HESI vs TEAS: Which Nursing Entrance Exam Should You Take?

You are staring at two nursing school applications. One asks for the HESI A2. The other wants the TEAS. Same goal, same scrubs, different test. So which one do you sit for, and does it actually matter?

Short answer: yes, it matters. The tests look similar on a brochure but feel different in the chair. HESI is longer, broader, and lets schools pick which subjects you sit. TEAS is tighter, faster on the per-question clock, and sticks to a fixed format. Difficulty depends less on the test and more on which sections your target program actually counts.

This guide walks through every meaningful difference — content, timing, cost, scoring, retake rules, and the schools that lean one way or the other — so you can pick once and stop second-guessing. If you already know which exam your program requires, jump straight to the HESI study guide or the TEAS study guide and start prepping today.

HESI vs TEAS at a glance

Both exams measure the same general areas — reading, math, science, English — but the resemblance ends quickly when you start counting questions and clock minutes.

The HESI A2 (Health Education Systems Inc. Admission Assessment) is published by Elsevier. It runs up to 326 questions across as many as eight possible sections: Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary & General Knowledge, Grammar, Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Your school decides which of those sections you actually have to take. Most ADN and BSN programs require five to seven, not all eight. Plan for roughly four to five hours in the seat if your school requires the full battery.

The TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) is published by ATI Nursing Education. It runs 170 questions across four fixed sections: Reading, Math, Science, and English & Language Usage. You sit all four. Total time is 209 minutes, about three and a half hours. No choosing, no skipping, no school-by-school configuration.

The structural difference is the headline. HESI is modular and program-specific. TEAS is the same test for everyone. That alone changes how you prep.

What is on each exam

Look past the marketing copy and you find two very different syllabi. HESI casts a wider science net. TEAS digs harder into reading and language.

HESI A2 sections

The HESI breaks into eight possible modules. Schools mix and match. The Math section covers basic operations, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, proportions, and simple algebra — nothing past pre-algebra in scope, but the word problems are dense. Reading Comprehension throws four or five passages at you and asks about main idea, supporting detail, inference, and author tone.

Vocabulary & General Knowledge tests roughly 50 words pulled heavily from medical and health-care contexts. Grammar covers parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, common usage errors, and sentence structure. Then the science block fans out: Anatomy & Physiology drills body systems (often the hardest subtest for first-time test-takers), Biology covers cells, genetics, taxonomy, and ecology, Chemistry hits atomic structure, the periodic table, bonding, and basic reactions, and Physics — required by only a handful of programs — covers motion, force, energy, and waves.

TEAS sections

TEAS keeps it cleaner. Reading has 39 scored questions on key ideas, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge — passages run shorter than HESI but the questions stack harder inferences. Math gives you 34 scored questions on numbers and algebra plus measurement and data; a four-function calculator is provided on screen, which you will not get on HESI math.

Science is the heaviest section — 44 scored questions on human anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and scientific reasoning. Anatomy and physiology dominates here, roughly half the science questions. English & Language Usage has 33 scored questions on conventions of standard English, knowledge of language, and using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing.

That math calculator alone matters more than people expect. If arithmetic speed kills you, TEAS gives you a digital lifeline. HESI does not.

How scoring works

Both exams give you a percentage-style score per section, but the way schools read those scores diverges sharply.

On the HESI A2, every section is scored from 0 to 100, and you get a composite of the sections your program required. There is no universal pass mark from Elsevier. Your school sets the bar. Competitive BSN programs often want a composite of 80 or higher, with no individual section below 75. ADN programs typically accept around 75 composite, sometimes lower. Anatomy & Physiology, when required, is often weighted highest — some schools demand 85+ on A&P even if your overall composite is fine.

On the TEAS, ATI returns a total score, four section scores, and a national mean comparison. The total scale runs 0 to 100. ATI publishes proficiency bands: Developmental (0–58%), Basic (59–66%), Proficient (67–79%), Advanced (80–91%), and Exemplary (92–100%). Most BSN programs require Proficient or higher — practically that means 70–78% minimum, with top programs pushing 80%+ for a competitive application.

