly the same so you won't feel freaked out. It was a great feeling sitting down at the computer on test day and being like whoa this is exactly the same format as the online tests!! For example, I don't think i would have realized that I can "flag" questions if I hadn't bought the ATI practice tests. That component is really helpful! Math:SOOO easy I thought...and I am not good at math! A lot of proportions, order of operations, solving for X/Y, converting. I noticed that half or maybe more of the questions could be solved by doing a proportion... I got a 90 on this section and i specifically remember thinking to myself wow this is so easy... and math is my worst subject!! Science:Obviously very A&P heavy, questions were more specific... Focus a lot on hormones, neurotransmitters, etc of each body system. The non-A&P stuff i didnt think was hard at all. English:THIS SECTION IS NEVER AS EASY AS YOU THINK!! And it wasn't for me! Focus on subject-verb agreement, word meaning (e.g. "sub" means under... so "submarine" means "underwater") What a simple vs. complex sentence is, being able to re-order a sentence so it is grammatically correct. Stuff you might think you know... but you don't ? If you really want to up your score, it really wouldn't hurt to spend a lot of time on English. Say you're not great at math and it's been a while since you touched upon the science portion... Boost your English score! I ended up scoring the 2nd lowest and this section and was super bummed. Again... it's not as easy as you think!!! Otherwise, here are some tips:- Buy the ATI study manual. The TEAS is literally created by ATI so it makes the most sense to study with their manual! - Buy the practice A and B exams on ATI. I cannot emphasize this enough... I got the Kaplan book on amazon, took their version of the online test and got a 62...and was like oh god... then studied for about a month, bought practice A and scored a 75, then practice B and scored a 77. I should have bought the package and saved myself some $ but I didn't realize I would have enough time to take both. I can honestly say taking those 2 exams boosted my score. - After you take practice A/B and submit to review your score, you can't go back and review each question!!!! So I would take notes as you go or just be sure to review the answer explanation for the questions you got wrong. I did that for practice B because I didn't realize after taking practice A that there was no way for me to go back and review the questions/answers. *eye roll* Not everyone takes the same exam obviously... I may have just been dealt a more difficult version. Regardless, my score increased a lot from the first time I even took a practice exam (Kaplan), to taking the first practice test A (75) to practice B (77) to the actual exam (78). I even thought the actual exam was a lot harder and I still got a better score, and it meant the difference between proficient and advanced (77 is proficient, 78 is advanced)!!!! I hope this helps, and GOOD LUCK to those who have the TEAS coming up! You got this!!
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This forum helped me so much during times of stress, and I just wanted to give back by sharing my experience. Score Breakdown: Overall: 92.0% Reading: 91.5% Math: 93.8% Science: 93.6% English: 87.5% My Practice Exam Scores: Practice Exam A: 84.0% Practice Exam B: 78.7% As you guys can see, my practice exam scores were significantly lower than my actual exam score. This was a huge concern for me because I took practice exam B four days before my actual exam, so I was freaking out! The Reading section and the English section were my weakest. I scored a 50 something percent on the English section of practice exam B. The Reading section was sooooo much easier on the actual exam than the practice exams, and I was so relieved because the questions on the practice exams were so difficult to answer with the answer options that were given. Don't worry too much about this section but still brush up on your reading skills and know the following: logical conclusions, know the main types of writing, main ideas, supporting details, opinions vs facts, and know the definitions of appendix, atlas, almanac, table of contents, glossary, index, etc. You will also need to practice reading fast AND precisely because although I'm a fast reader, I barely had any leftover time for this section. The math section was easy, but I think the practice exam questions for math were easier than the actual exam wording wise. Know how to do proportion word problems (these were the most common types of questions on the exam); know how to set up an algebraic equation from a word problem (this is crucial); know the area and perimeter formulas for shapes (they do not give you these formulas on the exam); know how to do work rate problems; know how to solve basic algebraic equations; know ratios; know how to calculate percent change; know how to find the original price of something using the new price and the percent discount; know how to subtract, add, divide, and multiply fractions; know mean, median, mode, and range. Now for the most intimidating section: SCIENCE. I've already taken anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and chemistry. I recommend having these courses completed before taking the TEAS. I studied the hardest and longest for this section. The questions were so insanely random for this section that it is crucial to know everything you possibly can about the 11 body systems. I made a 60+ page (typed in size 11 font) study guide for the 11 systems and added a lot of photos I found online to help me understand and visualize the physiology. Know the ins and outs of these systems and how they're related and how they work as a whole, know the negative feedback loops in every system (google pictures for this), and know the most important hormones released by every organ/gland. For chemistry, know how to balance chemical AND nuclear equations and know atomic structure, atomic mass, and atomic numbers. Also, know how Punnett squares work and know your cell organelles. I also wanted to mention that I used the TEAS Secrets book by Mometrix, the ATI Study Manual, and khan academy, crash course, and Armando Hasudungan videos to create my study guide for the 11 body systems. I used the TEAS Secrets by Mometrix as the foundation of my study guide and used everything else to add in extra information/missing details and to better understand everything more in depth. I really REALLY recommend Armando Hasudungan videos. He explains complex things in such a clear way that is easy to understand. The English section was.......I don't even know how to describe it. Difficult? Awful? Frustrating? There are some questions in the English section that you cannot really prepare for on the TEAS and that's just something you'll have to come to terms with. However, the questions you can prepare for will be based on knowing your parts of speech, punctuation, types of sentences, common prefixes and suffixes, know subject verb agreement and pronoun antecedent agreement (I used grammarbook.com for this) Overall, I recommend using the ATI Study Manual and TEAS Secrets by Mometrix for all sections. I hope this was helpful and good luck to everyone!
