Ace your Nursing School Entrance Exam
Be prepared to shine in your entrance exams, like TEAS, HESI, PAX-RN, KAPLAN, DHEEP, and more.
Nursing School Entrance Exams
If you are applying to nursing school, you may be required to take a nursing school entrance exam. Schools use them to assess your knowledge in different academic- and healthcare-related areas. Questions on these exams also test your comprehension, critical thinking, and communication skills.
Which exam is right for you?
Requirements vary from school to school, but for most, you’ll probably encounter one of these entrance exams. The type of exam you take depends on the school requirements and program you are applying to and the degree you want to earn.
The Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) is offered by the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) and includes 170 multiple-choice questions separated into four sections – reading, mathematics, English and language, and science. This exam is primarily used or required by nursing programs but can also be required for other healthcare programs. Test-takers complete a total of 170 questions drawn from high school-level knowledge.
The PAX exam is one of the most commonly used nursing school entrance exams. It intended for RNs and LPNs pursuing a certificate, associate degree, or bachelor's degree in nursing. The PAX includes 160 multiple choice questions across three subject areas: reading comprehension and word knowledge, math, and science. Test-takers have two hours and five minutes to complete the entire exam.
The Health Education Systems, Inc. Exam A2 (HESI A2) is healthcare, but not necessarily nursing, specific. It has nine sections, placing more emphasis on science subjects than the TEAS, which include grammar, biology, chemistry, reading comprehension, and math. The other interesting difference is the exam includes questions about personality and learning styles.
This exam offered through Kaplan is another nursing-specific one designed to assess the potential success of someone in an RN program. There are 91 multiple-choice questions spread over four sections: reading, math, writing, and science. The exam takes 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete. This exam tests basic high-school level subject matter.
Get nursing school-ready and learn how to pass your Entrance Exam in no time with Achieve’s interactive online prep course, experienced instructors and study materials.
Get started and see if you’ll get credit for the exams you plan to take
