The ATI TEAS 7 has four sections, always given in the same order: Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage. Together they hold 170 questions and 209 minutes of testing time. Of those 170 questions, 150 are scored and 20 are unscored pretest items mixed in that you cannot identify. Each section is timed separately, and once you close a section you cannot return to it.
Here is the sentence worth memorizing: the TEAS is four separately timed mini-tests, and unused time never carries forward — so pacing is a skill you have to train, not a bonus you earn by finishing early.
If you have been staring at a study guide's table of contents wondering where to start, this article gives you the map first. Everything below comes from ATI's official TEAS exam details and its help center, checked against those pages at publication.
What are the four sections of the TEAS 7?
Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage — in that order, every time, for every test taker in the country. Unlike the HESI A2, the TEAS is not modular: your school does not get to pick which sections you sit. Here is the full structure.
| Section | Questions | Unscored | Scored | Time | Roughly per question |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 | 6 | 39 | 55 min | ~73 seconds |
| Mathematics | 38 | 4 | 34 | 57 min | ~90 seconds |
| Science | 50 | 6 | 44 | 60 min | ~72 seconds |
| English and Language Usage | 37 | 4 | 33 | 37 min | ~60 seconds |
| Total | 170 | 20 | 150 | 209 min | — |
Three rules about timing that catch people off guard:
- You may move freely within a section while time remains — review, change answers, flag and return. Once you close the section, it is locked.
- You can leave a section early, but the leftover minutes are gone. They do not roll into Science.
- You get one 10-minute break, and it comes after Math. Per ATI, this break is available for both in-person and at-home remote testing, and you may use the restroom or get water — but not touch your phone, notes, or study materials.
Total seat time is longer than 209 minutes once you add check-in, the tutorial, and the break. Most testing centers advise blocking out about four hours.
What does each TEAS section actually test?
Each section is broken into ATI's own sub-content areas, and ATI publishes the exact number of scored questions in each one. This is the single most useful table in TEAS prep, because it tells you where the points live.
| Section | Sub-content areas (scored questions) |
|---|---|
| Reading | Key ideas and details (15) · Craft and structure (9) · Integration of knowledge and ideas (15) |
| Mathematics | Numbers and algebra (18) · Measurement and data (16) |
| Science | Human anatomy and physiology (18) · Biology (9) · Chemistry (8) · Scientific reasoning (9) |
| English and Language Usage | Conventions of standard English (12) · Knowledge of language (11) · Using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing (10) |
Reading (45 questions, 55 minutes)
Reading is a comprehension test, not a literature test — you are never asked what you already know about the topic. You will work through passages and also through non-prose material: labels, indexes, schedules, charts, maps, and directions. The three sub-areas map to three habits: find what the passage says (key ideas and details), notice how it is built and who wrote it (craft and structure), and combine two sources or a source plus a graphic to reach a conclusion (integration of knowledge and ideas). At roughly 73 seconds per question, the students who struggle here are usually re-reading passages, not misunderstanding them.
Mathematics (38 questions, 57 minutes)
Math is the shortest section by question count and the most generous per question. Numbers and algebra carries the most weight: fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, proportions, order of operations, and one-variable equations. Measurement and data covers unit conversions (metric and household), geometry basics, and interpreting tables and graphs. A calculator is provided — ATI confirms that a calculator is built into the computer-based exam, and that you may not bring your own. You are allowed one blank sheet of 8.5 x 11 scratch paper.
Science (50 questions, 60 minutes)
Science is the biggest section and the one most students name as the hardest. Human anatomy and physiology alone accounts for 18 of the 44 scored questions — more than biology and chemistry combined. That is why "study science" is bad advice and "study body systems first" is good advice. Scientific reasoning covers experimental design, interpreting data, measurement tools, and the logic of evidence, which is learnable quickly compared to memorizing anatomy. We break this section down week by week in our TEAS 7 science study plan.
English and Language Usage (37 questions, 37 minutes)
Exactly one minute per question, and it is the last thing you do after nearly three hours of testing — so fatigue is a real factor. Content is grammar and mechanics: punctuation, sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, parts of speech, spelling, formal versus informal language, and using context and word parts to work out meaning. It is the most memorizable section on the exam and the cheapest place to buy back points if your rules are rusty.
What kinds of questions are on the TEAS 7?
