TEAS practice test

What the real test usually looks like

ATI lists the TEAS as 170 questions in 209 minutes, in four sections that always come in the same order (ATI, ATI):

• Reading: 45 questions in 55 minutes. Scored areas: key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge and ideas.
• Math: 38 questions in 57 minutes. Scored areas: numbers and algebra, and measurement and data.
• Science: 50 questions in 60 minutes. Scored areas: human anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and scientific reasoning.
• English and language usage: 37 questions in 37 minutes. Scored areas: conventions of standard English, knowledge of language, and using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing.

150 of the 170 questions are scored. The other 20 are unscored (ATI). Valencia College describes these as unscored pretest questions (Valencia College).

Question types. Most questions are standard multiple choice. ATI says about 20 percent are other types: multiple select, fill in the blank, ordered response and hot spot, where you click on part of a picture. The test has an on-screen calculator and a flag feature (ATI).

Timing and going back. Each section has its own timer. You can move between questions and flag them within the section you are working on, but once you submit a section you cannot return to it. You may take a 10-minute break after the math section, and it does not count against your testing time (ATI).

What our mocks cover. Our full mocks are in the style of the TEAS: 170 questions in 209 minutes, in the same four sections and the same order, with the same counts (reading 45, math 38, science 50, English and language usage 37). You can go back and flag questions, and a calculator is available. Two differences to know:

• One clock. Our mock runs a single 209-minute clock across the four sections in order. The real test times each section on its own and closes it when you submit, so practice moving on from a section once you are done with it.
• Hot spot questions are written as text. Where the real test would ask you to click on a picture, our questions describe it in words.

Question types with worked examples

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

1. Reading: supported conclusions. Passage: "The clinic added Saturday hours in March. By May, weekday wait times had dropped by a third." Which conclusion is best supported? That wait times fell after Saturday hours were added. You cannot say the Saturday hours caused the drop, because the passage does not rule out other reasons. Trap: choosing the answer that sounds most likely in real life instead of the one the text supports.

2. Math: proportions with units. A map scale says 2 cm = 5 km. How far is 7 cm? Set up 2/5 = 7/x, so 2x = 35 and x = 17.5 km. Trap: mixing up which number goes on top. Keep the same unit in the same place on both sides.

3. Science: body systems. Which system makes hormones that travel in the blood to control other organs? The endocrine system. The nervous system also controls organs, but through nerve signals, not hormones in the blood. Trap: picking the answer that does a similar job by a different route.

4. Science: scientific reasoning. In an experiment on whether fertilizer affects plant height, the plant height is the dependent variable (what you measure) and the fertilizer is the independent variable (what you change). Trap: swapping the two. Ask "what did the experimenter choose?" (independent) and "what did they record?" (dependent).

5. English and language usage: commas. Which is correct: "After the shift ended the nurses met" or "After the shift ended, the nurses met"? The second, because a comma follows an introductory clause. Trap: reading the sentence out loud and trusting your ear alone. Know the rule as well.

How to prepare

1. Know the layout. Four sections, always in the order reading, math, science, English and language usage, each with its own timer (ATI). Knowing what comes next keeps you calm.
2. Check your program's rules first. Find out which TEAS score your program wants, how recent it must be, and how often you may retest. Valencia College, for example, allows the TEAS three times in a 12-month period with 30 days between attempts (Valencia College).
3. Give science the most time. It is the longest section, 50 questions, and 18 of its 44 scored questions are human anatomy and physiology (ATI). Review the major body systems, then basic biology and chemistry.
4. Do math by hand, then check with the calculator. Fractions, decimals, percents, ratios, unit conversions and one-step and two-step equations come up often. An on-screen calculator is available (ATI), but setting up the problem is the hard part.
5. Read for what the text says. In reading, the right answer is the one the passage supports, not the one you agree with.
6. Review grammar rules, not just your ear. Subject-verb agreement, commas, apostrophes, and word pairs like affect and effect.
7. Never leave a question blank. ATI says there is no penalty for guessing (ATI).
8. Practice at the real pace. Reading gives you a little over a minute a question, and English and language usage gives you one minute each (ATI). Take full timed mocks so the pace feels normal on the day.

How scoring usually works

Every question is marked right or wrong. ATI says there is no partial credit: on a multiple select question you must choose every correct option and no wrong ones to get the point. Only the 150 scored questions count toward your result (ATI, ATI).

Schools set their own required scores. There is no single score that every program asks for. Valencia College's testing center, for example, says it does not set the minimum scores for its health sciences programs, and that TEAS scores are valid for two years for its admissions (Valencia College). Ask your program which score it needs and how recent it 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 TEAS score and does not predict whether a program will admit you.

Common mistakes on the TEAS

• Spending too long early. Each section has its own clock, so time you save in reading does not carry over to math. Flag a hard question, move on and come back before you submit the section.
• Submitting a section too soon. Once a section is submitted you cannot return to it (ATI). Check your flagged questions first.
• Half-answering multiple select questions. One missed option, or one extra wrong one, makes the whole question wrong (ATI). Judge each option on its own.
• Forgetting units. In math, convert before you calculate, and check that your answer is in the unit the question asks for.
• Skipping science review. Science has the most questions of any section. Many people study math and English only and lose easy anatomy points.
• Leaving blanks. With no penalty for guessing, a blank is always worth less than a best guess.

A one-week TEAS study plan

• Day 1: Take the free sample above. Note which section cost you the most.
• Day 2: Reading. Short passages, then main idea, inference and fact versus opinion questions.
• Day 3: Math. Fractions, ratios, unit conversions and simple equations by hand.
• Day 4: Science. The major body systems first, then basic chemistry and experiment design.
• Day 5: A full timed mock. The 30-Day Pass includes full TEAS-style mocks, each with explanations.
• Day 6: English and language usage, then a second look at your weakest section from the mock.
• Day 7: A second mock in the morning, then rest. Confirm your test time, your ID and what to bring.