TEAS vs HESI A2 — Which Exam Does Your Nursing Program Actually Require?
Written on: 09/15/2026
Category:
Test Prep
written by : Michael Carter
Most nursing school applicants spend the first week of their entrance exam preparation making a decision they were never supposed to make.
They compare TEAS and HESI A2. They read Reddit threads debating which is harder. They watch YouTube videos breaking down the differences. They maybe even purchase a study guide for one before confirming anything. And then sometimes weeks into preparation they discover that every program on their application list requires the other one.
This happens constantly. It is one of the most common and most expensive preparation mistakes in the nursing school application process, and it happens entirely because of a misconception about how these exams work.
You do not choose between TEAS and HESI A2. Your nursing programs do.
You do not choose between TEAS and HESI A2. Your nursing programs choose for you. Some programs require TEAS, some require HESI A2, and some accept both but this varies by institution and the first step before opening any study material is contacting each program you are applying to and confirming which exam they currently require. Preparing for TEAS when your programs require HESI A2 — or vice versa — means weeks of misdirected preparation effort that does not improve your actual application competitiveness.
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The confusion is understandable. When you search "TEAS vs HESI A2," the results you find are comparison articles, Reddit debates, and YouTube videos that frame the question as a choice as if you can evaluate the two exams on difficulty, cost, and content overlap and then pick the one that suits you best.
That framing is wrong in a specific and consequential way. TEAS and HESI A2 are not competing options that candidates select from a menu. They are two separate proprietary exams, each owned and administered by a different company, and nursing programs choose which one to require as part of their admissions process. ATI Assessment Technologies Institute owns and administers TEAS. Elsevier owns and administers HESI A2 through its Evolve platform. Individual nursing programs contract with one or both of these providers and specify which exam their applicants must submit scores from.
What the comparison articles and Reddit threads are actually useful for and we will cover this in section five is helping candidates who apply to programs accepting both exams make an informed decision about which to sit first, and helping candidates understand how much of their preparation transfers if they later need to sit the second one. That is a real and valuable use of comparative information. But it comes after you know what your programs require, not before.
Before you look at a single TEAS or HESI practice question, do this.
Make a list of every nursing program you are planning to apply to. For each program, go to the admissions section of their official website not a third-party college information site, their own admissions page and look specifically for nursing program prerequisites or nursing admissions requirements. Some programs publish their exam requirement clearly on the website. Many do not, or the information is outdated.
For any program where the website does not clearly specify the current exam requirement, call or email the nursing admissions office directly. Not the general college admissions office the nursing program's own admissions contact. Ask specifically: "Which nursing entrance exam does your program currently require for the upcoming admissions cycle TEAS, HESI A2, or do you accept both?" Also ask whether they have a minimum score requirement and whether scores from a specific testing window are required.
The reason to confirm directly rather than relying on website information is that programs change their requirements, sometimes between admissions cycles, and the website may not reflect the current cycle. A program that required TEAS last year may have switched to HESI A2 this year. A program that previously accepted both may now specify one. Confirmation from the admissions office for the specific cycle you are applying to is the only reliable source.
Record what each program tells you, the name of the person you spoke with, and the date. This information shapes your entire preparation strategy.
Once you know which exam or exams you need, understanding the structure of each helps you allocate preparation time correctly.
TEAS the Test of Essential Academic Skills has four sections: Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage. The Science section covers human anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and scientific reasoning. The Mathematics section covers numbers and algebra, and measurement and data. The Reading section covers key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge. English and Language Usage covers conventions of standard English and knowledge of language. TEAS is administered through ATI's testing network and through approved testing sites at many nursing programs directly.
HESI A2 the Health Education Systems Inc Admissions Assessment has a different structure and a critical difference in how programs use it. The HESI A2 is modular. It has sections covering Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and General Knowledge, Grammar, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, and Physics. However and this is important nursing programs do not necessarily require all sections. Each program specifies which HESI A2 sections they want applicants to complete. One program might require Reading, Vocabulary, Grammar, Mathematics, Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology. Another might add Chemistry or Physics. A third might require a different combination.
This means that before you prepare for HESI A2, you need to know not just that your program requires HESI A2 you need to know specifically which sections your program requires. The HESI A2 prep resources we cover in our [targeted HESI A2 preparation] guide break this down by section so candidates can focus preparation precisely rather than covering content their programs will not score.
If one or more of your programs accepts either TEAS or HESI A2, you have an actual decision to make. Here is how to make it rationally rather than based on which exam has friendlier Reddit reviews.
