HESI A2 Grammar Practice Test

How to Prepare for HESI A2 Grammar Test?

If you intend to get into a nursing program in the United States, then it is very likely that you will need to take the HESI A2 exam to be accepted. This stands for ‘Health Education Systems, Inc Admission Assessment.’

The test is also known by a mix of other names, including the Evolve Reach, the Evolve Reach A2, and the Evolve Reach HESI. However, it is most commonly known as the HESI.

The exam consists of eight different categories, which are all multiple-choice and computerized tests. The tests are designed to screen applicants and analyze their ability for nursing schools and programs, and determine whether they are suitable for consideration.

If you are particularly stressed about the Grammar section, you probably want to know what to expect and how to prepare. We will be focusing on the grammar section in this article and everything that the Grammar exam entails.

Learn how best to prepare for it and see sample questions to help you understand the format and types of questions that can arise.

What Is The HESI Grammar Test?

What Is The HESI Grammar Test

The HESI Grammar test is part of the English language arts portion of the HESI. To be successful in nursing school, it is important to have a large and wide range of vocabulary, as well as be skilled at reading and understanding writing.

The test has 50 multiple-choice questions, and the participant has 50 minutes to complete them, so a minute per question. The 50 questions consist of subjects including:

  • Identifying grammatically correct sentences – so understanding nouns and verbs is vital. It would be wise to familiarize yourself with the eight parts of speech: noun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, pronoun, and interjection.
  • Punctuation rules – how to use commas, apostrophes, question marks, etc.
  • Identifying complete and incomplete sentences.
  • How to use various parts of speech.
  • Capitalization – When words should and shouldn’t use capital letters.
  • Using homophones and homographs in a sentence correctly – basically understanding the more confusing words that sound the same but have completely different meanings, or words that are spelled exactly the same but mean something else entirely.

Practice test questions HESI Grammar

Here are some examples of the type of questions that will come up in the test:

Which of the following phrases follows the rules of capitalization?

  • A) The Smith family
  • B) hosted a bbq
  • C) their House Last summer
  • D) judge marian jones

TestPrep-Online. (n.d.). HESI A2 Practice Test & Info (Updated 2023).

The correct answer to the above questions is A) ‘The Smith family’ because the name “Smith” is a surname, which is a proper noun, which means the words in this phrase have been correctly capitalized. Answer B) is incorrect because “bbq” should be capitalized due to it being an abbreviation of “barbecue.” Answer C) is incorrect because “House” and “Last” should not be capitalized because they are not proper nouns. Lastly, answer D) is incorrect because it should read “Marian” and “Jones” due to these being a first and surname, respectively, which are proper nouns, so should therefore be capitalized.

How Do You Prepare For The HESI A2 Grammar Exam?

Positive woman working on laptop and writing in notebook

  • It is important to create an organized plan in preparation for the HESI A2 exam. Find out when exactly the date of the exam is, and make yourself an organized plan. Create a breakdown of topics, and work out which are your weakest areas and focus on those.
  • If grammar is an area you feel is a weak area, then you need to focus on this. The Grammar test is designed to give students the chance to display their understanding of basic grammar concepts, so a good knowledge of the English language is key. You should revise punctuation, use of pronouns, how to correctly use possessives, sentence structure, word choice, homophones, and homographs.
  • If English is not your first language, or you struggle with certain forms of grammatical concepts and speech, then studying will be key.
  • There are many good study guides that can be bought online to help you with this. There is also the option of enrolling in a prep course, with a good one containing detailed lectures as well as plenty of practice questions and exams.
  • We recommend taking practice questions whilst recreating the test environment, so allowing 50 minutes to answer 50 questions.
  • Make sure you read all of the questions carefully before answering, as some questions can be misleading or easy to mistake the answers.

Use Online Practice Materials

There are some brilliant websites that offer practice tests, which is a very useful way of preparing for the real thing. Not only does completing practice tests give you a good idea of the types of questions that arise, but they also help you feel comfortable with the format and design.

When you come to complete the real exam, you’ll be acclimatized and more comfortable, helping to settle any nerves that unfamiliarity can create. They will help you to stay focused on the important task at hand.

One such website we highly recommend is called Test Prep Online, which has tailored study materials and practice tests for the HESI A2 test. They have helped thousands of students prepare for admissions, gifted, and placement tests.

Their services are reasonably priced, highly accessible, and available for the whole family. They offer tips and advice, as well as the all-important practice materials, which include high-quality practice tests, created to help students understand the content whilst supplying them the tools to prepare – giving them the best chance of acing the real thing!

Further Information About The HESI A2 Exam

A Student working on laptop

What Are The Different Tests?

As part of the HESI exam, there are eight main sections which are:

  • Mathematics
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Vocabulary, Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Physics and Grammar

How Many Questions Are On The HESI A2 Exam?

The HESI A2 exam has a total of 295 questions plus 40 unscored questions. Each section has between 25-50 questions.

How Many Times Can You Take The HESI A2 Exam?

This is entirely down to the individual nursing program, but most will allow applicants to have multiple attempts at taking the exam throughout the year. If you don’t pass the first time – don’t worry, you should have other chances. You will have to wait 60 days before you can retake it after failing, though.

How Much Does The HESI A2 Exam Cost?

The current price of taking the test is $42.

Is All Of The HESI A2 Exam Multiple Choice?

All of the different sections of the exam are multiple choice and follow exactly the same format, so it is easy and simple to understand and prepare for.

How Long Does The HESI A2 Exam Take To Complete?

