What Is the TEAS Test? Complete 2026 Guide to Format, Sections & Scoring

The TEAS test (Test of Essential Academic Skills) is the standardized entrance exam that most nursing and allied-health programs in the U.S. and Canada use to screen applicants. It is written and administered by ATI (Assessment Technologies Institute), and the current version — TEAS 7 — has been in use since June 2022. The exam has four sections (Reading, Math, Science, and English & Language Usage), contains 170 total questions, and takes 209 minutes to complete. Nursing programs use your TEAS score, alongside GPA and prerequisites, to decide who is ready for the academic demands of a health-science curriculum.

If you're just starting your prep, this guide is the fastest way to understand the whole exam before you drill into any one section. For section-specific practice, TEAS Academy offers a full TEAS practice test and over 1,700 TEAS-style questions across all four subjects.

TEAS 7 Exam Format at a Glance

The sections always appear in this fixed order — Reading, Math, Science, then English — and there is an optional 10-minute break after Math. The unscored items are pretest questions ATI is testing for future exams; you won't know which ones they are, so treat every question as if it counts.

What Each TEAS Section Covers

• Reading: Passage-based questions on main idea, supporting details, inference, author's purpose, text structure, and interpreting charts, graphs, and instructions. Practice with TEAS Reading questions.
• Math: Numbers and algebra (fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, proportions, order of operations, linear equations, word problems) plus measurement and data (metric conversions, reading graphs, and basic dosage calculations). Try TEAS Math practice questions.
• Science: The largest section, covering human anatomy & physiology, biology, chemistry, and scientific reasoning. See the full TEAS Science practice test.
• English & Language Usage: Grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary in context. Practice with TEAS English & grammar questions.

Question Types on the TEAS 7

Unlike older versions, the TEAS 7 is not purely multiple choice. You'll encounter:

• Multiple choice – one correct answer out of four options
• Multiple select (SATA) – "select all that apply," with more than one correct answer
• Fill in the blank – typed numeric or short-text answers
• Ordered response – drag items into the correct sequence
• Hot spot – click or highlight the correct part of an image or passage

How TEAS Scoring Works

There is no single universal passing score — each nursing or allied-health program sets its own cutoff, and some weight the Science section more heavily than others. ATI reports results using five proficiency levels: Developmental, Basic, Proficient, Advanced, and Exemplary. As a general benchmark, aiming for 75% or higher puts most applicants in a competitive range for community college and university programs, while highly selective BSN programs often expect 80%+. There is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question before time runs out.

How Long Should You Study for the TEAS?

Most successful test-takers spend 4 to 8 weeks preparing, at roughly 2–3 hours a day, focusing extra time on Science (the largest and most heavily weighted section) and on whichever subject their diagnostic practice test shows as weakest. A simple, effective plan:

1. Take a full-length practice test to establish your baseline score.
2. Identify your weakest 1–2 sections from the score breakdown.
3. Spend the first half of your study window on targeted review of those weak areas.
4. Spend the second half doing timed, full-length practice tests to build stamina and pacing.
5. Review every missed question's rationale — not just whether you got it right.

TEAS Academy's dashboard tracks your predicted composite score and breaks down performance by section so you know exactly where to focus.