"I got a 74 on the TEAS — is that good enough?" "My school's HESI cutoff is 75; is that the number that matters?" These are the questions that flood nursing forums every application cycle, and the answers are frustratingly complicated — because there is no universal passing score. The TEAS and HESI are not like the GED, where one national number...
First: These Are Program-Defined Exams
The TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills, published by ATI) and the HESI A2 (published by Elsevier) are admissions exams that nursing programs select and configure themselves. The exam vendor does not pass or fail you — the school does. That single fact explains everything that follows: two students with identical scores can have completely different outcomes at two different schools. Your job is not to "pass the TEAS"; it is to exceed your target school's expectations.
How the TEAS Is Scored
The ATI TEAS Version 7 has 170 total questions (150 scored + 20 unscored pretest items) across four sections — Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage — completed in 209 minutes. ATI TEAS exam details You receive:
- A total/adjusted individual score (a percentage, roughly 0–100%) reflecting overall performance.
- Four content-area scores — one per section.
- A national percentile rank — how you compare with other test-takers nationally.
Two nuances worth knowing: the adjusted score accounts for the fact that some items are unscored pretests, and ATI publishes band labels (Developmental, Basic, Proficient, Advanced, Exemplary) that some programs reference in their admission rubrics. Advanced typically runs from about 80–91%, Exemplary from about 92%+. TEAS score explanation
What "Passing" Means Per Program Tier
- ADN / community college programs (least competitive tier): minimums commonly sit around 55–65%, with admitted students often scoring in the 65–78% band.
- Traditional BSN programs (competitive tier): published minimums typically 65–75%, but admitted students usually score 75–82%+.
- Accelerated BSN / ABSN (very competitive tier): minimums about 70%, admitted students routinely 80–90%.
- Top-tier or flagship programs (most competitive): expect 85–95% total scores, and some schools combine the TEAS with GPA, prerequisite grades, and a points-based rubric where every percentage point of TEAS matters. RegisteredNursing.org analysis of TEAS scores
The pattern is the key lesson: the minimum is a door, and the competitive threshold is a room — you must be well inside the room. If a school's minimum is 65 and its average admitted score is 78, a 65 is not safe; it is a risk.
How the HESI A2 Is Scored
The HESI A2 is modular — programs select which subtests they require, commonly from Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and General Knowledge, Grammar, Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and (at some schools) Critical Thinking and Physics. Section lengths vary by school; Anatomy & Physiology commonly runs about 25–30 questions. HESI A2 section breakdown
Scores are reported as percentages per subtest (roughly 0–100), and schools typically evaluate three layers:
- Per-section minimums — "You must score ≥75% on Grammar" — sometimes with a different minimum per section.
- A composite/average score — the mean across required sections.
- Conversion to a program-specific scale — some schools convert HESI scores into admission points, weighting sections differently (e.g., A&P counts double).
What the Cutoffs Actually Look Like
- Common minimums: many programs publish a per-section floor of 75–80% and a composite floor around 80%.
- Competitive programs: admitted students typically post section scores of 80–90% with composites above 85%.
- Selective/accelerated programs: expectations of 85–90%+ averages, particularly on Anatomy & Physiology, which schools treat as the best predictor of nursing-school success.
- Below-average band: scores of 74% or lower are generally considered weak for most programs and may not even be reviewable at competitive schools. GoodNurse's HESI score benchmarks
Important: many HESI schools also enforce retake policies — waiting periods (e.g., 30–60 days) and caps on attempts. A strategy of "just retake until I pass" has real limits, which makes first-attempt preparation the rational plan.
The "Two-Thirds Rule" and Other Real-World Patterns
Across both exams, experienced advisors observe the same pattern in competitive admissions:
- Minimums that sound achievable (60–70%) are almost never sufficient at schools with more applicants than seats.
- The safe zone at competitive schools starts around 80–85% on the composite, with no single section below the school's floor.
- A weak science score is the most common disqualifier — programs weight A&P/TEAS Science heavily because it predicts nursing-school GPA.
- Percentiles matter for scholarships and waiting lists — at many schools, a high national percentile (85th+) can rank you above another applicant with the same GPA.
How to Build a Target Score (The Reverse-Engineering Method)
Do not study toward a vague "good score." Build your target from your actual school list in five steps:
- Pull the admission rubric for each school on your list. Search for its "TEAS requirement" and "HESI requirement" pages; many publish minimums and average admitted scores. If a school posts an average, that is your floor.
- Identify the most demanding school on your list — that sets your goal. If one program wants 82 composite HESI, you prepare to score 85+ so every school sees you as competitive.
- Break the goal into section targets. If your composite goal is 85, plan per-section goals weighted by each school's priorities (e.g., Science 88, Reading 85, Math 84, English 86 — one strong section can carry a weaker one, but no section below any floor).
- Take a timed diagnostic to find current scores per section, then prioritize the largest gaps — one to two sections of focused work beats spreading the same hours across all four.
- Re-test monthly. Both exams' practice tests are the most reliable predictor; retake a timed diagnostic every 3–4 weeks, and shift focus only when a section's score crosses your target.
Common Misunderstandings (And the Truth)
- "I scored 78 — that's above the minimum, so I'm in." Likely false at competitive schools. Minimums describe eligibility, not admission.
- "The TEAS and HESI are interchangeable." No. They are different exams from different publishers with different content mixes; some schools accept either, but treat them as separate preparation projects.
- "A perfect score guarantees admission." No — schools weigh GPA, prerequisites, essays, and clinical experience; the exam is one (often heavily weighted) component.
- "Sections above the minimum don't matter." At competitive schools every point across sections feeds a composite or points rubric — a 99 on Reading offsets a 76 on Science only up to a point.
- "If I get a bad score I'll just take the other exam." Check first: many programs accept only one, have retake limits, and average attempts rather than taking the best score.
A Realistic Prep Timeline for a Competitive Score
- 8–12 weeks out: Take the diagnostic; build a section-by-section study plan; begin content review in your two weakest sections.
- 4–8 weeks out: Daily active-recall drills plus 20–30 practice questions per session; weekly timed section tests; begin logging error patterns.
- 2–4 weeks out: Full-length timed simulations twice weekly; review every miss; re-master any section still below target.
- 1 week out: Taper to review of your error log and the official exam's format rules (calculator? breaks? section order?); rest and sleep.
Conclusion
The TEAS and HESI have no magic number — they have per-program numbers, and the competitive ones are higher than the published minimums. The winning approach is precise: research each school's rubric, set a composite target above the most demanding school's admitted average, section-by-section targets with no section below any floor, and train with timed diagnostics until every section crosses its line. Scores in the 80s are not luck; they are the result of reverse-engineering the rubric and closing the gaps the diagnostics reveal.
Your next step: Make the school list today. Write each program's published minimum, its average admitted score (if posted), its section weights, and its retake policy into a single spreadsheet. That sheet becomes your target architecture — and every study hour from now on goes toward the exact number your schools actually reward.
