How to Pass the ATI TEAS 7

A practical, no-fluff guide to passing the ATI TEAS 7 — the current exam format, section blueprints and weights, how scoring and Academic Preparedness Levels work, cost and delivery options, a realistic study plan, and the test-day rules that trip people up.

Last reviewed June 10, 2026. Exam logistics change — always confirm current details on the official certification site before you book.

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The exam at a glance

The ATI TEAS 7 (Test of Essential Academic Skills) is the entrance exam most U.S. nursing and allied-health programs use to rank applicants. It is a long, four-part academic skills test — not a nursing test — and the format rewards people who know exactly what is coming.

How it is scored

Your score report shows three layers, all on a 0-100% scale: a total (composite) score, four content-area scores, and sub-content-area scores. The total and content-area scores are adjusted — statistically equated so scores from different exam forms are comparable. Sub-content scores are simple percent-correct and are not equated, so don’t read too much into small differences there.

There is no universal passing score. Each program sets its own cutoff. ATI maps total scores to Academic Preparedness Levels (ATI’s published ranges):

Calibrate your target with two reference points. First, ATI’s published 2022 national data (Diploma-program cohort) put the mean composite at 62.6% — with Reading at 70.2%, Math at 73.5%, English at 61.2%, and Science far lowest at 49.6%. Second, third-party prep sources report admitted-student averages around 66% for ADN programs and 70% for BSN programs, with competitive programs effectively expecting Advanced (roughly 80%+). The safe strategy: treat Proficient (58.7%+) as a floor and your specific program’s published minimum as nowhere near enough — aim for the middle of the band above it.

Cost, registration, and delivery options

You register through your ATI student account at atitesting.com. There are currently four ways to take the TEAS:

  1. Online, proctored by ATI (at home) — $120
  2. Online, proctored by your institution — fee set by the school
  3. In person at an institution — fee set by the school (most land around $120)
  4. In person at a PSI testing center — $120

Practical details that catch people out:

Master the four sections (and how each is weighted)

Reading Reading 26% Mathematics Mathematics 23% Science Science 29% English & Language Usage English & Language Usage 22%
Each section's share of the 150 scored questions — weight your study time accordingly.

Science — 44 scored questions (29%), the highest-yield section. The blueprint: human anatomy and physiology (18), biology (9), chemistry (8), scientific reasoning (9). A&P is the single largest sub-area on the whole exam, and Science carries the lowest national mean (49.6% in ATI’s 2022 data) — which means Science improvement moves your composite and your percentile more than anything else. Work body systems until they’re automatic, then layer in cells/genetics/macromolecules, atomic structure, bonds, reactions and acids/bases, and experimental-design vocabulary.

Reading — 39 scored questions (26%). Key ideas and details (15), craft and structure (9), integration of knowledge and ideas (15). You get about 1.2 minutes per question, and passages eat time — practice timed passage sets, and answer from the text, not from what you already believe about the topic.

Mathematics — 34 scored questions (23%). Numbers and algebra (18) plus measurement and data (16). This is the most generous section on time (~1.5 min/question), and the four-function calculator removes arithmetic risk — so the section really tests setup: translating word problems, proportions, percent change, unit conversion, and reading charts. Practice with a basic calculator so you’re not hunting for a square-root key that doesn’t exist.

English and Language Usage — 33 scored questions (22%). Conventions of standard English (12), knowledge of language (11), vocabulary (10). It’s the shortest section — 37 questions in 37 minutes — and it comes last, when you’re tired. Drill the high-frequency rules (sentence structure, agreement, punctuation, commonly confused words) and word roots/affixes so the final stretch runs on reflexes.

A realistic study plan

ATI itself recommends at least 6 weeks of preparation; 6-12 weeks is the consensus among reputable prep providers.

  1. Week 1 — diagnose. Take a full-length timed practice test cold. Score it by section and sub-area. Your plan is whatever the diagnostic says it is — for most people, that means Science first.
  2. Weeks 2-4 — rebuild content, heaviest-weight gaps first. Spend daily time on A&P body systems, and rotate your weaker math and English sub-areas behind it. Short, frequent sessions with spaced review beat weekend cramming for retention.
  3. Week 5 — drill format. Timed section practice: passage sets for Reading, calculator-in-hand word problems for Math, rapid-fire grammar for English. Train at or slightly faster than real pacing.
  4. Week 6 — simulate and patch. At least one full 3.5-hour simulation under exam conditions (one sheet of scratch paper, four-function calculator only, break after Math). Spend the final days on your missed-question list, not on new material.

Two scheduling levers most candidates miss: the 14-day retake wait for ATI-registered exams (schools commonly require 30 days) means your first attempt should land early enough to allow a retake before your application deadline — and since every completed, scored exam counts as an attempt that schools can see, walk in prepared rather than “just to see the test.”

Test day

Scores for institution and ATI-proctored exams appear in your account immediately (possibly marked ‘Preliminary’ for up to 4 business days); PSI results can take up to 72 business hours. The school where you test gets your transcript automatically — within 48 hours at most.

Quick-reference: exam tips by domain

Pulled from every term in this subject — a fast last-pass before exam day.

