The ATI TEAS has 170 questions (150 scored, 20 unscored) across Reading, Math, Science, and English in 209 minutes. It costs about $81 through ATI (more via school testing centers). There's no universal passing score — programs set their own cutoffs, with competitive applicants typically at 70–80%+. It's the most widely required nursing school entrance exam.
The Test of Essential Academic Skills, published by ATI, is the entrance exam most U.S. nursing programs use to screen applicants — particularly ADN and BSN programs. It doesn't test nursing knowledge; it tests whether your academic foundation in reading, math, science, and English predicts survival in a nursing curriculum. Alongside GPA, your TEAS score is usually the heaviest-weighted number in your application, and at competitive programs it's frequently the deciding one.
The other common entrance exam is the HESI A2 — your program dictates which one you take, and the two differ more than most applicants expect. If you're applying to schools with mixed requirements, see our TEAS vs HESI A2 comparison.
| Total questions | 170 (150 scored, 20 unscored pretest) |
| Time limit | 209 minutes, sectioned |
| Sections (fixed order) | Reading → Math → Science → English |
| Question formats | Multiple choice, select-all-that-apply, fill-in-blank, ordered response, hot spot |
| Passing score | Set by each program (70–80%+ competitive) |
| Cost | ~$81 via ATI; often $100–120 through schools |
| Calculator | Built into the interface |
| Score validity | Typically ~2 years (program-dependent) |
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 | 55 min |
| Mathematics | 38 | 57 min |
| Science | 50 | 60 min |
| English & Language Usage | 37 | 37 min |
Sections are individually timed, taken in fixed order, and unused time doesn't roll over. Science is where TEAS attempts are won or lost: it's the biggest section, it runs deep on anatomy and physiology (body systems dominate), and it's the material most applicants haven't touched since a prerequisite course a year or more ago. Math is heavy on numbers, algebra, and measurement conversion — dosage-calculation-adjacent skills. English at 37 questions in 37 minutes is the pacing trap: a minute per question with no slack.
The national mean composite sits in the 60s — below what competitive programs want — so "average" performance loses seats. The difficulty isn't conceptual; it's breadth plus recency. You're tested on four subjects' worth of foundations, most of which you learned semesters ago, under section clocks that punish rustiness. Applicants also underestimate the newer question formats: select-all-that-apply and ordered-response items give no partial credit, so near-knowledge scores zero.
Plan six weeks minimum (ATI's own recommendation) and 40–80 total hours. Start with a diagnostic to find your section gaps, then weight your calendar toward Science — for most candidates it's simultaneously the largest section and the weakest. Schedule around your application deadline: scores post within about 72 hours, and many programs need them submitted through NursingCAS.
The classic TEAS mistake is re-reading a prep book cover to cover. Recognition builds fast that way — and evaporates in the exam room, because the TEAS asks you to produce: the A&P fact, the conversion, the grammar rule, right now, under a section clock. Retrieval practice (answering questions before you feel ready), spaced repetition (reviewing right as you'd forget), and immediately re-learning misses are what convert four subjects of old coursework back into recallable knowledge.
Trelos is built entirely around those techniques. It teaches each concept, drills it with TEAS-style questions across all four sections, and schedules your reviews so the material sticks — weighted toward the Science and Math sections where admissions are decided.
Start the TEAS on Trelos — freeNo credit card. Feel the retention engine work in your first session.Your score report shows a composite plus section and sub-section scores, and ATI can transmit it to your programs (transcript sends cost extra — pick your three included schools carefully at registration). A strong TEAS gets you into nursing school; the exam waiting at the other end is the NCLEX. The study habits are continuous — see our NCLEX-RN guide for what the licensure side looks like.