The simpler frame: HESI gives schools more knobs to turn. TEAS gives schools one number to gate on. Neither is easier across the board; it depends on which knobs your program tightens.

Which schools accept which

The split is messier than nursing forums suggest. There is no clean HESI-states-vs-TEAS-states map. It comes down to individual programs.

Schools that lean TEAS-only: a large chunk of state university BSN programs sit here. The University of Michigan School of Nursing, Indiana University School of Nursing, the University of Texas system, most University of California system schools, and the bulk of community-college ADN programs across California, Florida, and the Midwest accept only TEAS scores. ATI has been aggressive about getting TEAS into community college pre-nursing tracks, so if you are starting at a two-year program, plan for TEAS first.

Schools that lean HESI-only: Chamberlain University across all its campuses, Grand Canyon University's pre-licensure BSN, several Adventist and faith-based nursing schools, and a cluster of regional state programs in the Southeast (parts of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas). Many accelerated BSN programs at private universities also stick with HESI because Elsevier supplies their internal exit exams too — using the same vendor end-to-end is administratively cleaner.

Schools that accept either: a growing middle group. Many regional state universities, most for-profit nursing programs, and the majority of LPN-to-RN bridge programs will take either score. If your program accepts both, you get to pick based on your own strengths.

One rule that holds everywhere: do not assume. Even programs in the same university system can differ. Bookmark the admissions page, then call the office if anything is ambiguous. A five-minute phone call beats a $83 wrong-test mistake.

Cost, registration, and retakes

Money and timing matter as much as content when you are picking between the two.

HESI A2 cost typically runs $40 to $70 per attempt, set by the school or testing site, not Elsevier directly. Some nursing programs charge a flat $50; some testing centers go up to $100. You usually register through your school's testing office or through PSI/Prometric if your school outsources it. Score reports go directly to the school that proctored the test, but Elsevier sells additional score reports for around $25 each.

TEAS cost is about $83 per attempt through ATI directly (a touch higher at in-person Prometric sites). You register at atitesting.com, pick a date, pay online, and get a confirmation. ATI keeps a copy of your score in your account permanently — you send scores to schools through your ATI dashboard for free at the time of testing and around $27 per additional send later. Many test-takers prefer the central account; you do not have to chase scores around.

Retake rules are tighter than students assume. HESI retake policy is set by each school, but most require 60 days between attempts and cap you at two or three attempts per admission cycle. Some schools have a lifetime cap of four HESI attempts ever. TEAS retake rules are set by ATI: 30 days between attempts, and most programs allow two or three attempts per cycle, though ATI itself has no national cap.

Score expiration: both HESI and TEAS scores are accepted by most programs for one to two years from the test date. After that, schools usually require a fresh attempt. If you are applying across multiple cycles, plan to retake at the start of year three.

Best prep materials for each exam

The publishers sell their own study guides, and yes, those guides are written by people with full access to current question banks. They are not optional.

For HESI A2, the official guide is Admission Assessment Exam Review (Elsevier). The latest edition runs around 350 pages and includes a practice test that mirrors the real exam more closely than any third-party prep. Pair it with Elsevier Evolve's online HESI A2 practice exams — these are paid but renowned for being almost identical in style to the real test.

Outside of the publisher, Mometrix's HESI A2 study guide and Trivium's HESI A2 flashcards are the strongest third-party options. For free practice, our HESI practice test covers all subject areas, and our HESI entrance exam prep guide breaks down each section with sample questions.

For TEAS, the publisher's own ATI TEAS Study Manual is non-negotiable. The TEAS 7 edition is current; do not buy older editions. Pair it with ATI's two paid online TEAS practice assessments (around $50 each but worth it — same engine as the real test). Mometrix TEAS, Trivium TEAS, and the Princeton Review TEAS guide are the top third-party books. Pocket Prep's TEAS app is a strong daily-question tool for commuters. Free options include our TEAS practice test, our ATI TEAS test study guide, and the TEAS pass strategy guide.

