TEAS ReadyOpen the app

🧭 How the TEAS works · How the TEAS Works · Lesson 4 of 5 · 4 min

TEAS scores: what the report shows and what programs look at

📊 There is no single passing TEAS score. What counts as good depends on the program you are applying to, so learn how to read the report and find your target.

💡 Key idea

There is no universal passing score: find each program's own minimum and retake rules, and aim above it.

🧠 The idea

ATI's score report shows an ADJUSTED INDIVIDUAL TOTAL SCORE, a percentage, plus a score for each of the four content areas and for each sub-content area, along with national and program means and percentile ranks. Content-area scores don't simply add up to the total. ATI also assigns an ACADEMIC PREPAREDNESS LEVEL, from lowest to highest: Developmental, Basic, Proficient, Advanced and Exemplary. ATI does not set a passing score: each SCHOOL SETS ITS OWN REQUIREMENT. A program may want a minimum total score, a minimum in certain sections such as Science or Reading, or a certain preparedness level, and it also sets its own rules on retakes and how recent a score must be. Check each program's admissions page or ask its advisor, and treat that number as your goal. The report's list of topics to review shows where to study for a retake.

✏️ Worked example

Maya applies to two programs. Program A's website lists a minimum total score and a minimum in Science. Program B lists only a preparedness level. Her report shows a total score above A's minimum, but her Science score is below A's Science minimum, and her preparedness level meets B's requirement. So her plan is clear: she qualifies for B, but for A she needs a higher Science score, and she checks A's retake policy before booking another attempt. She uses the report's topics to review to target her Science study.

📌 Takeaways

  • Levels: Developmental, Basic, Proficient, Advanced, Exemplary.
  • Each program sets its own cutoffs and retake rules.
  • Use the topics-to-review list to target study.

✅ Check yourself

Question 1 of 3

Who decides what TEAS score an applicant needs for admission?

  1. The testing site decides on test day
  2. The state board of nursing sets a single cutoff
  3. Each nursing program sets its own requirement
  4. ATI sets one passing score for all schools
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: C

ATI does not set a passing score; each school decides its own requirement. There is no single ATI cutoff, state boards do not set one for the TEAS, and testing sites only give the test.

Question 2 of 3

Which list shows ATI's academic preparedness levels from LOWEST to HIGHEST?

  1. Basic, Developmental, Proficient, Exemplary, Advanced
  2. Developmental, Proficient, Basic, Advanced, Exemplary
  3. Developmental, Basic, Proficient, Advanced, Exemplary
  4. Basic, Proficient, Developmental, Advanced, Exemplary
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: C

The levels rise from Developmental to Basic, Proficient, Advanced and finally Exemplary. The other lists swap the order of Basic and Developmental, Basic and Proficient, or Advanced and Exemplary.

Question 3 of 3

An applicant wants to know whether she may retake the TEAS for a certain program and how soon. Where should she look?

  1. The national mean on her score report
  2. The program's own admissions rules
  3. The order of sections on the test
  4. Her preparedness level on the report
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: B

Retake rules are set by each program, so its admissions page or advisor is the right source. The national mean, her preparedness level and the section order say nothing about a program's retake policy.

Start this lesson free →

The full lesson with XP and a streak in the app. No account needed.

More in How the TEAS Works

📝 Free TEAS practice test