Science

  • Acids, Bases & pH — The pH scale is logarithmic — each whole step is a tenfold change, so pH 3 is 100 times more acidic than pH 5 — and physiological anchors are blood at about 7.35-7.45 and stomach acid near 2.
  • Anatomical Position & Planes — All directions assume anatomical position — standing, facing forward, palms forward — and proximal/distal are used on limbs: the elbow is proximal to the wrist but distal to the shoulder.
  • Atomic Structure & the Periodic Table — Compute particle counts fast: neutrons = mass number minus atomic number, and in a neutral atom electrons equal protons; an ion has gained electrons (negative anion) or lost them (positive cation), while an isotope differs only in neutrons.
  • Blood & the Immune System — Innate defenses (skin, inflammation, fever, phagocytes) attack anything foreign, while adaptive immunity is specific: B lymphocytes make antibodies against one antigen and memory cells make the second exposure faster — the principle behind vaccination.
  • Cardiovascular System — Trace the double loop: the RIGHT side pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs (pulmonary circuit) and the LEFT side pumps oxygenated blood to the body (systemic circuit) — arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins return it.
  • Cell Organelles — Match organelle to one-word job — mitochondria: powerhouse; ribosome: protein factory; rough ER: studded with ribosomes; Golgi: packaging and shipping; lysosome: cleanup — and remember plant cells add a cell wall and chloroplasts.
  • Diffusion, Osmosis & Cell Transport — Track the water in tonicity problems: a cell in a hypertonic solution loses water and shrinks, in a hypotonic solution it swells (and may burst), and in an isotonic solution it holds steady — water always follows solute.
  • Ionic & Covalent Bonds — Metal + nonmetal points to ionic, nonmetal + nonmetal to covalent — and in water the sharing is unequal (polar covalent), giving the molecule charged ends that drive hydrogen bonding between water molecules.
  • Correlation vs. Causation in Science — On data-interpretation items, choose conclusions that say 'is associated with' over 'causes' unless the data come from a controlled experiment — observational studies can never close that gap by themselves.
  • Digestive System — Nearly all nutrient absorption happens in the SMALL intestine (its villi maximize surface area); the large intestine mainly reabsorbs water — and food never passes through the liver, gallbladder, or pancreas, which are accessory organs.
  • DNA, RNA & Protein Synthesis — Keep the flow straight — DNA to mRNA (transcription, in the nucleus) to protein (translation, at the ribosome) — and remember RNA swaps thymine for uracil, so DNA's TAC becomes mRNA's AUG.
  • Endocrine System — Pair the classics: insulin (pancreas) lowers blood glucose while glucagon raises it; thyroid hormone sets metabolic rate; adrenaline (adrenal medulla) drives fight-or-flight; the pituitary is the 'master gland' directed by the hypothalamus.
  • Chemical Reactions & Enzymes — Enzymes lower activation energy and are reusable, but each works on one substrate (lock-and-key) and only near its optimal temperature and pH — extreme heat or wrong pH denatures the protein and stops the reaction.
  • Experimental Design — When asked what is wrong with an experiment, look for the usual suspects: no control group, two variables changed at once, a sample too small, or no random assignment — each one breaks the link between cause and conclusion.
  • Homeostasis & Feedback — Negative feedback reverses a change (sweating when hot, insulin after a meal) and is the body's default; positive feedback amplifies a change and is rare — childbirth contractions and blood clotting are the classic exam examples.
  • Integumentary System — Layer order from surface inward is epidermis (avascular, keratinized), dermis (vessels, nerves, glands, follicles), then the fatty hypodermis — and sweating plus dilation of skin blood vessels is how the body dumps excess heat.
  • Levels of Organization — Know the four tissue types and their jobs — epithelial covers and lines, connective supports and binds (includes blood and bone), muscle contracts, nervous signals — classification questions hinge on them.
  • Biological Macromolecules — Match polymer to monomer instantly — starch to glucose, protein to amino acid, DNA to nucleotide — and when a question mentions an enzyme, hormone receptor, or antibody, the answer category is protein.
  • Mendelian Genetics — Work Punnett squares mechanically: crossing two heterozygotes (Bb x Bb) gives genotypes 1 BB : 2 Bb : 1 bb and phenotypes 3 dominant : 1 recessive — a recessive phenotype requires two recessive alleles, full stop.
  • Mitosis & Meiosis — Count outcomes to tell them apart: mitosis gives 2 identical cells with 46 chromosomes, meiosis gives 4 different cells with 23 — and the mitosis phase order is prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase (PMAT), with chromosomes lining up single file at the metaphase plate.
  • Muscular System — Classify by two questions — striated or not, voluntary or not: skeletal is the only voluntary type, cardiac is the only one with intercalated discs, and smooth muscle is the unstriated one in organ walls.
  • Nervous System — Know the signal path through a neuron — dendrites receive, the axon transmits, and neurotransmitters cross the synapse to the next cell — and the division of labor: sensory (afferent) neurons carry input toward the CNS, motor (efferent) neurons carry commands away.
  • Reproductive System — Gametes are haploid (23 chromosomes) made by meiosis, so fertilization restores the diploid 46; ovulation — release of an egg from the ovary — is triggered by a surge of luteinizing hormone mid-cycle.
  • Respiratory System — Gas exchange happens ONLY at the alveoli, tiny thin-walled sacs wrapped in capillaries; the diaphragm contracts and flattens to draw air in (inhalation) and relaxes to push air out.
  • Scientific Method — Keep the vocabulary straight: a hypothesis is a testable prediction, a theory is a broad explanation supported by extensive evidence, and a law describes WHAT reliably happens without explaining why — a theory never graduates into a law.
  • Skeletal System — Remember the two divisions: the axial skeleton (skull, vertebral column, rib cage) protects core organs, while the appendicular skeleton (limbs and the girdles that attach them) powers movement — and ligaments connect bone to bone, tendons connect muscle to bone.
  • States of Matter & Phase Changes — Phase changes never change the substance's identity (that takes a chemical change like burning or rusting), and temperature holds constant DURING a phase change because the energy goes into rearranging particles, not heating them.
  • Urinary System — The nephron is the kidney's working unit — filtration at the glomerulus, then reabsorption of what the body keeps (water, glucose) and secretion of what it dumps — so glucose in the urine signals something wrong, classically diabetes.

