HESI Admission Assessment (A2) Exam
HESI® A2 Practice Test
This HESI A2 practice test covers the seven academic exams of the HESI Admission Assessment: Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and General Knowledge, Grammar, Basic Math Skills, Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology. Your nursing program chooses which of them you take and what score it requires; there is no universal passing score. The free 25-question diagnostic shows which subjects need work.
The free HESI A2 diagnostic is being prepared and is not open yet. The exam facts and the content outline on this page are current.
The first thing to find out is not on this page: which of the seven exams your school requires. Some programs ask for all of them, many for only some, and you gain nothing by preparing Chemistry for a program that does not test it. Your school's admissions page or your registration email will say. Then come back and practice those sections.
The A2 is a test of things you learned before nursing school: reading a passage and saying what it means, fractions and proportions, parts of speech, the cell, the periodic table, the body systems. Most of it is recall and method rather than judgment, which makes practice unusually efficient. A missed question nearly always points to one specific thing you can relearn in a few minutes, and each explanation here says what that thing is.
The HESI A2 exam at a glance
What you are preparing for, in the exam owner's own numbers.
| Delivery | Computer-based and proctored, arranged through the school the candidate is applying to: on the school's computers or the candidate's own device using Elsevier's secure browser, in person or with live remote proctoring. Elsevier also offers distance testing through Prometric (test center or remote) for candidates given a department ID by their school. |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Taken by applicants to nursing and health professions programs. Registration is by a link, access code or department ID supplied by the school, and each school decides which of the exams its applicants must take. |
| Passing standard | There is no universal passing score; each program sets its own minimum. Elsevier's interpretive guidance treats 90-100% as excellent, 80-89% as very good, and 75-79% as satisfactory for associate and baccalaureate applicants (70-79% for certificate programs). |
| Retakes | Set by the school or program. Elsevier provides multiple versions of each exam so that applicants can be retested. |
| Outline in force | HESI Admission Assessment (A2): seven academic exams, as described in Elsevier's 2022 white paper (Table 1) |
Exam facts are taken from Elsevier’s own published material, last checked October 2, 2026. Source. Confirm fees, dates and rules with the organization you register with before you book.
The seven academic exams. The counts are Elsevier's scored questions (50 for each English and math exam, 25 for each science exam) plus five unscored pilot questions per exam, and the times are Elsevier's suggested times. Your school may set different limits, and most schools require only some of the exams.
| Exam | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 55 | 60 minutes |
| Vocabulary and General Knowledge | 55 | 50 minutes |
| Grammar | 55 | 50 minutes |
| Basic Math Skills | 55 | 50 minutes |
| Biology | 30 | 25 minutes |
| Chemistry | 30 | 25 minutes |
| Anatomy and Physiology | 30 | 25 minutes |
Who takes it
Applicants to nursing and other health professions programs. You do not register with Elsevier independently: the school you are applying to gives you a link, an access code or a department ID, and each school decides which exams its applicants take, what score it wants, and whether and how often you may retest.
What the HESI A2 exam covers
The weights below are each exam's share of the scored questions if you took all seven. If your school requires fewer, your own mix is different.
| Domain | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1Reading Comprehension4 tasks | 18.2% |
|
| 2Vocabulary and General Knowledge2 tasks | 18.2% |
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| 3Grammar3 tasks | 18.2% |
|
| 4Basic Math Skills6 tasks | 18.2% |
|
| 5Biology7 tasks | 9.1% |
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| 6Chemistry6 tasks | 9.1% |
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| 7Anatomy and Physiology3 tasks | 9.1% |
|
How to use the bank for the HESI A2 exam
- 1
Confirm your sections, then take the diagnostic
The 25-question diagnostic samples all seven subjects. Ignore the results for any exam your school does not require.
- 2
Do math by method
Basic Math Skills is arithmetic, fractions, decimals, ratio and proportion, and household measures. Redo each missed problem on paper until the method is automatic.
- 3
Treat vocabulary and grammar as separate jobs
Vocabulary is words used in general and health care settings; Grammar is parts of speech and common errors. They are two different exams, each with its own score.
