HESI

HESI A2 and ATI TEAS are entrance assessments used by nursing and some allied-health programs to evaluate academic preparation. They are not interchangeable at every institution. Your first decision is not which exam seems easier; it is which exam, score report, and testing conditions the schools on your application list will accept. For 2026 applicants, the meaningful comparison is between the HESI Admission Assessment (A2) as configured by an institution and ATI TEAS Version 7, ATI’s current published format. Do not confuse HESI A2 for admissions with other HESI exams…

Critical thinking is a useful skill for anyone preparing for health-professions education: it helps you evaluate claims, notice assumptions, interpret evidence, and explain why a conclusion follows. On the HESI Admission Assessment (A2), these habits support reading comprehension and disciplined work through assigned subject questions. They do not guarantee that your school administers a separate critical-thinking section or that nursing clinical-judgment scenarios are part of every A2 appointment. Begin with the A2 sections your program actually requires. Elsevier’s sixth-edition HESI A2 review covers reading, vocabulary, grammar, math, and selected sciences….

The mathematics component of the HESI Admission Assessment (A2) emphasizes the numerical foundations needed for health-professions study. Elsevier’s faculty guide describes addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, decimals, ratios and proportions, common household measures, and practical calculations. Schools determine which A2 sections applicants take, so confirm your own institution’s mathematics requirements rather than relying on a universal exam configuration. This guide focuses on building correct, explainable calculations. Real medication administration requires formal clinical training, local policies, and independent safety checks; admissions arithmetic examples are for study, not instructions for patient care. Know…

The Reading Comprehension component of the HESI Admission Assessment (A2) evaluates how well you understand written passages, identify central ideas, interpret meaning in context, and draw conclusions supported by what the text says. Elsevier’s faculty guidance emphasizes passage comprehension, main ideas, context vocabulary, and logical inference. Reading skills are valuable in health-professions education, but the admissions test is not a substitute for clinical training. Schools select the A2 sections required for their applicants, and testing configurations may vary. Confirm your institution’s current instructions rather than treating question counts, timing, permitted…

The Grammar component of the HESI Admission Assessment (A2) tests knowledge of standard written English: sentence construction, agreement, word choice, and punctuation. Elsevier includes Grammar in its current sixth-edition A2 review guide. Your school determines which A2 components you take and the scores it accepts, so confirm the assigned sections before building a study schedule. For broader preparation, see this HESI A2 preparation guide. Grammar questions are easier to analyze when you name the rule behind each choice. Instead of memorizing sentences that look correct, learn to identify the subject…

Physics preparation is useful for applicants to some imaging-sciences and health-professions programs, but the first step is to check whether your particular school requires a physics component of the HESI Admission Assessment (A2). Elsevier’s faculty scoring guide describes a Physics assessment relevant to imaging-sciences prerequisites; its current sixth-edition general A2 review book, however, lists mathematics, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, biology, chemistry, and anatomy and physiology rather than a dedicated physics chapter. Do not assume every HESI A2 appointment includes Physics or that every program uses the same set of subjects….

Elsevier’s current HESI Admission Assessment review still includes Chemistry as one of the subjects candidates may need to prepare for. Chemistry preparation should not become a memorization contest. The most useful formulas are relationships that let you move between mass, volume, particles, and chemical quantities while checking whether an answer is physically reasonable. Start with a small set of equations, know what every variable means, and practice rearranging them rather than trying to remember a different formula for every question. Density connects mass and volume Density plays a significant role…

The HESI Admission Assessment vocabulary component is broader than a list of medical terms. Elsevier describes Vocabulary and General Knowledge as a measure of vocabulary skills, general knowledge, and critical thinking related to success in nursing or health-professions education. That means preparation should develop the ability to infer meaning, distinguish similar words, and read unfamiliar language in context rather than memorize a giant glossary. A focused vocabulary study system should prioritize words in context, meaningful word parts, and active review of terms you actually miss. Instead of working through long,…

HESI is a family of assessments used by nursing and allied-health education programs. The HESI Admission Assessment (A2) often forms part of an application, while HESI Specialty and Exit assessments are used later in some programs. Knowing which assessment you need prevents avoidable mistakes in registration, preparation and interpreting scores. The HESI Admission Assessment (A2) HESI A2 is an admission assessment that programs can use to understand foundational academic readiness. Elsevier provides a current sixth-edition review covering mathematics, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, biology, chemistry and anatomy and physiology. Not every…

Whether the HESI exam feels difficult depends on which assessment and modules you are taking, your background and the qualifying standard of the receiving school. HESI Admission Assessment (A2) is an entrance test, while HESI Exit and specialty exams serve different nursing-education purposes. Difficulty is therefore not captured by one pass rate or a universal “good score.” Confirm the specific exam and modules A nursing program may require A2 Reading, Vocabulary, Grammar, Mathematics and Anatomy & Physiology, but another program may select different areas or extra assessment components. Some schools…

A HESI score is meaningful only when you know which HESI assessment you took and which nursing program will use it. The HESI Admission Assessment (A2) is primarily used for admission decisions; HESI Specialty and Exit assessments serve different educational purposes. A universal statement such as “75% is the passing HESI score” is misleading because programs set their own required sections, minimum scores and policies. First identify A2 versus Specialty or Exit A2 reports academic performance in the subjects administered for entrance assessment, commonly using percentage-based results and, where applicable,…

HESI A2 scope: An individual school determines the Admission Assessment sections required for applicants and its qualifying score. Review the instructions for your own program before spending time on modules it does not test; reading, vocabulary, grammar, mathematics and science requirements may differ. If you’re planning to become a nurse, the HESI exam will be one of the first major hurdles you’ll face on your journey. The Health Education Systems Inc. (HESI) Admission Assessment, commonly known as the HESI A2, is a comprehensive test used by nursing schools across the…

Anatomy describes the structures of the body, while physiology explains how those structures work. HESI Admission Assessment (A2) preparation often includes the relationship between organ systems and homeostasis, but a nursing program decides whether its applicants must complete the Anatomy and Physiology module. Build your review around accurate structures, functions and everyday cause-and-effect rather than memorizing long lists of unrelated diseases. Start with cells, tissues and homeostasis Cells make up tissues; tissues form organs, and organs cooperate in organ systems. Epithelial tissue covers surfaces, connective tissue supports and binds, muscle…

The most useful HESI preparation resource is one that matches the assessment you are scheduled to take and the modules your school requires. HESI A2 (Admission Assessment) is an admissions exam; HESI Exit assessments are used at other points in nursing education. Their purposes and reporting conventions differ, so a generic “best HESI company” list may compare incompatible products. Confirm your program’s required A2 sections Elsevier’s official A2 review includes Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology. A program may require only selected subjects. Obtain the…