Reading

  • Author's Purpose — Match purpose to genre fast: editorials and ads persuade, textbooks and news reports inform, stories entertain; if the author wants you to do or believe something, the purpose is persuasive even when the tone sounds factual.
  • Bias & Stereotype — Detect bias by what is missing as much as what is said: loaded language, cherry-picked evidence, and the absence of any opposing view all signal a biased source.
  • Citing Textual Evidence — When a question asks which sentence best supports a claim, the right choice states or directly implies the claim — eliminate lines that are merely about the same topic but do no supporting work.
  • Context Clues — Substitute each answer choice into the sentence in place of the unknown word and keep the one that preserves the sentence's logic; contrast words like although, but, and unlike signal the meaning is opposite to a nearby word.
  • Counterargument & Rebuttal — Do not mistake a quoted opposing view for the author's position — phrases like 'critics argue' or 'some believe' introduce a counterargument the author is usually about to knock down.
  • Denotation & Connotation — Words with the same denotation can have opposite connotations — thrifty (positive) and cheap (negative) both mean careful with money — and TEAS questions use this to test why an author chose one word over another.
  • Drawing Conclusions — A supportable conclusion must rest only on the passage: when two answer choices both seem reasonable, pick the one that needs no outside knowledge and contradicts nothing in the text.
  • Evaluating an Argument — Strong evidence is specific, relevant, and verifiable (data, studies, expert testimony); a single personal story, an appeal to fear, or a claim that everyone agrees is weak support no matter how persuasive it sounds.
  • Evaluating Source Credibility — For health and science topics, prefer recent, expert, citation-backed sources — a peer-reviewed journal or government health agency outranks a personal blog or a site selling the product it praises.
  • Fact vs. Opinion — Judgment words flag opinions — best, worst, should, beautiful, important — and a statement can be a fact even if it is wrong: 'the heart has five chambers' is a (false) factual claim, not an opinion, because it can be tested.
  • Graphic Information — Before answering, read the title, both axis labels, and the legend; the most common trap is a correct-looking number pulled from the wrong row, column, or data series.
  • Inference — A valid TEAS inference stays one small step from the text: pick the answer every reader would have to accept given the passage, and reject answers that require outside assumptions or go further than the evidence allows.
  • Main Idea — Distinguish topic from main idea: the topic is a word or phrase (what the passage is about), while the main idea is a complete statement about that topic; wrong answers are often true details that are too narrow.
  • Making Predictions — Base predictions on established patterns in the passage — a character shown to be cautious will likely act cautiously — and reject answer choices that would surprise a careful reader of the text.
  • Modes of Writing — Map mode to purpose: a passage explaining how vaccines work is expository, an op-ed urging vaccination is persuasive, a memoir about nursing school is narrative, and a medication package insert is technical.
  • Point of View — Pronouns give away narrative point of view instantly: I or we means first person, you means second person, and he, she, or they means third person — second person is the rare one, common only in instructions and advertisements.
  • Primary & Secondary Sources — Classify by distance from the event: an eyewitness letter is primary even if it is old and biased, while a modern textbook chapter about the event is secondary even though it is more polished.
  • Sequence & Following Directions — On following-directions items, execute each step literally and in order — directions often include conditional steps (for example, 'if the result is even, skip step 4') designed to catch readers who skim.
  • Summary vs. Paraphrase — The best summary is brief, covers the entire passage, and adds no opinions or new information — eliminate answers that zoom in on one detail or smuggle in a judgment the author never made.
  • Supporting Details — Detail questions are usually answered word-for-word in the passage — go back and find the line rather than relying on memory, and beware answers that are true in real life but never stated in the text.
  • Text Features — Know where to look things up: the table of contents lists chapters in page order at the front, the index lists topics alphabetically with page numbers at the back, and the glossary defines key terms alphabetically.
  • Text Structure — Signal words identify structure: first/next/finally means sequence, because/as a result means cause and effect, similarly/however means compare and contrast, and a question answered by a proposal means problem and solution.
  • Theme — Theme is to fiction what main idea is to nonfiction, but it must be universal: an answer that names the story's specific characters or events is a plot summary, not a theme.
  • Tone & Mood — Identify tone from connotation-loaded words: 'the politician schemed' signals a critical tone while 'the politician planned' is neutral — the facts are the same, the attitude is not.
  • Topic Sentence — When asked which sentence states the main point of a paragraph, check the first sentence before rereading everything, but verify the rest of the paragraph actually supports it — the topic sentence can sit in the middle or at the end.
  • Transition Words as Signals — Use transitions to anticipate the passage's direction: however and on the other hand signal a reversal, therefore signals a conclusion, and for example signals support for the claim just made.

