One of the stepping stone for aspiring nurses is an entry test exam known as ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills). The test is meant to gauge the student readiness and ability to handle the nursing course they aspire. The test evaluate the student skills in four major areas; Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English Language Us. However, for the aspiring nurses who are yet to take the test, the uppermost question that still remains: Is the TEAS test hard?

The short answer? It depends on your preparation, your academic foundation, and your test-taking strategy. In this blog, we’ll break down the difficulty of the TEAS exam section by section, offer insights into what makes it challenging, and share actionable tips to help you conquer it with confidence.

Let’s examine the areas that the TEAS test majorly focuses on. In U.S, the TEAS test is administered by Assessment Technologies Institute, and is a requirement for all aspiring nurses. The test evaluates various skills which relate with the nursing program one is about to partake. The table below shows the summery of the areas that the test covers.

The Four ATI TEAS Exam Sections

1. Reading
2. Mathematics
3. Science
4. English Language Usage

Let’s review it per section so that we can easily determine areas where students face challenges, and how they can overcome them.

 Reading: Moderate Difficulty

Why it’s difficult:  

The Reading section isn’t just about understanding words, it’s about interpreting meaning, analyzing arguments, and synthesizing information quickly. You’ll encounter long passages, charts, and questions that test your ability to draw conclusions and identify key ideas.

This section is not only for reading general words like a story book, and having an overview of the work, but also is a section where deep interpretation skills is required. The arguments need to be analyze, interpretation ability of charts are required, and drawing key meaningful conclusion is mandatory.

Common barriers:

- Misreading the required question stem  

- Overlooking important inferences  

- Being out of time due to lengthy passages

Tips to succeed:

- Practice proper reading methods like skimming and scanning techniques  

- Highlight main words and key phrases 

- Pre-testing; Use TEAS practice questions to simulate timed reading

Verdict: This section is moderately difficult for student who struggle with time management, and have poor reading techniques.

Why it’s challenging:  

Mathematics required accuracy and time management. This section student get tested on areas such as algebraic equations, word problems, conversions, and data interpretation. This section challenges the student because of high speed and accuracy required, plus mix of applied math and basic one.

Common pitfalls:

- Wrong formulas  

- Misreading units or conversion factors  

- Making calculation errors due to confusion and fear of time out 

Tips to succeed:

- Memorize key formulas (e.g., area, volume, percent change)  

- Practice dosage-style conversions for real-world relevance  

- Use dimensional analysis to double-check your work

Verdict: Very challenging for students with calculations errors and poor in memorizing formulas

Why it’s challenging: This section covers a wide range of science areas such as human anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry, and scientific reasoning. It is thorough and rigorous as it form the backbone of the nursing course.

Common pitfalls:

- Burn out from lengthy of content  

- Confusing of some terminology (e.g., mitosis vs. meiosis)  

- Poor scientific reasoning in tackling questions

Tips to succeed:

- Concentrate on common topics like the cardiovascular, respiratory, and endocrine systems  

- Use visual aids (diagrams, charts) to reinforce memory  

- Continuous practice to help in sharpening the skills of interpreting experimental data and hypotheses

Verdict: Very difficult due to a lot of content and reasoning required. Required continuous practice to succeed in it.

Why it’s challenging:  

This section test grammar skills. Most student take it as an easy section but actually small errors in punctuation and sentence structure always leads to loss of marks.

Common pitfalls:

- Wrong use of homophones (e.g., their vs. there)  

- Wrong identification of sentence fragments or run-ons  

- Ignoring punctuation nuances

Tips to succeed:

- Familiarize with grammar rules and common errors  

- Practice punctuation rules like editing sentences for clarity and correctness  

- Revise TEAS practice questions to reinforce patterns

Verdict: Slightly difficult. However, small mistakes can lead to loss of marks.

According to ATI, the common pass mark for TEAS score ranges around 65-70%or higher. However, very competitive program require up to 75% marks or higher. To pass the test require proper preparation

Factors that influence difficulty:

- Knowledge background (especially in science and math)  

- Time since last formal education  

- Anxiety and time management  

- Quality of study materials and practice questions

Practice questions can help the student pass the test through various function it plays:

- It make question formats familiar 

- Help student Identify weak areas  

- Enhanced speed and accuracy  

- Build confidence 

Best practices:

- Use section-specific quizzes to target weaknesses  

- Review every practice answer—right or wrong  

- Pre-test with full-length exams to build endurance

Utilize the help of platforms such as Rhenis Review which offer TEAS practice questions that can help in sharpening the question answering techniques.   

The TEAS might be hard depending on the preparation of the student. Proper preparation and mindset can make the challenges of the test surmountable.

Key takeaways:

- The Science and Math sections are the hardest  

- Reading and English require strong comprehension 

- Practice questions are essential for success  

- Strategic prep beats anxiety and create proper mindset to success

TEAS test is critical for enrollment into a nursing program, thus in order to secure your dream nursing career, the test should be approach it with focus, determination, and a plan.

Ready to start your TEAS prep journey?  

Use TEAS available practice questions, break each sections and evaluate which part required a lot of attention and improvement. This will help in mastering the exam.