Pass Your ATI TEAS Exam

What is the ATI TEAS Exam?

The Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) is a standardized nursing entrance exam developed by Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) and required by hundreds of nursing schools across the United States and Canada for admission to associate degree, bachelor's degree, and diploma nursing programs. Currently in its 7th edition (TEAS 7, released June 2022), the exam assesses academic preparedness in four core subject areas: Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage. The TEAS exam evaluates whether prospective nursing students possess the foundational academic knowledge necessary to succeed in rigorous nursing curricula.

The TEAS exam contains 170 total questions: 150 scored items and 20 unscored pretest items (students cannot identify which questions are unscored). Test-takers have 209 minutes (3 hours and 29 minutes) to complete all four sections. The exam is computer-based and administered at PSI testing centers or select nursing schools. Scores are reported as composite percentages and percentile ranks comparing performance to national samples of nursing program applicants. Most competitive nursing programs require composite scores of 65-80% or higher, with many BSN programs requiring 70-75%+ and ADN programs accepting 60-70%+ depending on program competitiveness and application pool strength.

TEAS scores are critical for nursing school admission, often serving as primary academic criteria alongside prerequisite GPAs. With nursing programs becoming increasingly competitive (many BSN programs accept only 10-20% of applicants), strong TEAS scores significantly improve admission chances. Students typically spend 40-80 hours preparing using ATI official study guides, practice tests, test prep courses, and subject review materials. The exam costs $115-$140 depending on testing location and retake policies vary by program (many schools allow 1-3 retakes with waiting periods of 30-60 days between attempts). Failed attempts delay nursing school admission by months or entire admission cycles.

TEAS 7 Exam Structure and Content

Reading Section (39 questions, 55 minutes)

The Reading section assesses comprehension skills essential for understanding nursing textbooks, patient charts, medical literature, and clinical documentation. Content includes key ideas and details (identifying main ideas, supporting details, themes, and making inferences), craft and structure (understanding text structure, word choice, author's purpose, point of view), and integration of knowledge and ideas (evaluating arguments, analyzing multiple texts, using evidence). Passages include informative texts (medical articles, health information), narratives, persuasive essays, and practical documents. Test-takers must identify main ideas, draw conclusions, make inferences, evaluate author credibility, interpret graphics and charts accompanying texts, and distinguish fact from opinion.

Mathematics Section (34 questions, 57 minutes)

The Mathematics section evaluates quantitative skills required for medication dosage calculations, IV drip rates, conversions between measurement systems, and interpreting clinical data. Content covers numbers and algebra (ordering rational numbers, solving equations, ratios, proportions, percentages), measurement and data (converting units within and between measurement systems including metric, household, and apothecary systems, calculating geometric quantities, interpreting graphs, charts, and tables, and basic statistics including mean, median, mode). Common nursing calculation scenarios include converting mg to mL, calculating medication per kilogram body weight, determining IV drip rates (drops per minute), and interpreting lab values and vital sign trends. Four-function calculators are provided (students cannot bring their own).

Science Section (50 questions, 60 minutes)

The Science section is the most heavily weighted and challenging component, testing prerequisite knowledge essential for nursing courses including anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and microbiology. Content includes human anatomy and physiology (31% of science questions covering all body systems: skeletal, muscular, nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, endocrine, integumentary, lymphatic/immune), biology (18% covering macromolecules, cellular biology, genetics, DNA/RNA), chemistry (18% covering atomic structure, chemical bonding, chemical reactions, properties of matter, acid-base chemistry), and scientific reasoning (33% covering scientific method, research design, data interpretation, drawing conclusions from experiments).

The anatomy and physiology content requires detailed knowledge of organ systems, their functions, and interrelationships - for example, understanding the cardiac cycle, gas exchange in alveoli, nephron filtration, hormone regulation, and muscle contraction mechanisms. Biology questions assess understanding of cellular respiration, mitosis/meiosis, chromosomal inheritance, and Mendelian genetics. Chemistry topics include balancing chemical equations, understanding pH, molarity calculations, and biochemistry fundamentals. Scientific reasoning questions present experimental scenarios requiring interpretation of data tables, graphs, and research methodologies. This section requires substantial prerequisite coursework completion and is often the determining factor for overall TEAS performance.

English and Language Usage Section (37 questions, 37 minutes)

The English and Language Usage section evaluates writing skills essential for nursing documentation, care plans, patient education materials, and professional communication. Content includes conventions of standard English (grammar, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure), knowledge of language (context clues, using reference materials, connotation/denotation), and vocabulary acquisition (medical terminology, affixes, context-based word meaning). Questions assess subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, comma usage, apostrophes, capitalization rules, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, parallel structure, modifier placement, and commonly confused words (affect/effect, their/there/they're, its/it's).

TEAS Score Requirements and Interpretation

TEAS scores are reported as adjusted individual scores (percentage correct for each section, range 0-100%), composite score (combined percentage across all sections, 0-100%), and national percentile rank (comparing performance to national sample of recent test-takers). Most competitive BSN programs require composite scores of 70-80%+, often with minimum section scores of 65-70% (some programs automatically reject applicants below threshold scores regardless of other qualifications). Less competitive ADN and diploma programs may accept composite scores of 60-70%+. Top-tier nursing programs and accelerated BSN programs frequently require composite scores of 75-85%+ and national percentile ranks of 80th-95th percentile.

Individual program requirements vary significantly. For example, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing requires 80%+ composite, University of Pennsylvania requires 78%+, while community college ADN programs may require 60-65%+. Many programs weight TEAS scores heavily in holistic admissions (often 30-50% of total admission score alongside prerequisite GPA, essays, interviews, and healthcare experience). Some programs use TEAS scores as initial screening criteria, automatically rejecting below-threshold applicants before reviewing other materials. Understanding specific program requirements is essential for setting realistic score goals.

Why Choose ExamBlaze for ATI TEAS

The TEAS exam is challenging with national average composite scores of 65-68% and approximately 40% of first-time test-takers failing to achieve their required program scores. The Science section is particularly difficult, with average scores often 10-15 percentage points lower than other sections. Adequate preparation requires 40-100+ hours of study depending on academic background and prerequisite course completion. Test preparation costs $50-$500+ for official ATI study materials, practice exams ($40-$60 for official ATI practice tests), review courses ($200-$500), and private tutoring ($40-$75/hour). Failed attempts mean lost exam fees ($115-$140 per attempt), delayed admission cycles (often 6-12 months to next application period), and additional retake restrictions imposed by testing centers and programs.

ExamBlaze eliminates these risks completely. Our nursing exam specialists have helped 500+ students achieve competitive TEAS scores for admission to their target programs. We provide real-time assistance during your PSI-proctored TEAS exam using secure, undetectable methods that work with the computer-based testing platform. Our experts cover all four exam sections with particular strength in the challenging Science section. Our pay-after-pass model means zero financial risk - you only pay after receiving your official TEAS score report showing the competitive scores you need. Contact us via WhatsApp for a free quote based on your target program's score requirements.