One efficiency tip: do not buy prep for both. Pick your exam first, commit to one publisher's official guide, and double-down on the official practice tests before adding any third-party material. Test-takers who mix HESI and TEAS prep waste weeks on overlap.

How long to study, and what a real study plan looks like

Plan for four to eight weeks of focused study, six days a week, two to three hours a day. That is the band that gets most test-takers from cold start to a competitive score. Anything less than three weeks is a roll of the dice unless your science background is already strong. Anything past ten weeks is usually procrastination wearing a study schedule.

Week one: take a diagnostic. Use the publisher's official practice — a real one, not a random Quizlet set. Score it honestly. Your weakest section gets 40% of your study time for the next four weeks; the rest gets the remaining 60% split by relative weakness.

Weeks two through five: drill that weakest section daily. If A&P is your gap, work through one body system per study block, then immediately do 20–30 practice questions on that system. Do not move on until you can score 80%+ on practice questions in that system. Reading and English sections respond to volume — the more passages you analyze, the faster your accuracy climbs. Math responds to drilled question types, not concept videos.

Week six: full timed practice test. Compare to your diagnostic. Whatever is still under 75% gets the final week. Week seven: another full timed test, plus targeted review of any section still short of the program minimum. Book the real exam for the end of week seven or start of week eight.

If you want a day-by-day plan we have already done the work: the 30-day TEAS plan and the 30-day HESI plan map every session for the four weeks before your test.

Common mistakes test-takers make

A few traps keep showing up in nursing program admissions offices. Avoid these and you are already ahead of half the applicants.

Mistake 1: Taking the wrong exam. Sounds obvious. It is the most common $83 mistake in pre-nursing. Confirm before you pay.

Mistake 2: Booking the real test too early. The publisher practice tests are calibrated. If you score 65% on the official practice, you will not score 80% on the real one. Score within range of your target on practice first, then book.

Mistake 3: Ignoring the section minimums. Some programs gate on composite score and you pass the composite but fail one section minimum (most often A&P on HESI). Read the admissions page twice.

Mistake 4: Cramming science. Anatomy & Physiology rewards spaced repetition, not last-week binge sessions. Start A&P first if it's required.

Mistake 5: Skipping the writing sample. HESI sometimes includes a Critical Thinking and a Personality Profile module that some programs evaluate. They are not scored on a curve but admissions offices do read them. Do not blow them off.

You can find more program-specific advice in how to pass the ATI exam and how to pass the TEAS.

Test-day logistics — what nobody tells you

The exam content is only half the battle. The other half is showing up sharp.

Sleep matters more than one more flashcard pass. Both HESI and TEAS reward stamina, especially the science sections, which usually land in the back half of the test when you are already cooked. Test-takers who sleep poorly the night before drop an average of five to seven points on their composite. Stop studying the day before. Watch something forgettable. Sleep nine hours.

Bring the right ID. Both publishers want a government-issued photo ID — driver's license, passport, or state ID. Your school ID alone does not count. Forgetting your ID is the single most common reason test-takers get turned away at the door.

Eat before, not during. HESI test centers usually allow a short break between sections if you are sitting the full battery; TEAS does not — once you start, you finish. Eat a slow-burn meal (oatmeal, eggs, no sugar crash) about an hour before your test. Caffeine is fine if you normally drink it; do not start drinking coffee the morning of the test if you have never had it.

Arrive 30 minutes early. Parking, security check-in, locker setup, palm scan — these eat 15 to 20 minutes at most testing centers. Showing up "on time" usually means walking in five minutes late, and some centers will not seat late arrivals.

Read every question twice. Both tests use distractor answers designed to look right on a fast read. Slow down on the first 20 questions of each section to lock your rhythm; you can speed up later if needed.