Mostly standard four-option multiple choice, plus four "alternate item types" that ATI says make up roughly 20% of question types on the exam. None of them are hard once you have seen them — but meeting one for the first time on test day is an avoidable jolt.
| Item type | What you do | Partial credit? |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice | Pick one of four options; some include charts, exhibits, or graphics | N/A |
| Multiple select | "Select all that apply" from four or more options | No — you must select every correct answer |
| Supply answer | Type the answer yourself; text or a numerical value | No |
| Hot spot | Click the correct region on an image (two to five clickable areas) | No |
| Ordered response | Drag four to six options into the correct order | No — one item out of order makes it wrong |
The "no partial credit" rule is the part to internalize. On a select-all-that-apply item, four right choices and one missed choice scores the same as a blank. And because unanswered questions count as incorrect, there is never a reason to leave anything empty — guess and move on.
One quiet upside: these formats are common inside nursing programs and on the NCLEX, so practicing them now is not wasted effort.
How is the TEAS 7 scored, and what is a passing score?
Your score report shows a Total score, four Content Area scores (one per section), and Sub-Content Area scores — all on a 0.0 to 100% scale. There is no universal passing score. ATI does not set one; each nursing or allied health program sets its own minimum.
The mechanics matter more than most students realize:
- Total and Content Area scores are equated. They start as the percentage of items you answered correctly, then get adjusted for differences in difficulty between exam forms. That is what makes your score comparable to someone who sat a different version — and it is why your score report labels the headline number an adjusted total.
- You cannot rebuild the total from the parts. ATI states plainly that content area scores cannot be used to calculate the total score, and sub-content scores cannot be used to calculate content area scores. If your own arithmetic disagrees with the report, the report is right.
- Sub-content scores are raw percentages and are not equated, so ATI advises against comparing them across attempts or forms. Use them as a study map, not a scoreboard.
- The 20 pretest items are invisible and do not count. You cannot spot them, so treat every question as scored.
Careful here: some programs do not use ATI's total score at all. They recompute a composite by averaging your four section percentages themselves, and their number can differ from the one printed on your report. That is not an error — it is policy, and it varies by school. We walk through real published examples in how nursing schools actually use TEAS and HESI scores.
Which TEAS section is hardest?
There is no official answer, and anyone who gives you a percentage is making it up. In our experience working with pre-nursing students, Science is the section most often named hardest — but the reason is worth unpacking, because it changes what you should do about it.
- Science feels hardest because of volume, not difficulty. Fifty questions across four sub-areas, with anatomy and physiology carrying the biggest share, means there is simply more to know.
- English feels hardest because of position and pace. One minute per question at the end of a three-and-a-half hour exam is a stamina problem disguised as a grammar problem.
- Math feels hardest to students who have been away from school — but it is the most trainable section on the exam, because the skill list is short and finite.
- Reading feels hardest to slow, careful readers, who lose points to the clock rather than to comprehension.
Notice that three of those four are pacing problems. That is the honest headline of TEAS prep: content gaps and timing gaps look identical on a score report, and they need completely different fixes.
How do I find my weakest section before I start studying?
Take a timed diagnostic before you open a single study guide, then read the results at the sub-content level. Studying front-to-back through a book is the most common way to waste six weeks: you spend your freshest hours on Reading, which you probably do not need, and reach anatomy and physiology exhausted.
A diagnostic that is actually useful tells you three things:
- Which section is weakest — where your percentage sits relative to the rest.
- Which sub-content area inside it is weakest — "Science" is not a study plan; "human anatomy and physiology, specifically the endocrine and renal systems" is.
- Whether you ran out of time — count the questions you left blank or rushed in the last five minutes. If that number is large, your problem is pacing, and more content review will not fix it.
Then build the plan backwards from the deadline: weakest sub-content first, timed full-length simulations at least twice before test day, and short spaced reviews of material you have already learned so it is still there in week six. That is exactly how our TEAS prep is structured — a free rapid diagnostic, adaptive per-skill training, then full-length simulations with real exam timing.
Quick answers to common TEAS section questions
- Can I skip a section? No. The TEAS is proctored as a complete package; you cannot sit individual sections.
- Can I go back to a previous section? No. Within a section, yes, while time remains. Once closed, it is closed.
- Do I get a calculator? Yes — one is built into the computer-based exam. You cannot bring your own.
- Do unanswered questions hurt me? They count as incorrect, and there is no penalty for guessing. Never leave a blank.
- When do I get my scores? Immediately after a computer-based exam, per ATI, though it can take up to 48 hours to appear in your ATI account, and some schools turn off automatic scoring.
- How long are scores good for? ATI says typically two years, but schools set their own validity windows — some accept three. Check your program's page, not a forum.
The TEAS is a content exam over material you can learn, given under a clock you can train for. Map the sections, find your real gaps, and spend your weeks where the questions actually are.