Mathematics

  • Absolute Value — Evaluate inside the bars first, then strip the sign: |3 - 8| = |-5| = 5 — and remember an equation like |x| = 7 has TWO solutions, 7 and -7.
  • Charts & Graphs — Match graph to job: trends over time call for a line graph, category comparisons a bar graph, and percent-of-total a circle graph — and a histogram differs from a bar graph because its bars cover continuous numeric intervals.
  • Correlation & Trends — Correlation is not causation: ice cream sales and drowning rise together because of summer, not because one causes the other — the TEAS rewards answers that claim association, not cause.
  • Decimals & Place Value — To compare decimals, pad with zeros to equal length (0.5 vs 0.45 becomes 0.50 vs 0.45) — and when multiplying decimals, the product has as many decimal places as the two factors combined.
  • Estimation & Rounding — Estimate before you calculate: rounding 19.8 x 5.1 to 20 x 5 = 100 lets you eliminate wildly wrong answer choices instantly, a major time-saver in the 57-minute section.
  • Fraction Operations — To divide fractions, keep-change-flip: keep the first fraction, change division to multiplication, flip the second — and always reduce the answer to lowest terms before matching answer choices.
  • Perimeter, Area, Circumference & Volume — Keep the circle formulas straight by their exponents — area uses r squared, circumference uses r to the first power — and make sure all measurements share the same unit before multiplying.
  • Independent & Dependent Variables — Say it as a sentence: the dependent variable depends on the independent one — hours studied (independent) drive exam score (dependent), and axes follow the same x/y convention on every TEAS graph.
  • Inequalities — The sign flips ONLY on multiplication or division by a negative — adding or subtracting a negative never flips it; on a number line, open circles mean < or > and closed circles mean <= or >=.
  • Mean, Median, Mode & Range — Always sort the data before finding the median, and know that outliers drag the mean but barely move the median — which is why skewed data (like home prices) is summarized with the median.
  • Metric System — Use 'King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk' to order the prefixes — each step is a factor of 10, so converting just moves the decimal point one place per step (2.5 kg = 2500 g: three steps right).
  • Rational & Irrational Numbers — Square roots of perfect squares are rational (root 16 = 4) while roots of non-perfect squares are irrational (root 15); every repeating decimal like 0.333... is rational because it equals a fraction (1/3).
  • One-Variable Equations — Work the order of operations in reverse when isolating x — clear addition and subtraction first, then multiplication and division — and check the answer by substituting it back into the original equation.
  • Order of Operations — Multiplication does not automatically come before division, nor addition before subtraction — each pair is worked left to right, so 12 / 3 x 2 is 8, not 2.
  • Percent Increase & Decrease — A price that rises from 80 to 100 increased 25% (20/80), but a fall from 100 to 80 is a 20% decrease (20/100) — the percent depends on which value is the original, a favorite TEAS trap.
  • Percentages — Translate the words directly: 'what percent of 80 is 20' becomes x/100 times 80 = 20 — 'of' means multiply and 'is' means equals — then solve; moving between forms (25% = 0.25 = 1/4) should be automatic.
  • Proportion — Set up both ratios in the same order (for example, miles over hours on both sides) before cross-multiplying — mismatched units across the equals sign is the most common setup error.
  • Rates & Unit Rate — For best-buy comparisons, compute each option's unit price (total cost divided by quantity) and pick the smallest — do not compare package prices directly.
  • Ratio — Read carefully whether the ratio is part-to-part or part-to-whole: if the ratio of men to women is 3:4, then men are 3/7 of the group, not 3/4.
  • Translating Word Problems — 'Less than' reverses the order — 'five less than x' is x - 5, NOT 5 - x — the single most common translation trap on the exam.
  • Unit Conversion & Dimensional Analysis — Set up each factor so the unit you want to eliminate sits diagonally (one numerator, one denominator): 5 ft to inches is 5 ft x (12 in / 1 ft) — if the units do not cancel down to the target unit, the setup is wrong.

