What is on the TEAS test, and what each section covers

The TEAS has four sections, asked in a fixed order: Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage. You answer 170 questions in 209 minutes, and the mix is the same for every test-taker. Knowing exactly what sits inside each section is the difference between studying everything and studying the right things, so here is the whole map on one page.

The four sections at a glance

Each section is timed on its own and scored on its own. The counts below are what ATI reports for the TEAS 7, and they tell you where your hours are worth the most before you read a single topic.

Section	Questions and time	What it covers
Reading	45q, 55 min	Main idea, detail, inference, text structure, and following written directions.
Mathematics	38q, 57 min	Numbers, algebra, ratios and proportions, measurement, and reading data.
Science	50q, 60 min	Anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and scientific reasoning.
English	37q, 37 min	Grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and vocabulary.

Science is the largest section and carries the most marks, so it rewards attention first. English is the shortest and often the quickest to raise if your grammar is already sound.

Scored versus unscored. Of the 170 questions, 150 count towards your score and 20 are unscored pilot questions ATI is trialling. You are never told which is which, so answer every one as though it counts.

How many questions are on the TEAS?

170 questions, of which 150 are scored and 20 are unscored pilot items. Section by section that is Reading 45, Mathematics 38, Science 50, and English 37, across 209 minutes of testing time. The practical reading of those numbers is pace: you have just over a minute per question in Reading and English, and slightly more in Mathematics and Science. If you want to feel that pace before the real thing, the free full-length TEAS practice test runs the same sections on the same clocks, and our guide to how long the TEAS test is turns each section's clock into a working pace.

Reading: 45 questions in 55 minutes

Reading tests whether you can pull the right meaning from a passage under time pressure, not whether you enjoyed it. ATI groups the questions into three areas: Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. In practice that means finding a main idea, locating a specific detail, working out a word from its context, weighing an author's purpose, and following a set of written instructions in order.

The passages are ordinary: a notice, an article, a how-to. The pressure is pace, since finishing early does not add time elsewhere. Our Reading study guide walks each of these areas in turn.

Mathematics: 38 questions in 57 minutes

The maths is high-school arithmetic and early algebra, worked with an on-screen four-function calculator. ATI splits it into Numbers and Algebra and Measurement and Data. Expect fractions, decimals and percentages, ratios and proportions, one-variable equations, unit conversions, geometry basics, and reading tables and graphs.

Nothing here is exotic. The section punishes rust, not difficulty, which is why applicants who have been out of school for a while tend to underestimate it. The Mathematics study guide covers both units with worked examples.

Science: 50 questions in 60 minutes

Science is the heaviest section, and human anatomy and physiology carries the largest share of it. ATI covers four areas: Human Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, and Scientific Reasoning. That spans the body's systems, cells and genetics, atomic structure and reactions, and reading an investigation for its evidence.

If you have limited time, put it into Science first. It has the most questions, so the same effort moves your Total Score more here than anywhere else.

Because it is broad, Science is where a diagnostic pays off most: you want to know which systems you already hold and which you have forgotten. The Science study guide starts with anatomy and physiology for that reason.

English and Language Usage: 37 questions in 37 minutes

English is the shortest section and, for many people, the highest-scoring. ATI groups it into Conventions of Standard English, Knowledge of Language, and Vocabulary. You are tested on spelling and punctuation, sentence structure, matching language to an audience, and working out a word from its parts.

It is quick to raise because the rules are finite. A few focused sessions on grammar and word parts often lift this section fast, which is why the English study guide is the shortest of the four.

What the questions look like

Most questions are standard multiple choice, but the TEAS 7 also uses a few other formats: multiple-select (choose all that apply), fill-in-the-blank, ordered response, and hot-spot questions where you click a region. None of these are harder than multiple choice once you have seen them, so the value is in meeting them before exam day rather than for the first time under the clock.

Now you know the shape of the paper. Pick the section with the most questions you are least sure of, open its unit in the study guide, and start there. If you want the difficulty read rather than the content map, our guide to whether the TEAS is hard covers that, and the six-week study plan turns this map into a week-by-week routine. And if you are not certain your program uses the TEAS at all, our TEAS vs HESI guide helps you check.