HESI A2 practice test

What the real test usually looks like

There is no single HESI A2 layout. We could not find a public Elsevier page to cite, so this section uses school pages. They agree on one thing: each school chooses which sections you take, and the counts and times differ from school to school. Your program's admission page is the best guide to yours. Four public examples show the range:

• Tarrant County College lists five sections: reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and math with 55 questions each, and anatomy and physiology with 30. It says individual programs decide which sections are required, not all programs require anatomy and physiology, the test can last up to 5 hours, and an on-screen calculator is available for math (Tarrant County College).
• Lamar State College Orange lists eight sections: reading comprehension with 47 items in 50 minutes; vocabulary and general knowledge, grammar and basic math with 50 items in 50 minutes each; anatomy and physiology in 25 minutes; and learning styles, personality styles and critical thinking sections of 15 minutes each. It says a drop-down calculator is available for math (Lamar State College Orange). The TSUS Polk County Center page lists the same eight sections (TSUS Polk County Center).
• Central Texas College requires math, reading comprehension, anatomy and physiology, and vocabulary and general knowledge, plus personality profile and learning styles, with a maximum of 3 hours 30 minutes. It says each section is timed on its own, a calculator is shown on screen, and personal calculators are not permitted (Central Texas College).
• Germanna Community College lists six sections, including chemistry and critical thinking, with a four-hour limit. It says you cannot skip questions or return to questions you have already answered, and each section is scored before you start the next (Germanna Community College).

Content commonly listed for the academic sections:

• Math: whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percents, proportions, unit conversions, military time, Roman numerals and basic algebra.
• Reading comprehension: main idea, details, meaning from context, fact and opinion, and inferences.
• Vocabulary and general knowledge: general English and health-setting words.
• Grammar: parts of speech, agreement, pronouns and punctuation.
• Anatomy and physiology: terminology, cells and tissues, and the body's structures and systems.

What our mocks cover. Our full mocks are in the style of the HESI A2: 225 questions in 225 minutes, in five sections in this order: math 50, reading comprehension 50, vocabulary and general knowledge 50, grammar 50, and anatomy and physiology 25. As on the exam at schools like Germanna, you cannot go back to a question once you have answered it, and a calculator is available for math. Three differences to know:

• Schools choose sections. Our mock includes all five academic sections. If your school skips one, such as grammar, you can still practice it, but focus on the ones you will take.
• Some sections are not included. Learning styles, personality and critical thinking sections are not in our mocks, and neither are the science sections some schools add, such as chemistry.
• One clock. Our mock runs a single 225-minute clock across the five sections. Many schools time each section on its own.

Question types with worked examples

One worked example for each section, with the trap most people fall into.

1. Math: Roman numerals. What is XLIV? Read it in pairs: XL is 50 - 10 = 40, and IV is 5 - 1 = 4, so XLIV is 44. Trap: adding every symbol (10 + 50 + 1 + 5 = 66). A smaller numeral before a larger one is subtracted.

2. Reading comprehension: meaning from context. "The new policy was meant to alleviate crowding in the waiting room, so the clinic added two more check-in desks." Alleviate means to ease or reduce. The second half of the sentence tells you: more desks would reduce crowding. Trap: guessing from how the word sounds. Look for the clue in the same sentence.

3. Vocabulary: word parts. What does hypotension mean? Hypo- means below or under, and tension here means blood pressure, so hypotension is low blood pressure. Trap: mixing up hypo- (under) and hyper- (over). Learning common prefixes and suffixes unlocks many words at once.

4. Grammar: who or whom. "The nurse ___ you spoke with is on break." The answer is whom, because it is the object of "with" (you spoke with her). A quick test: if "him" or "her" fits, use whom; if "he" or "she" fits, use who. Trap: choosing who because it sounds more natural in speech.

5. Anatomy and physiology: directional terms. Is the wrist proximal or distal to the elbow? Distal, because it is farther from where the arm attaches to the trunk. Trap: mixing up proximal and distal with medial and lateral, which describe closeness to the body's midline.

How to prepare

1. Find out which sections your school requires. This matters more than anything else on the HESI A2. Tarrant County College, for example, says each program decides which sections are required (Tarrant County College), and Central Texas College lists the exact sections and minimum scores it requires (Central Texas College).
2. Check your school's retake and timing rules. They vary widely. Germanna allows two attempts at least 14 days apart (Germanna Community College), while Tarrant County College says attempts must be at least 60 days apart (Tarrant County College).
3. Answer each question as if it were final. At some schools you cannot skip questions or return to ones you have answered (Germanna Community College). Practice settling on an answer and moving on.
4. Drill the math basics by hand. Fractions, decimals, percents, proportions, conversions, military time and Roman numerals. A calculator is usually on screen, but it will not set up the problem for you.
5. Learn word parts, not just word lists. Prefixes like hypo-, hyper-, brady- and tachy-, and roots like cardi- and gastr-, help with words you have never seen.
6. Review the body systems. Start with the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive and nervous systems, then directional terms.
7. Practice at a steady pace. Fifty questions in 50 minutes, as at Lamar State College Orange (Lamar State College Orange), is about a minute a question. Take full timed mocks so the pace feels normal on the day.

How scoring usually works

Schools set their own required scores. There is no single score every program asks for, and many schools set a minimum for each section as well as an overall score. Two public examples:

• Lamar State College Orange lists, for its ADN and RN transition programs, a composite score of 75, anatomy and physiology of 75 percent or higher, math of 75 percent or higher and reading comprehension of 80. Its vocational nursing program asks for 75 percent in reading, 70 percent in anatomy and physiology and a 70 percent cumulative score. It says scores are valid for one year (Lamar State College Orange).
• Central Texas College lists minimums of 80 percent in math, reading comprehension, and vocabulary and general knowledge, and 60 percent in anatomy and physiology. It says you can see your scores when the test is complete, and it does not accept results more than two years old (Central Texas College).

Ask your program which sections and scores it requires and how recent your results must be.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you answered correctly, with a breakdown by section, so you can see where to focus. It is a practice score: it is not a HESI A2 score and does not predict whether a program will admit you.

Common mistakes on the HESI A2

• Studying the wrong sections. Schools choose their sections. Check yours before you spend a week on one your program does not use.
• Rushing an answer you cannot change. If your school does not let you return to answered questions, read every option before you click.
• Mixing up similar prefixes. Hypo- and hyper-, inter- and intra-, ante- and anti- each mean very different things.
• Trusting your ear in grammar. Pronouns after "and" (Maria and me), who and whom, and semicolons with "however" catch many people.
• Skipping conversions. Military time, Roman numerals and metric units come up often in math and are quick points once practiced.
• Leaving anatomy to the last day. It is often the shortest section but needs the most memorizing. Review a little each day.

A one-week HESI A2 study plan

• Day 1: Take the free sample above, and look up which sections and scores your program requires.
• Day 2: Math. Fractions, proportions, conversions, military time and Roman numerals by hand.
• Day 3: Reading comprehension and vocabulary. Short passages, then word parts and health-setting words.
• Day 4: Grammar and anatomy and physiology. Pronouns and punctuation, then two body systems.
• Day 5: A full timed mock. The 30-Day Pass includes full HESI A2-style mocks, each with explanations.
• Day 6: Your weakest section from the mock, plus two more body systems.
• Day 7: A second mock in the morning, then rest. Confirm your test time, your login details and what to bring.