English & Language Usage

  • Active & Passive Voice — Active voice is usually the better revision answer — clearer, shorter, more direct — but passive is correct when the actor is unknown or unimportant ('the samples were contaminated'), so read what the question values.
  • Apostrophes & Possessives — The classic trap: ITS is possessive and IT'S means 'it is' — possessive pronouns (its, hers, theirs, whose) never take apostrophes, so expand the contraction aloud to check which one fits.
  • Capitalization — Capitalize words only when they name something specific: 'I saw Doctor Lee' but 'I saw the doctor,' 'Nursing 101' but 'a nursing class' — seasons (spring, fall) stay lowercase.
  • Commonly Confused Words — AFFECT is almost always the verb (to influence) and EFFECT the noun (the result) — test with substitution: if 'the result' fits, use effect; use THAN for comparisons and THEN for time.
  • Clarity & Conciseness — On revision items, prefer the choice that loses words but no meaning: 'because' beats 'due to the fact that' and 'now' beats 'at this point in time' — wordiness is treated as an error of style.
  • Precise Word Choice — Pick the choice that is both grammatically correct AND most precise for the context: vague verbs like 'got' and 'did' usually lose to specific ones like 'obtained' and 'performed' in formal passages.
  • Formal vs. Informal Language — Match register to scenario: an email to a professor or an essay calls for formal choices ('I would like to request') while a text to a friend tolerates informal ones — questions often ask which sentence is most appropriate for a given audience.
  • Fragments, Run-ons & Comma Splices — Fix a comma splice four ways: make two sentences, use a semicolon, add a comma plus a FANBOYS conjunction, or subordinate one clause — adding a conjunctive adverb like 'however' after a comma does NOT fix it.
  • Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers — When a sentence opens with a verbal phrase, the very next noun must be its doer — 'walking to class, the rain soaked me' makes the rain walk; the fix names the true actor right after the comma.
  • Multiple-Meaning Words — When asked what a word means 'as used in the passage,' ignore the most common dictionary meaning and test each choice in the sentence — the exam deliberately picks the less familiar sense.
  • Paragraph Development — For 'which sentence does not belong' items, find the topic sentence first, then evict the sentence that drifts to a different subject, however true or interesting it is.
  • Parts of Speech — Classify by job in THIS sentence, not by the word itself — 'run' is a verb in 'they run' but a noun in 'a morning run' — and remember adjectives modify nouns while adverbs (often -ly) modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
  • Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement — Flag vague references: in 'when the nurse called the patient, she was upset,' the pronoun 'she' could mean either woman — the correct revision names the person rather than leaving two possible antecedents.
  • Punctuation — A semicolon joins two complete sentences without a conjunction ('the exam is long; pacing matters'), while a colon must follow a full sentence before its list — and commas pair with FANBOYS conjunctions to join clauses.
  • Sentence Structure & Clauses — Count the clauses to classify the sentence: 'Although the shift was long, the nurse stayed, and the patient improved' has one dependent plus two independent clauses — compound-complex.
  • Spelling Rules — For plurals: words ending in s, sh, ch, x, or z add -es; consonant + y changes to -ies; and memorize the irregulars the TEAS loves — criteria/criterion, phenomena/phenomenon, and Latin medical plurals like vertebrae.
  • Subject-Verb Agreement — Cross out prepositional phrases to find the true subject: in 'the box of supplies IS heavy,' the subject is box, not supplies — and indefinite pronouns like each, everyone, and neither are singular.
  • Synonyms & Antonyms — Near-synonyms differ by intensity and connotation — annoyed, angry, and furious escalate — so when two answer choices both 'mean' the right thing, pick the one whose strength and tone match the sentence.
  • Transitions in Writing — Choose the transition by the logical relationship between the two sentences, not by sound — if the second sentence opposes the first, only a contrast word like 'however' or 'nevertheless' fits.
  • Verb Tense & Consistency — Spot unjustified tense shifts: 'the nurse charted the vitals and then CALLS the provider' jumps from past to present mid-sentence — pick the revision that keeps the timeline consistent.
  • Roots, Prefixes & Suffixes — Decode unfamiliar exam words by assembly: hypoglycemia = hypo (low) + glyc (sugar) + emia (blood condition) — medical prefixes like brady- (slow), tachy- (fast), hyper- and hypo- are extremely high-yield for nursing students.
  • The Writing Process — Revising and editing are different exam answers: revising reshapes content, order, and clarity, while editing polishes grammar, spelling, and punctuation — outlines and freewriting belong to prewriting.

