HESI A2 VS. TEAS: Which is More Difficult?

ENTRANCE exams for nursing school can be intimidating. After taking rigorous science courses, your admission into nursing school can all come down to one test score. Another intimidating thing is when you are trying to figure out which nursing school requires what exam. You may only be familiar with the TEAS exam, but a nursing school you are applying for may require the HESI A2 exam, and vice versa. In all, the best thing for you to do is not to panic. You already have knowledge in Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, Biology, and other general classes. So, what exactly is the problem to just take the test? In this article, I will be comparing the differences between the HESI A2 exam and TEAS exam. It is important to know the structure of each exam so you are aware on how to study for one exam or the other:

TEAS:

• 4 sections (Reading Comprehension, Math, Science, English)

• 170 total questions (Reading Comprehension: 48 questions; Math: 34 questions; Science: 54 questions; English: 34 questions)

• The Science section can contain Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, Biology, and general science

• The exam is taken in one day at a computer or classroom (if it is a paper test)

• If exam is taken at a computer, it is scored immediately, if taken on paper, test score come out in three days

HESI A2:

• 2 parts of the test: The Academic Section and Personality Section

• 8 subsections (Reading Comprehension, Math, Vocabulary, Grammar, Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics)

• Number of questions on the entire exam depend on what sections you take *refer to “HESI A2 EXAM: What is it?” * article to find out how much time is each section

• Not all sections of the test are taken; Nursing schools may require what sections they want their applicants to take, therefore, you choose your desired sections

Both:

• Both tests are scored out of 100 points

Rumors:

I hesitated to include this in this series, but it is also a burning question: “Which is harder? The TEAS or HESI? According to popular opinion, most people say that the HESI is easier than the TEAS. BUT, while I cannot agree or disagree, I can say that at the end of the day, it takes a great amount of work, dedication, and studying to get a good score in anything. Lack of studying can cause a poor score in both tests. The level of difficulty should not determine how you study, but rather, motivate you to pass either exam with a high score (assuming that you read my study tips and worked really hard to get to this point). No test obstacle should be in your way!

-futurenursehappiness