💯 How To Pass The TEAS Exam
In this lesson, we’re going to share with you generally excellent and practical study tips. In addition, we’re going to give you specific study tips and advice for the Reading, Math, Science, & English section of the TEAS exam.
Tried & True Study Tips For the TEAS Exam
👩⚕️ Study where you scroll! Follow hashtags related to #prenursing, #prenursingmajor, and #prenursingstudent, and follow social media accounts like Nurse Melissa on TikTok for practice questions.
Follow Nurse Melissa on TikTok: @smart_edition_academy
🩺 Join an active TEAS study group like this one. This TEAS study groups have thousands of students studying for the TEAS exam asking questions, sharing practice problems, and more. The best part is students who just took the test share their tips and insight every day in the test so you get the most updated info!
🎯 Be targeted and specific in your studying. Don’t just say “I’m going to study science”. Instead, identify ahead of time; I’m going to focus on biology this week; today, I’m going to review the foundations of biology, and tomorrow, I’ll review cell structure, type, and function. This goes back to making a plan and a study schedule based on the results of your free TEAS practice test.
Use a science study planner like this one!
🏆 Lastly, don’t attempt to memorize questions. Don’t try to memorize the periodic table. If prompted with a question about the periodic table, it will be shown to you. Even more important is not memorizing “leaked questions” from files or student-generated content like Quizlet.
Not only is it impossible to accurately memorize questions for the TEAS assessment as they are different versions, but, it’s not feasible and goes against the purpose of these entrance exams.
There’s a reason you’re being tested on this material. If you don’t actually know and comprehend the material beyond something you temporarily memorized, you won’t succeed in the program as you’ll fall behind your peers. Learn the material, your future self will thank you.
Tips for the English Section 📖
The English section has fewer questions, so each question is “worth” more. Answering a handful of questions incorrectly can really negatively impact your overall score. Don’t sleep on this section; study it!
The TEAS English section includes 37 questions in 37 minutes.
The subject matter is fundamental, but it is vast, and many students, regardless of how recently or how long ago they were in school, find this section challenging.
Overall, the English section tests your knowledge on:
- Spelling
- Capitalization
- Punctuation
- Nouns
- Pronouns
- Adjectives & Adverbs
- Conjunctions & Prepositions
- Verbs & Verb Tenses
- Subject and Verb Agreement
- Types of Sentences
- Types of Clauses
- Formal and Informal Language
- Root Words, Prefixes, & Suffixes
- Context Clues & Multiple Meaning Words
One of the MAJOR tips we can share with you regarding the English section is to take your time and read what the question is *actually* asking you. It’s also important to study the common type of conjunctions, prepositions, and more so you can recognize the correct answer quickly.
You know you’re going to ace this section when you can read any sentence in front of you and be able to properly label within that sentence what the noun, verb, subject, conjunction, etc is. That’s the best way to practice. 💯💯💯
Below are ten realistic questions that may appear on the English exam to give you a sense of what the real test section is like:
- Which word or phrase does the underlined modifier describe?
- Select the pair of correlative conjunctions that would not be correct in the following sentence.
- What is the verb in the following sentence?
- Select the part of speech that is always in the predicate.
- Which of the following options correctly fixes the run-on sentence below?
- Identify the direct object in the following sentence, if there is one.
- How many direct objects are in the following sentence?
- How many pronouns are in the following sentence?
- How many adjectives are in the following sentence?
- Select the correct adverb to complete the following sentence.
As you can review from reading the questions, you will be given random sentences or short paragraphs to analyze and identify the various parts of speech and grammar. As you can imagine, this means really honing into your studying to make sure you have enough time to review and refresh your knowledge of English grammar and to fit in as much studying as you can for this section.
Tips for the Reading Section 📚
The reading section will have 45 questions and you’ll have 55 minutes.
The reading section of the TEAS will comprise of questions about:
🔹 Main Ideas, Topic Sentences, and Supporting Details
🔹 Summarizing Text and Using Text Features
🔹 Tone, Mood, and Transition Words
🔹 The Author’s Purpose and Point of View
🔹 Facts, Opinions, and Evaluating an Argument
🔹 Understanding Primary Sources, Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions
This test section can be tricky, especially during a time crunch. Moreover, it can be difficult to grasp exactly what you’ll be tested on and how to get better at those skills, especially as you’re probably thinking to yourself, “I can read, but what’s all the other stuff?”. So, here are 5 helpful tips for studying for this section:
- Understand that you can dissect and save time on a question by learning the types of questions within the reading section and what you have to do to find the answer.
For example, you sometimes only need to look for specific words within a section if the question is asking you to infer what a word means or the tone of the passage. Knowing how to find the answer eliminates the need to read the entire passage. On the other hand, questions asking for the main idea or supporting details require you to read the passage in full and have an understanding of what the author is trying to convey.
- Don’t underestimate this section. The reading section takes a lot of TEAS test takers by surprise because of how in-depth and tricky some of the questions can be. Also, over time, we know that we can read, but we may lose practice with skills we were taught yers ago. Actively study this section and take it just as seriously as you would math or science.