Frequently asked questions

What score do you need to pass the TEAS?
There is no universal passing score — each nursing program sets its own cutoff. ATI groups scores into Academic Preparedness Levels, and most programs want at least Proficient (58.7%-77.3%); competitive BSN programs often expect Advanced (78%+). As a practical benchmark, third-party prep sources report admitted-student averages around 66% for ADN programs and 70% for BSN programs, so aim well above your target school's published minimum.
How many questions are on the TEAS 7 and how long is it?
The TEAS 7 has 170 questions and 209 minutes (about 3.5 hours) of testing time across four timed sections taken in fixed order: Reading (45 questions, 55 min), Math (38 questions, 57 min), Science (50 questions, 60 min), and English and Language Usage (37 questions, 37 min). Only 150 questions are scored — 20 are unscored pretest items you can't identify. You also get an optional 10-minute break after the Math section, taken between sections so it doesn't cut into any section's clock.
Can you use a calculator on the TEAS?
Yes, but only the one provided. Computer-based exams include a built-in drop-down four-function calculator (add, subtract, multiply, divide), and paper-pencil test-takers are handed a physical four-function calculator by the proctor. Personal calculators are prohibited, and there's no scientific calculator — so practice doing percentages, fractions, and multi-step arithmetic with a basic calculator before test day. ATI's free online practice test includes the same on-screen calculator.
How much does the TEAS exam cost?
TEAS exams administered directly by ATI (online remote-proctored) and at PSI testing centers cost $120. Exams administered by schools or other testing centers set their own fees, but most charge approximately $120. Your registration includes one free transcript sent to a school; each additional school costs a $27 transcript credit, and rescheduling costs $15.
Can I take the TEAS online at home?
Yes. ATI currently offers four delivery options: online proctored by ATI, online proctored by your institution, in person at a school, or in person at a PSI testing center. For at-home exams you need a webcam, microphone, and stable internet, and you're allowed one blank 8.5x11 sheet of paper or a desktop dry-erase whiteboard for scratch work. Check with your target school first — some programs won't accept transcripts from remote exams or from TEAS exams taken outside their school.
How soon can I retake the TEAS if I don't get the score I need?
If you register through ATI directly, there's a 14-day wait between attempts. Schools that administer their own TEAS exams commonly require a 30-day wait, and attempt caps (often around three per year) are set by each school, not ATI. Check your program's retake policy before booking — every completed, scored exam counts as an attempt, even if you never send the results.
When do I get my TEAS scores and how do schools receive them?
For exams taken at a school or proctored at home by ATI, your score appears in your ATI account right after you finish, though it may show a 'Preliminary' status for up to 4 business days while ATI finalizes it; PSI testing-center results can take up to 72 business hours. Schools only accept official ATI transcripts: the institution where you test receives yours automatically (within 48 hours at most), and transcripts you send to other schools post within 48 hours. Scores are typically accepted for two years, though each school sets its own window.
Is the TEAS 7 still the current version of the exam?
Yes. TEAS 7 launched on June 3, 2022, replaced TEAS 6, and remains the current version in 2026 — all of ATI's registration pages still reference Version 7. ATI has not announced a TEAS 8 or any blueprint update, so current TEAS 7 prep materials remain accurate.

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