Start by looking at your full program list. If seven of your eight programs require TEAS and one accepts both, sit TEAS first the decision is effectively made by the majority of your applications. If the split is genuinely even, move to the next factor.
Look at content overlap with your academic background. The HESI A2 Physics section is one that candidates without a physics background find significantly more demanding. If your programs requiring HESI A2 include Physics and you have not studied physics recently, that is a preparation consideration. TEAS does not include a Physics section. Conversely, candidates with strong biology and chemistry backgrounds often find TEAS Science more straightforward because the content maps more directly to high school and pre-nursing biology coursework.
Consider minimum score requirements across your programs. Some programs have higher minimum score thresholds for one exam than the other, and your realistic preparation timeline and current baseline knowledge may make one more achievable than the other within your application window.
Finally, consider testing availability and retake policies. ATI and Elsevier both have retake waiting periods and limits, and these vary. If your application deadline is tight, understanding how quickly you can retest if needed affects which exam you sit first.
If you are applying to programs requiring both exams, or if you are uncertain and want to begin preparation before confirming all program requirements, the good news is that a meaningful proportion of content preparation transfers between the two exams.
Anatomy and Physiology preparation transfers almost entirely. Both exams test A&P content, and for most programs the A&P tested is at a similar conceptual level body systems, anatomical terminology, physiological processes. Time invested in A&P preparation is never wasted regardless of which exam you sit.
Mathematics preparation transfers substantially. Both exams test arithmetic, fractions, ratios, proportions, and basic algebra. The mathematics content is not identical TEAS covers some data interpretation that HESI A2 handles differently but the foundational numeracy skills required for both exams are the same, and candidates who strengthen their core mathematics skills benefit in both exams.
Reading comprehension preparation transfers conceptually. Both exams test your ability to read a passage carefully and answer questions about its content, main idea, author's purpose, and implications. The passage types and question formats differ between the two exams, but the underlying reading skill is the same, and improving it through practice improves your performance on both.
Basic biology and chemistry preparation transfers substantially, with the caveat that HESI A2 tests these as standalone sections with greater depth than TEAS, which integrates science content across its Science section more broadly.
Some content areas are specific to one exam and require targeted preparation that does not benefit your performance on the other.
HESI A2 Vocabulary and General Knowledge is exam-specific. This section tests healthcare and medical vocabulary that does not appear in TEAS. Preparation for this section involves learning a specific vocabulary set that is relevant to nursing practice but not part of the TEAS content framework. If you are sitting HESI A2, vocabulary preparation is essential. If you are sitting only TEAS, this preparation is not relevant to your exam.
HESI A2 Grammar is a standalone section that tests English grammar rules sentence structure, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, modifier placement at a level of specificity that TEAS does not match in its English and Language Usage section. TEAS tests language usage and conventions but not grammar as an isolated, scored section. Candidates preparing specifically for HESI A2 need to allocate dedicated time to grammar that TEAS-only candidates do not.
HESI A2 Physics, where required, tests content kinematics, forces, energy, waves, optics that has no equivalent in TEAS. For candidates whose programs require this section, physics preparation is a significant standalone commitment.
TEAS Reading is structured differently from HESI A2 Reading Comprehension, with different passage types and question formats. The underlying skill transfers, but the question format requires specific practice to perform well under exam conditions and this is covered in detail in our [structured TEAS preparation] resources.
TEAS has four sections, a fixed structure, and all approved programs receive the same exam. The total testing time is approximately 209 minutes, and the exam contains 170 questions, of which 150 are scored and 20 are unscored pilot questions that candidates cannot identify. ATI provides a composite score and section scores, and programs set their own minimum composite or section score requirements.
HESI A2 is modular by design. Total testing time and question count depend on which sections your program requires. Each section is separately timed the Reading Comprehension section allows 50 minutes for 55 questions, for example, while the Mathematics section allows 50 minutes for 55 questions. Programs receive section scores and a composite score for the sections completed.
The scoring scales differ between the two exams. TEAS scores are reported as percentages a composite score of 70% means you answered 70% of scored items correctly. HESI A2 scores are reported on a scale where 750 out of 900 is a commonly cited benchmark, though programs set their own minimum requirements. Understanding the scoring scale of the exam you are sitting matters for interpreting practice exam results and setting preparation targets.
Both exams prohibit calculators in their mathematics sections, though HESI A2 provides an on-screen basic calculator for some administrations depending on the testing site. Confirm the calculator policy at your specific testing site before your exam date.
Making this decision well requires working through four questions in sequence. Skipping any of them produces a less reliable answer.
