How Hard Is The TEAS Test

Is the TEAS Test Hard? – Everything You Need To Know

The TEAS Test is given to potential nursing students or potential medical professionals to assess their eligibility to fill the role. As a barrier to such a high-responsibility role, the test is challenging by nature.

The test has four sections, and it takes approximately three-and-a-half hours to complete the assessment. Sections are comprised of four sections: Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English Language and Usage.

But just how hard is the TEAS test? Keep reading to find out.

How Difficult Is The Content On The TEAS TEST?

Long story short, the TEAS Test is a complicated exam filled with difficult material and challenging context. But since it assesses your ability to work as a medical professional or a nurse, it makes sense that the questions are not the easiest.

Of course, each section will have easier questions that focus on basic knowledge and fundamental skills to test how well you understand the information in each section. However, the majority of the test will include more in-depth and challenging questions to see how well you understand Math, Science, and English.

Since nurses need to know basic functions and more in-depth information, it makes sense that the test asks questions about basic information and challenging information.

 

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TEAS Difficulty By Sections

A Medical Doctor Working Behind a Desk

Each section: Math, Science, English language, and reading, has various subsections that apply to the kinds of questions asked on the test.

For example, the reading section is broken into questions about content, context, and structure, so to prepare, you need to understand how sentences work in a paragraph and how to think critically to best answer the questions.

  1. Math – This section asks questions about algebra equations and rules as well as different units of data measurement. You need to familiarize yourself with high-school algebra and various mathematical rules to ace this section.
  2. Science – For the scientific portion of the TEAS, you should recall topics about biology, anatomy, physiology, and chemistry.
  3. English – The last section of the TEAS is the English language section. You will be quizzed on your ability to understand syntax, grammar, and other important rules in the English language. To prepare, you can read books and pay attention to structure and sentences, or you can crack open a dictionary or a thesaurus and look at parts of speech and language functions.

If you are worried about the difficulty of the questions in any or all sections, practice makes perfect. Head to Test-Prep Online to discover tailored prep packs for all sections of the TEAS with realistic practice exams and study guides.

 

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Kinds Of Questions

The TEAS Test Grades

The seventh version of the TEAS test, the one you will be taking to gain nursing eligibility, includes 170 different questions between the four sections.

There are four kinds of questions included on the exam:

  1. Multiple Choice
  2. Fill in the blank
  3. Hot-spot
  4. Ordered response

Let’s break down each of these question types.

1. Multiple Choice

This kind of question can be tricky or easier when compared to other kinds of questions on the TEAS test. Multiple-choice questions provide the test-taker with a few different answers to one single question, and it is your job to select the best possible answer based on the given information.

On the TEAS test, you can have four or more answer choices for any given question, and you can have more than one right answer.

You might also run into the difficult option of “not enough information to decide an answer” or the classic, “none of the answers apply to the question.” Another tricky format multiple-choice questions use is grouping answers together. Here’s a sample question.

What function do the mitochondria have in the human body?

a. It is the powerhouse of the cell
b. It regulates hormones
c. It breaks glucose into ATP
d. B and A
e. A and C

So, for this question, you have to take into account each answer and determine the best possible solution. The mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell, but one of their main functions is breaking glucose down into ATP to become the powerhouse of the cell.

So, when you’re taking the test, you might quickly read option a, circle it and move on. That would be incorrect since there is an option that encapsulates the correct answers together.

The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating hormones and other systems within the endocrine system. So, circle option E: A and C to answer the question correctly.

For each multiple-choice question, take your time, read thoroughly, pay attention to context clues, and use deductive reasoning skills to fall upon the best answer to the question and get a high TEAS test score.

 

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2. Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

Fill-in-the-blank questions can be extremely difficult because you have to use prior knowledge and context clues to come up with the correct answer. You are not given any options to choose from, and you can answer anything.

If you answer something half-correct, you might be given half-credit, but if you answer something incorrectly, you lose points. Fill-in-the-blank questions can occur in any section. For this guide, let’s use a sample mathematics problem.

Jerry has seven dollars. If he multiplies that number by four and divides it by two, how many dollars will he have left —?

For the sake of clarity, we used a relatively simple question. Questions on the TEAS test will require much more mathematical knowledge and work. Let’s solve the problem. So, seven multiplied by four is 28, and 28 divided by two is 14. Jerry has 14 dollars. Your job is to write 14 in the blank space and continue working.

To check your work, plug 14 into the equation and work backward. 14 multiplied by two is 28, and divided by four is seven. You’ve solved the problem, and you can continue with the other questions on the test. The reason this kind of question is so tricky is that you do not have any frame of reference to base your work on.

You just have to trust that you’re digesting the information and responding to the question in its entirety. All you can do is rely on your own judgment for this section.

3. Hot Spot

This section gives you a question and then several pictures. Your goal is to choose which pictures correspond to the question. Let’s use the science section for this example.

Say the picture given to you is of a human skeleton. The question asks you to identify where the cranium, the frontal lobe, and the fibula is. For this, you need to make sure you scroll over each area carefully and don’t click on anything by mistake.

You need to recall your knowledge about anatomy and the human body. Click on the corresponding location of each system mentioned and confirm your answer. A good way to study for this kind of question is to review charts or graphs with information on them.

For example, you could print blank pages of periodic tables and fill in what you know. After you complete that exercise, consult your completed periodic table and see what you got right and what you missed.

 

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4. Ordered Response

This section of questions focuses on ordering your responses. What this means is you are given a sequence of information, and you have to put those phrases in the correct order. For this example, let’s use the scientific method.

Here is what the question will show:

  • Question
  • Observe
  • Experiment
  • Hypothesize
  • Test hypothesis
  • Draw conclusions

These steps are out of order, and your job is to place them in the correct order. The one that you started to learn in grade school.

To answer the question, you will either number the steps or rearrange them in the correct order.

  1. Observe
  2. Question
  3. Research
  4. Hypothesize
  5. Experiment
  6. Test hypothesis
  7. Draw conclusions

Ordering the steps in the correct order demonstrates that you are well-versed in your scientific method and that you understand the order of functions. This translates to your potential career as a nurse or a medical professional.

 

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Scoring

Doctor woman with white coat and stethoscope

Each TEAS test is different, but the scoring methods remain the same. Additionally, each nursing school requires a different TEAS score to indicate admission, but it is always a good method to aim high.

The score comprises a composite score from all four sections of the TEAS test. Make sure to check in with your desired school to see what the passing score is for entrance.

When approaching your test date, using practice tests is a great method to ensure success. Since each question you leave blank deducts a point from your score, you need to know how to make educated guesses.

When practicing, make sure to read each item carefully, work thoroughly, and do not rush the process. You want to read each question (and answer if it applies to the kind of question) in completion so you don’t accidentally get a question wrong and lose points.

Another way to guarantee success is to work on how long it takes to answer questions. Each section has a time limit, so you need to answer every single question asked within the time limit and answer them to the best of your ability.

Wrapping Up

Whether a test is difficult or easy is subjective to each person who takes the exam. A lot of test-takers find the TEAS test to be a complicated assessment and one that requires extensive preparation. But, with the right study tools and prep packs, you can pass the test and move one step closer to becoming a nurse!

 

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