Getting into a nursing program means passing a nursing entrance exam — and the exam required depends on your school. The most common options are the HESI A2, ATI TEAS, NLN PAX, and Kaplan Nursing Admission test. Each assesses your readiness for nursing school by testing science, math, reading, and English skills. This guide explains what each exam covers, the scores programs expect, and the best strategies to prepare so you walk in ready to succeed.
Nursing schools across the United States use several different entrance exams to screen applicants. Knowing which one your target program requires — and what it covers — is the first step toward effective preparation.
HESI A2 (Health Education Systems Incorporated Admission Assessment) is among the most widely used. It covers anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, math, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar. Programs typically look for a composite score of 75% or higher, though selective schools set the bar at 80–90%.
ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills), published by Assessment Technologies Institute, tests reading, math, science, and English and language usage across 170 questions in just under four hours. It is widely adopted by ADN and BSN programs nationwide and produces a composite score expressed as a percentage.
NLN PAX (National League for Nursing Pre-Admission Examination) is used primarily by diploma and associate degree programs. It measures verbal ability, mathematics, and science and reports a composite score alongside individual section scores.
Kaplan Nursing Admission Test is a shorter assessment used by select programs, focusing on math, reading, writing, and science. It is often seen as less rigorous than the HESI or TEAS but still requires deliberate preparation.
Many nursing students explore related healthcare paths before or after nursing school. If you are considering emergency medicine, review our guide to EMT certification. For working nurses seeking to advance their credentials, our overview of LPN to RN bridge programs outlines the requirements and timeline.
While all four exams evaluate academic readiness for nursing study, they differ in subject emphasis and format. The HESI A2 places heavier weight on science content — especially anatomy, physiology, and biology — making it the most science-intensive of the group. The ATI TEAS balances science and reading equally and is considered the most standardized nationally. The NLN PAX weights verbal ability heavily alongside math and science, which benefits strong readers. The Kaplan test is the shortest and places the greatest emphasis on math and reading comprehension relative to science depth.
Understanding these differences lets you prioritize your study time: heavy science focus for HESI, balanced review for TEAS, verbal skills for PAX, and math fluency for Kaplan.
Before buying any prep materials, contact the admissions office of every nursing program on your list and ask which entrance exam they require and what minimum score they accept. Many schools only accept scores from their preferred test — submitting a TEAS score to a school that uses HESI will not count. Some programs also have score expiration windows (typically two years), so plan your test date accordingly.
Minimum passing scores vary not just by exam but by individual program. Here is a general benchmark for each:
Always check the specific requirements on your target school's nursing admission page. Do not rely solely on published minimums — competitive cohorts often have average scores significantly above the stated cutoff.
Effective preparation follows a predictable pattern regardless of which exam you face.
1. Diagnose your weaknesses early. Take a full-length practice test in timed conditions before you begin studying. Score each section separately. The sections where you score lowest deserve the most study time — do not over-invest in subjects you already know.
2. Build a study schedule at least 6–8 weeks out. Allocate study blocks by section weight. For the HESI, prioritize anatomy and physiology since those sections carry significant weight and require the most memorization. For the TEAS, balance science and reading. For the PAX, strengthen vocabulary and verbal reasoning alongside science fundamentals.
3. Use official prep materials. ATI sells official TEAS practice tests that closely mirror the real exam. Elsevier publishes HESI-specific review books. The NLN sells PAX study guides directly. Official materials are worth the cost because their difficulty and format match the real exam more accurately than third-party books.
4. Practice under timed conditions. Nursing entrance exams are designed so that time pressure is part of the challenge. Students who study content without practicing pacing often run out of time on test day. Simulate real testing conditions — no phone, no breaks outside scheduled ones, strict time limits per section.
5. Focus on science foundations. Anatomy, physiology, biology, and chemistry appear on every major nursing entrance exam. If your science background is weak, invest extra time in understanding cell biology, the body's organ systems, basic chemical reactions, and the metric system. These are not memorization-only topics — you need to understand the concepts well enough to apply them.
6. Review math without a calculator. Many nursing entrance exams restrict or prohibit calculator use. Practice arithmetic, fractions, ratios, percentages, and basic algebra by hand until the operations feel automatic. Dimensional analysis — converting units — is especially important and appears frequently.
7. Use practice questions, not just reading. Passive reading of review books produces limited retention. Work through practice questions after each topic, review every wrong answer in detail, and understand why the correct answer is right rather than just memorizing it.