Trying to Apply

Instead of taking the actual exam to gauge what kind of score you might get, I would recommend purchasing a practice test on the ATI testing website. It's a bit cheaper (at least at my school it was $60 to take the TEAS) and it highlights the areas you need improvement on. I did pretty well when I took the actual test, and I attribute much of that success to the practice exams. I also got the ATI testing book, which helped a lot. Good luck!

I would be careful about taking the actual TEAS test just to see how you'd do and what areas you need to improve on. I believe the ATI practice tests are about $80, but some schools only allow the TEAS to be taken so many times (or may only take the first score). I don't know if your school is set up that way, but doing it that way may actually hurt you.

I would get the TEAS V study guide (though depending on how long you're planning on using it, you can rent it on Amazon for about $20 for a 2 month rental). Also, there's a TEAS section on the forum that I found very helpful when I was taking them. There's a thread in there about how someone passed the TEAS which gives really good information and the things you should master or really know well.

Some people swear that taking the ATI practice tests helped them while some said it really didn't.

I, personally, found it helpful as it gave me an idea of what to expect on the test, helped me get used to seeing being timed (it up total time on the practice as opposed to counting down in each section on the actual test), and noted at the end what areas I excelled in and what I needed to improve on.

I'd avoid taking the TEAS just to see where you stand. Not only can it be expensive, but each school treats the number of and time between attempts differently. If where you plan to apply changes taking it out of curiosity could hurt you. I'd suggest getting the TEAS book from ATI and taking one of the practice tests from the book.

And to add a little bit of advice from my experience in studying for the TEAS... don't overload yourself on resources. I swear I bought nearly everything with the words TEAS V in the title from Amazon and spend too much time going back and forth. I'd suggest finding one trusted resource and spending your time focusing there.

Good luck to you on your TEAS and in micro over the summer!