🔴 Taking the HESI A2 Exam? Start With These Key Steps 🗝️

You’ve decided to take the plunge and start your journey in the healthcare industry. 

There’s a lot coming at you at once and it’s overwhelming. 

Application deadlines. Application fees. Gathering your prereqs. Comparing programs. On top of all of that, there are nursing school entrance exams like the TEAS 7, KNAT, or the HESI A2 to pay for, study for, and pass in order to make your dreams a reality. 

It’s a lot, we get it. 

So where do you start and how do you study for the HESI? 

👉 The first place to start before you start to study is to know the “requirements” based on your program. Get a sheet of paper and list out the name of your program or school and list out things such as: 

1. Application deadlines 
2. HESI test score deadlines
3. HESI test score minimum requirements
4. Sections of the HESI assessment required 
5. Explore your options for taking the HESI either remotely or in-person 

👉 Next, once you know what sections you’ll need to take for the HESI, then you can move on to the next step in getting started, which is taking a free HESI practice test. 

1. There are 3 reasons to take a practice test first and foremost: You want to get a sense of what the test is like. A realistic practice test will demonstrate to you how questions are asked in addition to you getting a feel for what sitting for each section is like. This sets realistic expectations for test day. 
2. A practice test will be able to give you a “starting” point. You can’t start studying and trying to get a higher score if you don’t even know where you’re starting at. This creates a baseline. You want all of your other attempts at practice tests to be higher than your original pre-studying scores. This is a data-driven approach to seeing your score increase. 
3. Lastly, practice tests provide diagnostic reports for each section. For example, these practice tests won’t just say you got a 59% in chemistry. It will specifically identify how you scored in each sub-topic. For example, 14% in States of Matter and 69% in Properties of Matter, and 0% in Acids and Bases. This gives you a road map of what topics to study. 

🚩 To make it easier, we have a FREE 30+ page HESI A2 Planner and Study Schedule Calendar you can access by clicking HERE. This planner is downloadable and printable. It includes pages to notate your admission journey, weekly and monthly calendar, as well as notate your HESI practice test results. Click HERE to access your planner. 🚩

In the video below, John, one of the Smart Edition Academy’s co-founders, will review how to read the diagnostic report from each section of the HESI practice test as well as share two methods of creating a realistic study schedule. John will answer commonly asked questions such as “how long should I study?” or “where should I start?” and “how do you know when you’re ready to take the real test?”.

The video goes over the core topics to study. John will review the common mistakes and misconceptions about how to create a schedule and provide tips on how to stick to your study schedule. Remember to use your HESI planner, click here to access it!

Let’s Review:

Step 1. Take a free HESI practice test. 

Step 2. Review your diagnostic report and scores by each HESI test section

Step 3. Identify your strengths – subjects within each topic you got a 70% or higher

Step 4. Identify your weaknesses – subjects within each topic you got a 69% or lower

Step 5. Create an effective study schedule where you focus on studying your “weaknesses”. We’ll go over this in detail in the next lesson.

TIP: Buy HESI study resources that align with your learning style.  

Step 6: Study and practice each weak topic repeatedly for short study sessions. We recommend studying a subject for 30-45 minutes 2-3 times a week. We’ll go over this in detail in the next lesson.

Step 7. Retake a HESI practice test after 2-3 weeks of active studying. 

Step 8: Repeat steps 3-7 until your test scores are where you want them to be.

❗ Remember that this is for you and your future self will thank you for every drop of energy, time, and drive you to put behind studying for the HESI. It’s not going to be the easiest process, but it will be worth it. If you are realistic with yourself and keep in mind what’s at stake, you’re going to surprise yourself in a good way. Always remember, you’re not alone and YOU GOT THIS. 💪