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TEAS 7 Study Guide: An Independent Plan for the ATI TEAS®

The ATI TEAS Version 7 has 150 scored questions: Science 44, Reading 39, Mathematics 34, and English and Language Usage 33. A study plan should follow those numbers, starting with human anatomy and physiology, which at 18 questions is the largest single block of science. This free guide is independent of ATI and is not ATI's own study guide; it sets out what each section tests, how each one is timed, and a six-week plan.

Two facts about the TEAS should shape how you study. The first is that the four sections are timed separately, at different paces, so being ready means being ready four times: a comfortable speed in Mathematics is too slow for English and Language Usage. The second is that the score you need is set by your program, not by ATI, so the right amount of study depends on a number you have to look up.

ATI's public exam page names the sub-areas within each section and gives the number of scored questions in each. It does not publish the detailed objectives beneath them. The question counts on this page are ATI's; the descriptions of what each sub-area involves are our reading of its name, in our own words. The percentages in the weights table below are each section's scored questions out of 150. Registration, cost, scoring and retakes are on the separate exam overview page, linked at the end of this one.

Where the points are

The share of the exam each part of the current outline carries. Where the weights differ, study time should follow them.

DomainWeightTasks
3Science29.3%4
1Reading26%3
2Mathematics22.7%2
4English and Language Usage22%3

The ATI TEAS outline, task by task

1Reading26%

Thirty-nine scored questions. Key ideas and details (15) asks what a passage or graphic says: its main point and the details that support it. Craft and structure (9) asks how it is written: the author's purpose, point of view and choice of words. Integration of knowledge and ideas (15) asks you to combine, compare and judge information and arguments, sometimes from more than one source.

  • 1.1Key ideas and details (15 scored questions): work out what a passage or graphic says, including its main points and the details that support them.
  • 1.2Craft and structure (9 scored questions): judge how a text is written and organized, including the author's wording, purpose and point of view.
  • 1.3Integration of knowledge and ideas (15 scored questions): combine, compare and evaluate information and arguments drawn from one or more sources.

Where people lose points: The clock. Reading gives 55 minutes for 45 questions, about 73 seconds each, and that has to cover reading the passages too. Read the question before the passage so you know what you are looking for. The other trap is the option that is true but is not what the passage says; the answer must be supported by the text in front of you.

2Mathematics22.7%

Thirty-four scored questions. Numbers and algebra (18) is computation with whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percentages, and solving problems that involve algebraic expressions and equations. Measurement and data (16) is measurement problems, unit conversion, and reading and reasoning from tables, charts and graphs.

  • 2.1Numbers and algebra (18 scored questions): compute with numbers and solve problems that involve algebraic expressions and equations.
  • 2.2Measurement and data (16 scored questions): solve measurement problems and read, interpret and reason from data displays.

Where people lose points: Translating words into an equation. The arithmetic is rarely the problem, especially with a calculator built in; choosing what to calculate is. Practice writing the equation before touching the calculator. Be ready for fill-in-the-blank questions, where there are no options to check your answer against, and keep track of units in every measurement problem.

3Science29.3%

Forty-four scored questions, the largest section. Human anatomy and physiology is 18 of them: the structure and function of the body's systems. Biology (9) and chemistry (8) cover core concepts of each. Scientific reasoning (9) is about investigations, measurement and evidence: what an experiment shows and what it does not.

  • 3.1Human anatomy and physiology (18 scored questions): describe the structure and function of the human body and its systems.
  • 3.2Biology (9 scored questions): apply core concepts of the life sciences.
  • 3.3Chemistry (8 scored questions): apply core concepts of chemistry.
  • 3.4Scientific reasoning (9 scored questions): reason about scientific investigations, measurements and evidence.

Where people lose points: Spreading time evenly across the four sub-areas. Anatomy and physiology is worth more than biology and chemistry put together, so it should get the most hours. Scientific reasoning is the opposite kind of opportunity: it tests a way of thinking, not a body of facts, and its nine questions can be earned with practice even if your science background is thin.

4English and Language Usage22%

Thirty-three scored questions. Conventions of standard English (12) is the rules: spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure. Knowledge of language (11) is choosing wording that suits the context and makes writing clear. Using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing (10) is word meaning and precise word choice.

  • 4.1Conventions of standard English (12 scored questions): apply the rules of standard written English.
  • 4.2Knowledge of language (11 scored questions): choose language that suits the context and make writing clear and well formed.
  • 4.3Using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing (10 scored questions): pick words and phrasing that convey meaning precisely in written work.

Where people lose points: Running out of time. This is the fastest section on the exam: 37 questions in 37 minutes. A rule you have to reason out costs you the next question, so the punctuation and agreement rules need to be automatic before test day. On vocabulary questions, use the sentence around the word before you fall back on what you think the word means.

