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🗓️ TEAS guideUpdated November 20267 min read5 practice questions

TEAS test day: online vs in person, calculator and breaks

Most test-day stress comes from not knowing how the day will run. The TEAS runs the same way every time: four sections in a fixed order, each with its own clock, one optional break, and a built-in calculator. What changes is where you sit: at home, on a campus, or at a testing center. Here is how it works, based on ATI's published details.

Four ways to take the TEAS

ATI lists four delivery options:

OptionWhereProctored by
TEAS Online, proctored by ATIRemote, on your own computerATI's remote proctoring service
TEAS Online, proctored by an institutionRemoteA proctor from the school
In person at an institutionOn a campusThe school's proctor
In person at PSIA PSI testing centerA PSI proctor

Before you register, check which option your program accepts. A test taken at a school is reported to that school automatically, and some programs accept only certain options. ATI's registration page lists current dates and prices, and not every exam type can be rescheduled, so read the policy before you book.

Online vs in person: how to choose

  • Online saves travel, but you are responsible for the room, the computer and the connection. Read ATI's technical and room requirements well before the day and run any system check they offer.
  • In person removes the technology risk and gives you a quiet room you do not have to prepare, at the cost of travel and fewer time slots.

If your home has unreliable internet or no quiet room for about four hours, test in person.

How the clock works

OrderSectionQuestionsTimePace
1Reading4555 minabout 73 s each
2Math3857 minabout 90 s each
—Optional break10 min
3Science5060 minabout 72 s each
4English and language usage3737 minabout 60 s each

Inside a section you can move back and forth and flag questions. When you submit a section, or its time runs out, it closes for good, and unanswered questions are scored as wrong. So: answer everything, flag doubtful ones, and use the last minutes of each section to revisit flags.

Pacing inside each section

Divide each section into quarters and check the clock at each one. In Reading, about 14 minutes per quarter should take you through 11 or 12 questions. In Math, about 14 minutes covers 9 or 10 questions. Science's quarter is 15 minutes for 12 or 13 questions, and English gives you just over 9 minutes for 9 questions. If you are behind at a checkpoint, speed up on the next easy questions instead of rushing a hard one. Save the final two or three minutes of every section to make sure nothing is blank.

The calculator and the break

ATI provides an on-screen calculator in every section. It is a basic calculator, so it does not replace knowing a formula or a conversion; practice your setups on paper first, then use the calculator to check arithmetic.

The optional 10-minute break comes after the Math section. Take it even if you feel fine: stand up, drink water, eat something small. Science is the longest section and comes right after.

A test-day checklist

  1. Confirm your appointment time, time zone and delivery option the day before.
  2. Read your confirmation email for ID and check-in rules; follow them exactly.
  3. Online: clear the desk, close other programs, plug in the computer, and log in early.
  4. In person: plan the route and arrive early enough to check in calmly.
  5. Sleep beats last-night cramming. Review formulas and word parts for 20 minutes in the morning, nothing more.

Handling nerves during the test

Nerves are normal and they fade once you start answering. Three things help. First, start each section by answering the first question you are sure of; one early success settles the pace. Second, when a question rattles you, flag it, breathe out slowly, and move on; you can come back while the section is open. Third, do not try to guess your score as you go. The 20 unscored pretest questions are mixed in, so a strange question may not even count. Treat each one as it comes, and keep the clock checkpoints in view.

After you finish

For TEAS at ATI, a preliminary score is available right after you finish, and ATI finalizes it after a few business days. For TEAS at PSI, ATI says scores are typically posted within 72 hours. Official results go to programs as TEAS transcripts; registration for TEAS at ATI and at PSI includes one transcript credit, and a test taken at a school goes to that school. Read your Topics to Review list either way: see TEAS scores explained.

✅ Test yourself: 5 questions

Tap an answer to check it, or open the answer and rationale under each question.

Question 1 of 5 · Scientific Reasoning · Select all that apply

Which of these are quantitative observations? Select all that apply.

  1. The leaf is 7 cm long.
  2. The solution has a pH of 4.
  3. The tablet dissolved in 45 seconds.
  4. The gas smells like rotten eggs.
  5. The powder is fine and white.
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: A, B, C

A pH of 4, a length of 7 cm and a time of 45 seconds are all measured numbers, so they are quantitative. A smell and the color and texture of a powder are descriptions, which makes them qualitative.