The first decision is the one this article opened with: what does each of your programs actually require? This is not answerable from general information it requires contacting each program directly. Do this before anything else.
The second decision, for programs that accept both: which exam aligns better with your academic background and preparation timeline? The content overlap analysis in sections five and six gives you the framework for this. Be honest about where your weaknesses are and which exam's specific content areas represent the greater risk for you.
The third decision: what is your application timeline, and how much preparation time does that give you? Both exams require serious preparation typically six to ten weeks of structured study. If your timeline is short, the exam with greater content overlap with your existing knowledge base is the lower-risk choice.
The fourth decision: do any of your programs have specific score minimum requirements that affect the realistic achievability of each exam given your current baseline? If a program requiring TEAS has a 65% minimum and your diagnostic practice test puts you at 58%, you need to factor in whether six weeks of preparation can reliably close that gap. Your [overall nursing school application] timeline should drive this calculation.
The most common preparation mistake is starting before the decisions above are made. The second most common mistake is preparing alone without a structured plan that targets the right content areas for the specific exam and the specific sections your programs require.
At TestHelpNow, we coach nursing school applicants through both TEAS and HESI A2 preparation including the diagnostic assessment that identifies your current baseline, the content plan that covers what your programs actually need, and the practice and review cycle that builds exam-ready performance within your application timeline.
If you are applying to nursing school and you are not yet certain which exam your programs require, start with the contact process in section two of this article. Once you have confirmed your requirements, book a free consultation with our team and we will build a preparation plan around your specific programs, your timeline, and where you are starting from.
Do I choose between TEAS and HESI A2? No. Nursing programs specify which exam they require as part of their admissions process. Some require TEAS, some require HESI A2, and some accept both. You do not select between them based on personal preference — you sit whichever exam your programs require. Confirm this with each program's nursing admissions office before beginning preparation.
Can I use TEAS scores for a program that requires HESI A2? No. TEAS and HESI A2 are separate exams owned by different companies. A program that requires HESI A2 will not accept TEAS scores in place of it, and a program requiring TEAS will not accept HESI A2 scores. The exams are not interchangeable regardless of content overlap.
Which is harder — TEAS or HESI A2? Neither is universally harder. Difficulty is relative to your academic background and the specific sections being compared. Candidates with strong biology backgrounds often find TEAS Science less demanding. Candidates without recent physics study find HESI A2 Physics sections significantly challenging. The HESI A2 vocabulary section is exam-specific and requires preparation that many candidates underestimate. The more useful question is which exam represents a greater challenge given your specific background — and the answer to that depends on your content strengths and weaknesses.
What happens if I prepare for the wrong exam? You will need to start preparation again from a TEAS or HESI A2 specific baseline, losing the time spent on exam-specific content that does not transfer. Content that does transfer — anatomy and physiology, mathematics fundamentals, reading comprehension skills — remains useful. Exam-specific content — HESI vocabulary and grammar, TEAS-specific reading format, Physics if required — does not. This is why confirming program requirements before beginning preparation is the most important first step.
How long does it take to prepare for TEAS or HESI A2? Most nursing school applicants need six to ten weeks of structured preparation to achieve competitive scores on either exam. Candidates with strong foundational science and mathematics backgrounds may prepare in four to six weeks. Candidates with significant gaps in biology, chemistry, or mathematics may need ten to twelve weeks. A diagnostic practice exam at the start of preparation helps set a realistic timeline based on where you are starting from, not where an average candidate starts.
Can I take both TEAS and HESI A2? Yes, if your programs require different exams or if you are applying to programs with different requirements. Both ATI and Elsevier have policies around retake waiting periods and the number of attempts permitted within a given timeframe. Taking both exams simultaneously is not recommended for most candidates — focused preparation for one exam at a time produces better outcomes than split preparation across two different exam formats.
What score do I need to pass TEAS or HESI A2? There is no universal passing score for either exam. Each nursing program sets its own minimum score requirement, which can vary significantly — one program may require a 65% composite on TEAS while another requires 75%. For HESI A2, programs typically specify minimum section scores or a minimum composite score based on required sections. Confirm your specific programs' minimum requirements as part of the contact process in section two.
Does it matter where I take the TEAS or HESI A2? For TEAS, ATI maintains a network of approved testing sites including many nursing programs themselves. The exam content is standardised regardless of where you sit it. For HESI A2, the exam is typically administered at the nursing program's own testing facilities because the program specifies which sections are required — you usually sit HESI A2 at or through the institution you are applying to, not at a general testing centre. Confirm the testing logistics with each program directly.