- Read more. Actively practice in your day-to-day life by reading the newspaper, a magazine article, or anyone of the other 100+ notifications you receive on your phone or just open your email inbox. Read as much as you can and ask yourself questions as you’re reading such as: what is the author trying to say? What stance is the article taking? Is this factual and credible or someone’s opinion?
- Practice taking a timed test with multiple visual and written passages to absorb. Actively practice answering TEAS reading practice test questions from either a test bank or a TEAS practice test. Learning how to sit for 53 reading questions and reading new information while being tested is mentally and physically tolling. The more you can practice, the more you recognize what questions are asking you, which lets you practice how to find the correct answers quicker.
- Look for clues. Each subject you’re being tested on has giveaway clues that you can learn to be on the lookout for in the passage. Learning common transition words, how to spot mood or bias in text, or where to find the main idea in a sentence can not only save so much time on the test but help you identify the correct answers.
Tips for the Math Section 👩🏫
The math section of the TEAS only allows you to use a basic 4-function calculator. While you’re studying and solving practice problems, start getting the hang of using a 4-function calculator. The calculator that is provided to you in person or on the screen if you are taking the test remotely will include addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, square root, and percentages.
You want to study and memorize not only basic formulas but also conversions. You will be expected to know things like how to convert milliliters to ounces for example or how to convert Fahrenheit to Celcius. You will not be provided formulas on the TEAS and you will not be provided with a basic conversions chart.
💡 A tip that we always share with students for test day is as soon as you can start the math section of the test, scribble down on your blank sheet of paper all of the formulas you remember. This is 100% allowed. You just cannot write the formulas on the paper before because you will be required to show it to the proctor.
The key important formulas to memorize as well as know-how to solve for the correct answer include:
- Measurements for circles (circumference, radius, diameter)
- Measurements for area and volume of triangles, squares, cylinder, cones, and rectangles
- Fahrenheit to Celcius
You also want to study and know like the back of your hand conversions between standard and metric systems. You should be studying weight/volume standards of measure as well as length. For example, pints, ounces, milliliters, liters, and so forth.
In addition, you need to study and familiarize yourself with time conversions. This includes military time to standard time as well as hours to seconds, days to years, etc.
Fractions are incredibly popular on the TEAS exam. You will encounter questions about adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying fractions as well as proportions and ratios.
Overall, focus the core of your studying of the math section around word problems, fractions, ratios, proportions, conversions, order of operations, and word problems. Yes, you will encounter one-step linear equations, basic algebra, and even possibly a question on Roman numerals. However, the majority of the questions will focus on fractions, word problems, conversions, and order of operations.
There’s a little bit of everything on the math section of the TEAS, but according to our friend, Brandon Craft, who actually helped us create all of our TEAS math videos in our math lessons in our TEAS online course, the top 5 areas where most students make mistakes that cause them to get an incorrect answer are:
- Word Problems
- Proportions
- Long Decimals
- Conversions
- Order of Operation Problems
With these 5 types of math problems, make sure that you are focused on what the question is actually asking you. The TEAS is notorious for providing answer selections that are mostly the common errors if you miss a step or read the problem incorrectly.
Tips for the Science Section 🩸
The science section of the TEAS is comprised of questions on chemistry, life sciences, and A&P. There is a lot to know, and it is very easy to get overwhelmed, but it’s even easier to end up studying the wrong material altogether. The TEAS tests you primarily on your knowledge of what something is and how it works/functions, and tests to ensure you fundamentally understand the topic.
For example, You won’t encounter simpler questions on the TEAS Exam, such as “When this valve closes, and this one opens, what does it release?” Instead, the question might say:
“When the pulmonic valve closes and the aortic valve opens, it releases what type of blood?”
The question is going to be much more detailed than that. You will not only need to know it releases blood but also what type of blood, so you need to know the anatomy of blood and the blood flow process to answer the question correctly.
The A&P section can be divided into three core parts: The Organization of Systems, Support & Movement, and Integration and Control. You’ll be tested on the organization of the Human body, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, reproductive, skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, and integumentary systems.
Questions about chemistry include states of matter, properties of matter, chemical bonds, chemical solutions, and acids and bases. You’ll need to know how to balance a chemical equation, molarity, moles, periodic table trends, osmosis, and more for the chemistry questions.
You will encounter topics in biology such as cell structure, function, and type, cellular reproduction, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, microorganisms, disease transmission, macromolecules, genetics, and DNA.
For the scientific reasoning questions, you’ll need to know how to design an experiment, scientific tools and conversions, scientific notation, scientific reasoning, and the scientific method.
Common Questions About Studying for the TEAS Exam ❓
“Should I study one subject at a time or study a few sections at a time?”
It’s okay to skip around if you have a plan, meaning you know everything you need to study and you have a schedule of when you’ll study each topic. It’s also okay to skip around as long as you spend time revisiting each topic you have studied a few times before your test.
“What are some small ways to incorporate studying into my day?”
Some of our students who have scored 90% and higher say their secret was listening to the videos in the online course in their car or while at work which allowed them to multitask.
“How long should I study for?”
The ideal time frame is 6-8 weeks, however, this is different for every person. Some people are straight out of school and just wrapped up their final semester and only need to refresh their fundamentals, whereas others have been out of school for a little longer. All of that is okay. You want to give yourself more time than not enough time.