📚 Learn it: Logic and evidence: correlation vs causation, observation vs inference

Question 2 of 5 · Chemistry

Which property is typical of metals?

  1. Good conductor of electricity
  2. Brittle when solid
  3. Tends to gain electrons in reactions
  4. Dull, nonreflective surface
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: A

Metals conduct electricity and heat well because their outer electrons move freely. Brittleness, a dull surface and a tendency to gain electrons are characteristics of nonmetals; metals are malleable, shiny and tend to lose electrons.

📚 Learn it: Atomic structure and the periodic table

📄 Read the passage, then answer the questions below it

What Makes the Tides

Twice a day along most ocean coasts, the water creeps up the beach and then slowly pulls back. These regular rises and falls, called tides, are caused mainly by the pull of the moon's gravity.

The moon pulls hardest on the side of Earth that faces it, so the ocean there bulges toward the moon. A second bulge forms on the opposite side of Earth, where the pull is weakest and the water is, in effect, left behind. As Earth spins, a given coastline passes through both bulges, which is why most places have two high tides and two low tides about every 24 hours and 50 minutes. The extra 50 minutes comes from the moon's own movement along its orbit.

The sun also affects tides, though less than the moon does, because it is much farther away. When the sun, moon and Earth line up during a new moon or a full moon, their pulls combine to make spring tides, with higher highs and lower lows. (The name has nothing to do with the season.) When the sun and moon are at right angles to Earth, during quarter moons, their pulls partly cancel, producing neap tides with a smaller range.

Question 3 of 5 · Key Ideas and Details

According to the passage, when do spring tides occur?

  1. During new and full moons
  2. When the moon is farthest away
  3. During the spring season
  4. During quarter moons
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: A

The passage says spring tides happen when the sun, moon and Earth line up during a new or full moon. Quarter moons produce neap tides, and the passage notes that the name has nothing to do with the season.

📚 Learn it: Supporting details: find the fact the question asks for

Question 4 of 5 · Key Ideas and Details

High tide at a beach occurs at 6:00 a.m. on Monday. Based on the passage, at about what time would the next morning high tide occur on Tuesday?

  1. 5:10 a.m.
  2. 6:00 a.m.
  3. 6:50 a.m.
  4. 7:40 a.m.
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: C

The tide cycle repeats about every 24 hours and 50 minutes, so the matching high tide comes about 50 minutes later the next day, near 6:50 a.m. Choosing 6:00 a.m. assumes an exact 24-hour cycle, and 5:10 a.m. moves the time in the wrong direction.

📚 Learn it: Inferences and conclusions: reading between the lines

Question 5 of 5 · Key Ideas and Details

Which sentence best summarizes the passage?

  1. Spring tides get their name from something other than the season.
  2. Tides come mainly from the moon's pull, and the sun adjusts their size.
  3. The sun is too far from Earth to have any effect on the tides.
  4. Most coastlines have two high tides and two low tides each day.
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: B

The passage explains the moon's main role and then how the sun makes tides larger or smaller, which this sentence covers. The spring tide name and the two daily tides are details, and the passage says the sun does affect tides, only less than the moon.

📚 Learn it: Main idea and summary: what is the whole text about?

Rehearse test day with a timed practice test →

Real section pacing and a report by sub-area. Free, no account needed.

❓ Frequently asked

Can I take the TEAS online at home?

Yes, if your program accepts it. ATI offers TEAS Online proctored by ATI's remote proctoring service, and TEAS Online proctored by an institution.

Is there a calculator on the TEAS?

Yes. ATI provides an on-screen calculator in every section.

Is there a break during the TEAS?

There is an optional 10-minute break after the Math section, before Science.

Can I go back to a previous section?

No. You can move around and flag questions within the section you are in, but once a section is submitted you cannot return to it.

📝 Practice and lessons

Sources

  1. ATI: TEAS exam details (sections, questions, time, delivery options)
  2. ATI help: What are the ATI TEAS sections, and can I go back and answer a question?
  3. ATI: TEAS transcripts and scoring
  4. ATI: TEAS registration

Checked November 2026. ATI can change the exam and its policies; when a source and this page disagree, the source wins. Original text by TEAS Ready. TEAS is a registered trademark of ATI; TEAS Ready is not affiliated with or endorsed by ATI.

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