I completed the TEAS Exam within the last three hours and this is my story:
I bought two books. The first book is called "Master the Nursing School and Allied Health Entrance Exams"...which has absolutely nothing to do with the TEAS so there's $20 down the drain-I became the sucker that pays for their children's education. The book says that it prepares you for the TEAS and many other tests, but the questions on the Science and Math are different from the TEAS exam I just took. This book's Qs are of a much higher level and are meant to scare the *&^% of you.
The other book I bought is the mandated "Pre-Test Study Manual for the TEAS" from ATI ($35)...which is a MUST HAVE !
The whole test is based on being able to read instructions well. The ATI-Study Manual allows you to get prepared for the format of the exam and the odd way that some of the questions are structured. I have two bachelor's degrees,an 'A' in Calculus, done chemistry, physics, A&P1,...and I might have failed this if I didn't get the study manual.
When I was writing it, I noticed that some of the questions do have two answers. NO...don't give me the saying that you have to pick the most right...because that's a crock. Maybe 3% to 1% of the Qs in the Exam I could have argued easily. But I passed and now you (reader) can deal with them.
When you study, try really hard to notice that most Qs in the Math section have short cuts. Many Qs are very very similar to the one in the book...just change the numbers. Redo the Practice exams maybe five times each so you are well prepared for the format and you'll understand how some Qs are structured to trick you. Between half to 3/4 of the math exam is very similar to the practice Qs in the ATI manual.
I took the Exam at Norwalk Community College. My grade was a 85%. The class as a whole got a 87%. I read over the Science portion of the study manual and did all the exams in the book to get used to the way the Qs are asked and I timed myself. When you time yourself in the practice test try to give yourself a minute-per-question. This will help you get faster through the exams and relax you for the exam.
When I finished each section I would have maybe 10 minutes in each setion to spare, thus I went back and noticed I had answered some simple things incorrectly. I was surprised at what I found.
The words in the English section where I had to identify the correct spelling were: indefinitely, luxury, guaranteed, preferably, and accommodate. They might seem simple to you as you read this but I couldn't distinguish between luxary, luxery, nor luxury which was correct on the exam. As I tried to say them to myself, they all sound the same...and I noticed that about 60% of everyone was saying the words to themselves.
For the Science section, all you should know is: What is density...know formula and definition. Know inches-cm, cup-gallon (how many cups are in 2 gallons...I answered 24, since I didn't study that I gussed, still don't know if that's right.
I actually prepared myself to fail it since I had no idea what I was going to be taking. I have applied to both NCC in CT and Gateway CC in CT. Gateway doesn't require any pre-requisits...NCC wants you to do a ton of them. I was reading through the forums and noticed that some BSN schools ask for 3.6 GPAs and a whole bunch of pre-requisits. Not these schools. I thought about doing an accelerated BSN but I decided CC is better. At the end wer'e all nurses.