- 4
Practice each exam at its own pace
Elsevier's suggested times work out at between about 50 and 65 seconds a question, depending on the exam. Use timed sets one subject at a time, the way the exams are delivered, rather than one long mixed sitting.
What is in the paid HESI A2 bank
The question bank
The HESI A2 bank is still being written. The live count appears here when questions are published.
Every option explained
A written reason for every option, right and wrong, plus a one-line takeaway, a cited reference and the outline task the question tests.
Tutor mode and timed mode
Tutor mode shows the explanation after each question. Timed mode holds everything back until the end, at exam pace.
A readiness band, by domain
Your first-attempt results weighted the way the exam weights its domains, shown as a band rather than a pass probability: nobody outside the exam owner knows the cut score.
A study plan
Set your exam date and the plan divides the questions you have not seen across the days you have left, weakest domains first, with the mock exams placed in the back half.
HESI A2 passes
A pass is access for a fixed number of days. You pay once; nothing renews.
30-day pass
$29one-off
- The full HESI A2 bank for 30 days
- Every mock exam, tutor and timed modes
- Charged once. It does not renew.
90-day pass
$49one-off
- The full HESI A2 bank for 90 days
- Every mock exam, tutor and timed modes
- Charged once. It does not renew.
Refund within 7 days if you have answered fewer than 50 questions. Pass guarantee: complete 100% of the bank with an average of 80% or better, and if you still do not pass the exam your pass is extended by 90 days at no charge.
How the questions are written and checked
Step 1
Written to the public outline
Each question is written by AI against one task in Elsevier's published content outline. Nothing is taken from the exam itself.
Step 2
Solved blind by a second model
A different model answers the question without seeing the key. If it does not reach the same answer, the question is not published.
Step 3
Audited for flaws and duplicates
A separate pass looks for item-writing flaws: two defensible answers, a giveaway in the wording, a rationale that contradicts the key. Near-duplicates are removed.
Step 4
Corrected in public
Learners can report any question. Reports and answer statistics flag questions for withdrawal or correction, and every correction is logged.
There is no human subject-matter-expert review in that process, and we do not claim one. What you get instead is a cited reference on every question, so you can check it yourself. Read the full methodology or see the corrections log.
HESI A2 practice questions: common questions
What is on the HESI A2 exam?
Seven academic exams: Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and General Knowledge, Grammar, Basic Math Skills, Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology. Each school chooses which of them its applicants take.
How many questions are on the HESI A2?
It depends on which exams your school requires. Elsevier describes 50 scored questions in each of the four English and math exams and 25 in each of the three science exams, with five unscored pilot questions added to each. Taking all seven would be 310 questions; most applicants take fewer.
What is a passing score on the HESI A2?
There is no universal passing score. Each program sets its own minimum. Elsevier's interpretive guidance treats 90 to 100% as excellent, 80 to 89% as very good and 75 to 79% as satisfactory for associate and baccalaureate applicants, but the number that matters is your school's.
How long is the HESI A2 exam?
Elsevier publishes suggested times for each exam rather than fixed limits: 60 minutes for Reading Comprehension, 50 each for Vocabulary, Grammar and Math, and 25 for each science exam. Schools may set different limits, so check yours.
How much does the HESI A2 cost?
Elsevier publishes no single fee. The price is set by the school you test through, or by the test center for distance testing, so ask the program you are applying to.
Can I retake the HESI A2?
That is your school's decision. Elsevier provides multiple versions of each exam so that applicants can be retested, but how many attempts you get and how long you must wait are set by the program.
Is this HESI A2 practice test free?
The 25-question diagnostic is free and needs no account. The full bank is on a paid pass that is charged once and does not renew.
Is the HESI A2 the same as the HESI exit exam?
No. The A2 is an admission assessment taken before entering a program. This question bank is for the A2 only.
HESI® is a registered trademark of Elsevier Inc. This site is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Elsevier or HESI. Practice questions here are original and are not actual HESI Admission Assessment questions.