A study plan

  1. Before you start

    Look up the score your program requires, and whether it sets a minimum for any single section. Then take the free 25-question diagnostic, which reports all four sections separately. The gap between your result and your program's number, section by section, is your plan.

  2. Week 1: anatomy and physiology

    One or two body systems a day: what the system is for, its main organs, and how it works. This is the largest block of science questions and usually the one with the most to learn, so it goes first, while you have the most time left to review it.

  3. Week 2: the rest of Science

    Finish anatomy and physiology, then biology and chemistry at the level of core concepts. End the week with scientific reasoning: variables, controls, measurement, and what a set of results does and does not support.

  4. Week 3: Mathematics

    Numbers and algebra first: fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and proportions, then expressions and equations. Then measurement and data: measurement problems, unit conversions, and reading tables and graphs. Do word problems every day.

  5. Week 4: Reading

    Timed passages from the start, because pace is the main difficulty. After each set, sort your misses into the three sub-areas to see whether you lose points on what a text says, on how it is written, or on comparing and evaluating sources.

  6. Week 5: English and Language Usage

    Grammar, punctuation and sentence structure, then word choice and vocabulary. Practice at one minute a question from the first day, since that is the section's pace.

  7. Week 6: timed sections, then the whole exam

    Each section on its own timer: 55, 57, 60 and 37 minutes. Then one full-length sitting of all four, 3 hours 29 minutes in total, to check that your concentration lasts. Use the remaining days on whatever that sitting exposed.

The free ATI TEAS diagnostic is being prepared and is not open yet. The exam facts and the content outline on this page are current.

Where the 150 scored questions are

Ranked by size, the twelve sub-areas look like this. The list is the simplest guide to where study time pays: the top three sub-areas are over a third of the exam, and the top five are more than half.

  • Human anatomy and physiology (Science): 18
  • Numbers and algebra (Mathematics): 18
  • Measurement and data (Mathematics): 16
  • Key ideas and details (Reading): 15
  • Integration of knowledge and ideas (Reading): 15
  • Conventions of standard English (English): 12
  • Knowledge of language (English): 11
  • Using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing (English): 10
  • Biology (Science): 9
  • Craft and structure (Reading): 9
  • Scientific reasoning (Science): 9
  • Chemistry (Science): 8

Four clocks, four paces

Mathematics is the most generous section at a minute and a half a question. Reading and Science are each a little over 70 seconds. English and Language Usage is exactly a minute. Because each section is timed on its own, time you save in one cannot be spent in another.

So practice each section at its own pace, and decide in advance what you will do with a question that is taking too long. Unscored pretest questions are mixed in, 20 across the exam, so treat every question as if it counts.

Practice the question types, not just the content

Besides multiple choice, ATI lists multiple select, fill in the blank, ordered response and hot spot questions. Each one removes a habit that multiple choice allows. Multiple select means deciding every option on its merits. Fill in the blank means there is nothing to eliminate and no option to confirm your arithmetic. Ordered response means knowing a whole sequence. Meet each type in practice before you meet it under the clock.

How long to study

Six weeks is the plan above. It can shrink if your diagnostic already sits near your program's number, and it should grow if your science is weak, since anatomy and physiology is the slowest material to learn. Work back from your application deadline, leaving time for your school to receive the score.

ATI requires no wait between attempts, but your program may limit how many it accepts, and every retake costs $120 again. Prepare for one attempt.

What to study from

These are the sources the questions in the bank cite. The outline in force is the ATI TEAS Version 7.

ATI TEAS study guide: common questions

Is this TEAS study guide free?

Yes. The guide on this page is free, and so is the 25-question diagnostic. The paid pass adds the full question bank, timed section practice and full-length mock exams.

Is this the ATI TEAS study guide that ATI publishes?

No. ATI publishes and sells its own study guide for TEAS Version 7. This page is an independent guide built from the exam structure ATI makes public; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by ATI.

What should I study for the TEAS test?

The four sections in proportion to their scored questions: Science (44), Reading (39), Mathematics (34), and English and Language Usage (33). Within Science, give the most time to human anatomy and physiology, which is 18 questions.

How long should I study for the TEAS?

About six weeks of steady study covers all four sections. The right length for you depends on the gap between your diagnostic result and the score your program requires.

What should I study first for the TEAS?

Human anatomy and physiology. It is tied for the largest sub-area on the exam and takes the longest to learn, so it benefits most from an early start and repeated review.

Which TEAS section is the hardest?

It depends on your background. By the numbers, Science has the most questions and the widest content, and English and Language Usage has the tightest timing at a minute a question. Your diagnostic result by section is a better guide than any general answer.

What should I study from?

ATI's exam-details page for the structure, and standard introductory texts for the content; the free OpenStax books for anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry and prealgebra are listed in the references on this page. ATI also sells its own study guide.

ATI TEAS® is a registered trademark of Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC (ATI). This site is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ATI. Practice questions here are original and are not actual TEAS exam questions.