HESI A2 Practice Test

The HESI entrance exam is a computerized multiple-choice test used to screen applicants and test academic readiness for nursing schools and programs in the United States. The HESI exam consists of eight main sections: Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and Physics. Before preparing for the test, make sure to ask your desired school or program which of the sections you will take during the test, as most schools only choose between 5-6 of the sections for the applicants to take.

The following table summarizes the structure of the HESI entrance exam:

1. Create an organized study plan and stick to it. Understand how much time you have until you are going to take the HESI A2 and create a breakdown of what you are going to study each day or week. We suggest you focus on specific topics each week, so that each day you can cover a different subtopic. However, you should schedule the study plan that you feel most comfortable with, as you know yourself the best.
2. Understand what your weakest subject is and focus on it when you begin your studying. A good way to identify this is by using free HESI practice test or HESI exam sample questions.
3. Utilize Practice resources. The best way to prepare for testing day is to practice under real-life testing conditions, and answer the types of questions that you will face on the real HESI exam. Make sure you treat each HESI A2 practice test as if it’s the real test. The sooner you do this in your studies, the more likely you will get to testing day with less stress and pass it with ease.

Our full Prep Pack for the HESI test is coming soon (which will include a full HESI A2 practice test, detailed explanations, intricate study guides and much more!)

The HESI test scores are given in percentages, on a 0%-100% scale. The applicant gets a percentage score for each of the HESI’s subtests. In addition, a cumulative score (in other words – a general score) is given based on the average of all of the subtests scores.

It is important to know that each nursing school or program sets its own passing grade, though usually the passing composite score ranges between 70%-90%. Therefore, when preparing for the HESI exam, we advise students to check the admission requirements of their desired program.

Test-takers will receive their score right after they finish submitting the test, as it will appear on their computer.

The HESI test can be a challenging test to pass. The average cumulative score on the test is 49%, while most nursing programs require a passing score of at least 75%. With the right study plan and practice materials though, you will find that getting your desired score could be much easier.

1. When taking the test, make sure to read the question carefully before answering it. The test makers tend to create distracting answer choices, so make sure that you don’t overlook any important details of the question.
2. In the Math section, make sure you have mastered basic concepts such as conversions, ratios, and fractions. The math section heavily relies on these concepts.
3. In the Anatomy & Physiology section, focus your attention on general concepts such as: Hormones, Cellular transport, general anatomy, etc. and don’t get stuck on tiny details. Because this section involves a lot of material that you will need to memorize and understand, make sure you start going over it early on in your studying.
4. In the Reading Comprehension section most passages are short, so we advise that you read through the passage first and then look at the question carefully and try to understand exactly what the question is asking.
5. In the Grammar section of the test make sure you understand how to correctly spell words (go over words that are tricky to spell like scissors, accommodate, etc), when to capitalize certain words, the correct use of punctuation, differences between the various parts of speech and how to use them, and how to identify different types of sentences.

Our All-inclusive HESI Practice tests are coming soon!

The HESI and TEAS are the two most common tests taken by applicants for nursing programs in the United States, and they play the determining factor for entering into such programs. The contents and format of the tests are very different. The main difference between the two is the number of topics they cover. The TEAS 7 covers fewer subjects than the HESI A2 (which also results in fewer questions), so each question in the HESI has a smaller impact on the overall test-taker’s score, than in the TEAS 7.

The HESI tends to focus more on medical-related topics while the TEAS covers more general knowledge subjects that were mostly learned during high-school.

The table below shows the comparison between the two tests, HESI VS TEAS, point by point. This will help you understand more thoroughly the difference between the two tests: