TEAS vs HESI, and how to tell which one you will sit
The TEAS and HESI A2 are both nursing entrance exams, but your program picks which you sit. How the two differ in format, length, and scoring, and how to tell.
You do not pick between the TEAS and the HESI A2. Your nursing program does, and the single most useful thing you can do today is check its admissions page to see which one it names. Both are entrance exams that decide whether you are ready for nursing coursework, but they are built by different companies and they are built differently. Here is what separates them, so that once you know which one you sit, you know what you are walking into.
Who makes each, and why it matters
The TEAS is published by ATI, and the HESI A2 by Elsevier. That is not trivia. It is why the two exams behave differently, because each company designed its test on its own terms. ATI ships one standardised TEAS: the same four sections, in the same order, for every test-taker in the country. Elsevier ships the HESI A2 as a kit of subject areas, and lets each school choose which pieces to require.
Same job, different build. Both exams screen for readiness, not knowledge you will use ward-side. Treat whichever one you sit as a preparation problem, since that is what it is.
That difference in philosophy, fixed versus modular, drives almost everything else below.
The core differences
The TEAS is one shape. The HESI A2 is many, because your school assembles it from up to eight subject areas. The figures below are what ATI reports for the TEAS and what nursing programs commonly report for the HESI A2, but always confirm the HESI details against your own program, since it decides the sections and the clock.
| TEAS (ATI) | HESI A2 (Elsevier) | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Fixed and standardised | Modular, chosen by your school |
| Sections | 4, the same for everyone | Up to 8 subject areas |
| Questions | 170 | Up to roughly 326 |
| Time | 209 minutes | Commonly a 4-hour limit, sometimes longer |
| Question types | Multiple choice plus multiple-select, fill-in-the-blank, and ordered response | Mostly multiple choice |
| Score | A Total Score percentage plus a proficiency band | A percentage for each section |
The headline is length and predictability. The TEAS is shorter and identical for every applicant. The HESI A2 can be much longer, but only if your school requires all of its parts, and many do not.
What each one actually tests
The TEAS keeps a balanced footing across four academic areas: Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage. If you want the full breakdown, our guide to what is on the TEAS maps every section.
The HESI A2 leans harder into healthcare-adjacent science. Its subject areas can include Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, and sometimes Physics, alongside non-academic parts like a learning-style or personality profile that do not affect your admissions score. A program that wants strong science preparation might require Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology together, where the TEAS folds all of that into one Science section.
How the scoring differs
This is where applicants get caught out. The TEAS gives you a single Total Score as a percentage and drops it into one of five named proficiency bands, and most programs read the percentage. Scores in the Proficient range, roughly 59 percent to 79 percent or higher, are widely treated as competitive, though your program sets its own line. Our guide to the TEAS proficiency bands explains how that percentage is built.
The HESI A2 reports a percentage for each section instead of one headline number, and many programs look for around 75 percent to 80 percent per required section. Because there is no single figure, a strong average can still hide one weak subject that a school cares about, so read the requirement section by section.
Whichever exam you sit, the passing mark is set by your program, not by ATI or Elsevier. Find that number first, then work backwards from it.
How to find out which one you sit
Do not guess, and do not rely on a forum. Your program's admissions or prerequisites page names the exam, the minimum score, and for the HESI A2 the exact sections it requires. If you are applying to several schools, expect the possibility of both, since one may use the TEAS and another the HESI A2. In that case, prepare for the one with the nearer deadline first. And if a school on your list names something else entirely, our overview of nursing entrance exams covers the PAX, Kaplan, and PSB alternatives as well.
A practical note on us: RedRubric builds an original question bank and study manual for each exam. Volume I covers the ATI TEAS 7, and Volume II covers the HESI A2, with a HESI A2 study guide mapped to all eight subject areas and a free full-length HESI A2 practice test you can sit today. Whichever exam your program names, you can prepare for it here.
Check your program's page today, note the exam and the score it wants, and you have turned the biggest unknown in the process into a fixed target. Then, if it is the TEAS, start with a diagnostic and let your results tell you where to spend the weeks ahead. If it is the HESI A2, sit the free practice test and read your section percentages the same way, weakest subject first.
Written by the RedRubric editors.RedRubric is an independent study manual and original question bank for the ATI TEAS 7 and the HESI A2. We write every question from scratch and map it to the published content outline for each exam. Read our editorial standards.