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I've been studying for the TEAS for a few months now. I take it at the end of May. Another school popped up on my radar and I decided to apply. They want the HESI (with NO science at all). They want it ASAP of course, so I'm taking it next Saturday. Should I study specifically for the HESI or is my TEAS knowledge going to be sufficient? I'm scoring in the high 80's- mid 90's on the TEAS practice tests. Thanks in advance!
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I'm an LVN with one year of experience. I just recently (within the last 3 weeks) finished A&P and Micro. I took my remote ATI TEAS VI this morning and, while it was still through my school, I had to take the test from home using Proctorio on Google Chrome. I got an 88.7, which is an "Advanced" level of proficiency in the 98th percentile. Here's How I Passed The ATI TEAS Test... Study Time A total of 3 weeks, but I didn't get serious until the last week. I studied religiously for about 8 hours a day for the last 7 days leading up to the test. Here's the breakdown? Study Tools ATI TEAS Secrets by Mometrix: This was a highly recommended resource across the board, and for good reason. It is an excellent review guide as it breaks down the general concepts you need to learn for the test. Just be careful with the science and English language sections. They are very detailed and quite long, so it easy to get intimidated by the sheer magnitude of the material. The 3 practice exams are worth their weight in gold, not just in testing your knowledge of the information, but in improving your test-taking skills as well. I found these practice tests to be just a shade more difficult than the actual exam. I would not have passed without this book. Khan Academy, Catherine McAllister, Nurse Cheung, and others: Whenever I run into a concept that I don't fully get just by reading, I go on YouTube to find someone who can explain it to me. These guys are the ones who pop up the most and generally have the best explanations. Brandon Craft Math: I would kiss this man if I could. The free TEAS worksheet on his website is pretty much the math portion of the exam. ATI TEAS Mastery App: This is an app that you can get for free, but you can also pay for a subscription, which would grant you access to plenty of practice questions and other resources. I got the $12.99/month option, so I was able to answer as many practice questions as I needed. Literally any free practice test you can find: I used the ones on the Mometrix website, NurseHub, Test-Guide, and SmartEdition the most. Know that these practice tests (at least for me) were harder than the actual exam, so please don't freak out if you end up not doing as well as you'd like. They're more useful in sharpening your test taking skills (process of elimination, educated guessing, etc.) ATI Practice Assessment B: This single assessment was a whopping $50. I never intended to get it, but I caved and bought it last minute, and I'm glad I did. This narrows everything down so much and allows you to focus on the specific concepts you'd need to know for the exam. Based on my individual experience, this was basically a clone of the TEAS. Obviously the questions weren't repeated, but they were on the exact same topics (like two different questions on the same worksheet). They're about the same level of difficulty, so if you do well with this, you most likely will do just fine with the actual exam. TEAS Breakdown Reading (80.9%) I don't know what happened here. The questions were the same as the practice assessment, and actually a little easier than Mometrix. I guess I just choked because it was the first section and I was already freaking out because I was taking the TEAS. You have more than enough time to read through each passage carefully, so don't rush. You'll get everything from long passages with multiple paragraphs, to recipes and office memos. Focus on finding the main idea, topic sentence, and supporting details of each passage. Know the difference between narrative, expository, persuasive, and technical writing. You will also be asked to pick the logical conclusion, the statement that summarizes the passage, and which statements are fact and which are opinion. Math (90.6%) This was my most dreaded subject because I have always, always been terrible at math. My brain just isn't wired for it. How the heck did I get the score that I did? Mometrix, Brandon Craft Math, and Practice Assessment B. The math portion was a mirror image of what's on practice assessment B. In fact, I even found the this to bit a bit easier than the practice assessment. Know operations with fractions, decimals, and percentages! The majority of questions are on these concepts. Others are on ratios and proportions, a few on basic algebraic expressions, and fewer still on geometry, which was super basic. There was one question about converting from F to C but they do give you the formula. The word problems were also super easy (trust me), and the other conversion questions were pretty straightforward (“How many mL is in 0.5L?”). It's also important