What is on the ATI TEAS 7? Sections, questions and timing

The TEAS at a glance

According to ATI, the TEAS has 170 questions and you get 209 minutes to answer them. Only 150 of those questions count toward your score. The other 20 are unscored pretest questions that ATI is trying out for future forms, and they are mixed in with the real ones, so you cannot tell which is which. Treat every question as if it counts.

The sections always come in the same order: Reading, Math, Science, then English and Language Usage. Each section has its own clock. When a section's time runs out, that section closes, and anything you left blank counts as wrong. Time you save in Reading does not carry over to Math.

Reading: 45 questions in 55 minutes

Reading is about how well you pull meaning out of short texts: passages on health, science, history and everyday topics, plus practical material such as directions, labels, memos and schedules. ATI splits it into three sub-areas.

• Key ideas and details (15 scored): the main idea and a fair summary, inferences and conclusions, following written directions, finding a specific fact, and reading charts, graphs and other visuals.
• Craft and structure (9 scored): fact versus opinion and spotting bias, working out a word from context, the author's purpose and point of view, and how a text is organized.
• Integration of knowledge and ideas (15 scored): using evidence to predict or conclude, comparing two texts on the same theme, judging whether an argument holds up, and combining information from more than one source.

That works out to a little over a minute per question, which is tight once you add reading time. Our reading strategies guide covers how to read for the question instead of reading everything twice.

Math: 38 questions in 57 minutes

The math section has two sub-areas. Numbers and algebra (18 scored) covers fractions, decimals and percents, operations with rational numbers, comparing and ordering numbers, solving one-variable equations, word problems with ratios, rates and proportions, estimating and rounding, and writing expressions and inequalities. Measurement and data (16 scored) covers reading tables and graphs, mean, median, mode and range, how two variables relate, perimeter, area and volume, and converting between US standard and metric units.

ATI provides a built-in on-screen calculator. It does the arithmetic, not the setup, so the skill being tested is knowing which numbers to put together. Our math formulas and conversions guide lists what to have memorized. Practice with free TEAS math questions that show every step.

Science: 50 questions in 60 minutes

Science is the longest section and, for most applicants, the one that decides how long they need to study. Its four sub-areas:

Anatomy and physiology alone is 18 of the 44 scored science questions, more than biology and chemistry combined. If your time is limited, that is where it pays. Start with our anatomy and physiology study guide.

English and language usage: 37 questions in 37 minutes

The last section gives you about one minute per question. Conventions of standard English (12 scored) is spelling, punctuation and sentence structure: fragments, run-ons, and simple, compound and complex sentences. Knowledge of language (11 scored) is grammar used for clarity (agreement, pronouns, modifiers, parallel structure, verb tense), choosing formal or informal wording for an audience, and organizing paragraphs with topic sentences and transitions. Using language and vocabulary (10 scored) covers the writing process and working out word meaning from context and from word parts such as prefixes, suffixes and roots. The English grammar rules guide covers the rules that decide most of these questions.

Question types and how the test behaves

Most TEAS questions are standard multiple choice with one right answer. ATI also uses four other formats: multiple select (select all that apply), fill in the blank, ordered response (put steps or items in order) and hot spot (click the right part of an image).

• Inside an open section you can move back and forth and flag questions to revisit.
• Once you submit a section, you cannot go back to it.
• Unanswered questions count as wrong, so never leave a blank: a guess can only help.
• There is an optional 10-minute break after the Math section.

The test day guide covers delivery options (online or in person) and how to pace the clock.

What this means for how you study

Three things follow from the format. First, every section is timed separately, so practice under each section's own pace rather than one long block. Second, science is broad, and anatomy and physiology is its heaviest sub-area, so give it early, steady attention. Third, the scored counts tell you where points are: reading's key ideas and integration sub-areas together are 30 scored items, the same as the whole English section minus three.

ATI's own advice is to allow at least six weeks of preparation. Our 2, 4 and 6-week study plans show how to split that time. To see where you stand today, take the free TEAS practice test or open a timed practice test in the app.