The total time the HESI A2 will take is 335 minutes. But this would only be the case if you take all sections of the test, which often isn’t the case. Each section will take between 25-50 minutes to complete.

What Is The Pass ark for the HESI A2 exam?

75% or higher must be achieved on each section to pass the HESI A2 exam.

What Are The Other Tests As Part Of The HESI Exam?

As well as Grammar, The HESI is made up of seven other sections or sub-tests. These are Math, Reading, Vocabulary, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Anatomy & Physiology.

Below we will give you a brief overview of all of these to give greater context for the HESI A2 exam as a whole. We allow you to understand what to expect should you decide to apply.

Included is an example of sample test questions with answers which have been sourced from Test Prep Online.

TestPrep-Online. (n.d.). HESI A2 Practice Test & Info (Updated 2023)

Math

Girl Doing Maths Test Practice

This math section of the nursing test will most commonly comprise math topics such as fractions, ratios, percentages, proportions, numerical word problems, etc.

Other topics that you could encounter could include Rates, algebra, and military time. You are allowed to bring a 4-function calculator into this section of the test. You will have 50 minutes to answer 50 questions.

Here is an example of a question you could find in the HESI math exam:

In one classroom, 12.5% of the students own at least one pet. If there are 32 students in the classroom, how many students do not own any pets?

A) 4
B) 8
C) 24
D) 28

Reading

Girl Reading a Book

In the Reading section, you will be given passages, short stories, segments from magazines, or parts of academic papers. These are followed by questions that look to test how well you have read and understood the writing given.

The questions will focus on tone and mood, the author’s purpose, main ideas, supporting details, sentences, and telling apart facts and opinions. You will be given an hour to answer 50 questions.

An example of a Reading question from the HESI exam:

Which of the following is the most likely reason for using an underline in the above message?

A) To indicate a title is being used
B) To illustrate the relevant timeline
C) To emphasize the deadline
D) Dates are always underlined

Vocabulary

For vocabulary, you will cover topics such as prefixes, suffixes, root words, context clues, and multiple-meaning words. The majority of questions will require you to grasp a particular word’s meaning.

You should answer questions relating to the concepts listed above – so extensive knowledge and understanding of these are vital. You will be given 50 minutes to answer 50 questions.

See an example of a question you’re likely to see in the HESI Vocabulary exam:

It is very rare to see green turtles off the coast of California; ________, during the summer they can be found among the rocks. Which of the following words best completes the sentence above?

A) therefore
B) subsequently
C) however
D) unfortunately

Biology

Skull Model

For biology section, the test will focus on topics such as organs, tissues, cells, cellular respiration, metabolism, mitosis, photosynthesis, and genetics.

It is important to understand methods (i.e., question, research, hypothesis, experiment, evaluation, conclusion). You will be given 25 minutes to answer 25 questions.

This is the sort of question you might see in the Biology HESI exam:

Small, lipid-soluble molecules move in and out of cells by___

A) active transport
B) facilitated diffusion
C) simple diffusion
D) an energy-dependent pump

Chemistry

In the chemistry section, topics such as atomic structure, chemical bonding, scientific notation, oxidation reduction reactions, the periodic table, equations, acids, and bases could come up, so it would be wise to revise all of these. Again, you will have 25 minutes to answer 25 questions.

This is an example of a chemistry question you are likely to encounter in the HESI Chemistry exam:

Mg + 2HCl → MgCl2 + H2

Which of the following statements correctly describes the reaction above?

A) The chlorine has been oxidized and the hydrogen has been reduced.
B) The magnesium has been oxidized and the hydrogen has been reduced.
C) The magnesium has been reduced and the chlorine has been oxidized.
D) The magnesium and chlorine have been reduced.

Physics

In this section, you should focus on revising topics including energy, Newton’s laws of motion, rotation, optics, friction, velocity, waves and acceleration – as any of them could be formed in a question.

It is worth asking your desired nursing school if you need to take this test, as most do not require students to. If you do, then you will be given 50 minutes to answer 25 questions.

See an example of a physics question you might find in the HESI Physics exam below:

When is the force on an electron moving in a magnetic field the greatest?

A) When it’s direction is opposite to that of the magnetic field
B) WHen it’s direction is identical to that of the magnetic field
C) When it’s direction is perpendicular to that of the magnetic field
D) The force is always constant

Tests-Questions.com. (n.d.). HESI A2 Physics Practice Questions 2023

‌Anatomy and Physiology

A range of subjects that are covered in this section of the test include: Cells and tissues, skeletal system, body planes, muscular system, immune system, circulatory system, endocrine system, reproductive system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system.

You’ll be given 30 minutes to answer five questions for this part.

Here is an Anatomy and Physiology question you could come across in the real HESI exam

Which of the following is not carried out by the respiratory system?

A) Gas exchange
B) Regulation of blood pH
C) Disposal of toxins
D) Filtration of inspired air

Conclusion

Should you decide to embark on a journey into a nursing program, then we hope that this article will have helped you on your way to success.

Now you know how to prepare in particular for the HESI Grammar exam, as well as having a broader understanding of what the HESI exam entails and how best to prepare for it.

You should have a good idea of what to focus on when it comes to studying, as well as where to find useful online resources available that will really help you to become well-equipped to tackle the questions that arise, in particular the practice tests available.

You will receive your results within two weeks of completing the exam – with hopefully good news for you to take your next steps into the world of nursing. Best of luck!

Written by Ralph Levi

Ralph is a freelance writer specialising in the education and professional sector. With a Master’s degree and experience working in UK universities, Ralph enjoys guiding others up the career ladder.