to brush up on the order of operations, but I don't remember it featuring very heavily on the test. This section was surprisingly easier than I expected, and that's saying alot. Science (89.4%) This was the hardest section, and the fact that I just finished my A&P and Micro classes really saved me here. Some questions were easy, some were tricky and surprisingly specific, and some I flat out just didn't know the answer to (like what the heck is cephalization?!). I relied on educated guesswork and the process of elimination here more than in any other section. It was definitely heavy on A&P, so the more time you can dedicate to reviewing those concepts, the better off you'll be. Again, Practice Assessment B will give you a pretty good idea on which areas to focus on. I don't remember seeing a whole lot of chem questions, and the ones that were there were very basic. Some topics worth looking at (other than A&P) are scientific reasoning and the scientific process, elements of a scientific experiment, balancing chemical reactions, knowing the different types of reactions (decomposition, synthesis, single-replacement, etc), and Mendel and his concepts of heredity/genetics. English (100%) This section sucked LOL I'm convinced that I only got 100 because of sheer dumb luck. This section tests you on grammar concepts that you haven't had to think about since probably middle school, and that's what makes it so tricky. English and writing have always been strengths of mine, so I relied on intuition and gut feelings more than I probably should have. I recommend really spending some time on this section, and to not do what I did. I still can't figure out how I scored so highly. I won't break down what to review for this section because there are just too many. Just review the English section on the Mometrix book in its entirety. Other Tips PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Take as many practice tests and answer as many practice questions as possible. Practice really does make perfect, especially with the TEAS. Give yourself plenty of time to study. There is a lot of material to cover, and giving yourself more time to learn (or re-learn) them will only produce positive results. Don't let your nerves get the best of you. If you did your due diligence, there won't be much on the exam that will catch you off guard. When taking the TEAS (or any exam), avoid answer choices that contain absolute statements. They're rarely ever correct. Those typically include words like always, never, definitely, absolutely, etc. I don't recommend taking the TEAS without taking college A&P first. The amount of material you need to learn will probably kill you if you're encountering it for the first time and you most likely won't do very well on the exam. The TEAS is much too important to chance anything. That's it! Sorry if it's so long. I wanted to put in as much detail as possible, as well as address some things that other posts may not have addressed. If for some reason you still have questions, feel free to message me. All of this took a while to type, but if it helps at least one person, it'll be well worth it. Also, the things described in this post reflect my own individual experience with taking the TEAS and with the study tools I used. Your experience might differ so please take with a grain of salt ?
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Is the Mometrix ATI TEAS secrets book enough to study with? I heard many people say they used the book, and some apps, and some additional books, and this and that, it just overwhelmed me. I just have that Mometrix book and one additional math book (I think math will be my weakest subject so thats why) But I just kind of want to focus on those two books and that's it I don't want to be overwhelmed with all types of different additional materials. Do you think these 2 books is enough or should I use all the other things like people say?
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Wondering if I should retake the TEAS? I scored a 73.3 overall and the program I am applying only requires for your score to be “at or above the 50th percentile of the national mean.” I know I could study a little more and retake but I’m starting my senior year at Chapel Hill, and I’m trying not to get burnt out with extra studying. Should I chance it and send in my scores? Or take it again? My college GPA is a 3.2 and my high school was 4.9/3.6 (weighted/unweighted). The program looks at both in addition to your TEAS score.
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I am a nursing student. I will be taking my fundamentals & mental health ATIs tomorrow. It is the end of our portion of this class, and we will be receiving a small grade for this based off of what level we score on these ATIs. I'm practicing, but don't see levels anywhere on the results. Our teacher tried to explain this, but it's still really unclear to all of us and she had to leave. My understanding was that anything below a 70% is below a level 1... And that in order to score a level 3, you practically have to have a 90-95%. Can someone enlighten me?
