How many questions can you miss on the TEAS? By minimum score and by section
It depends on your program's minimum, but the arithmetic is simple: your TEAS score comes from 150 scored questions. To reach 58.7%, the most common minimum, you can miss about 62 of them. For 65% you can miss about 52, for 70% about 45, and for 80% about 30. The 20 unscored questions don't count either way.
Those are totals. Many programs also set a minimum for each section, and there the margin is much smaller: for a 65% math minimum you can miss about 11 of 34 scored math questions. Below are the tables for common minimums, overall and by section, why the numbers are close rather than exact, and how to use them to plan your study.
How the TEAS score turns into missed questions
The TEAS has 170 questions. 150 are scored and 20 are unscored pretest questions that ATI is trying out for future tests (TEAS unscored questions). Your total and section scores start from the percent of scored questions you answered correctly. ATI then equates them, adjusting slightly for differences in difficulty between test forms (ATI scoring).
So the number of misses a minimum allows is roughly:
misses allowed ≈ scored questions − (minimum % × scored questions, rounded up)
Two things the formula can't capture. First, equating can move your reported score a little above or below your raw percent, so treat every number on this page as "about". Second, you don't know which questions are unscored. If some of your misses fall on pretest questions, you can miss a few more of the 170 in total. You can't plan on that, so plan on the scored count.
How many questions can you miss on the TEAS, by minimum score
These are the overall minimums programs actually publish. From our list of 56 nursing and allied health programs, 43 state an overall number; the most common is 58.7% (12 programs), then 60% (7) and 70% (6), and the median is 62% (what TEAS score you need).
| Program minimum | Right answers needed (of 150) | Questions you can miss (of 150) | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58.7% (Proficient) | about 88 | about 62 | The most common minimum in our list |
| 60% | 90 | 60 | Second most common |
| 62% | 93 | 57 | The median of 43 programs |
| 65% | 98 | 52 | 32 of 43 programs ask for 65% or less |
| 70% | 105 | 45 | The top of most associate degree ranges |
| 75% | 113 | 37 | The highest minimum in our list (a BSN) |
| 80% | 120 | 30 | Not a minimum, but near what competitive BSN programs admit |
88 of 150 is 58.67%, which ATI's one-decimal report shows as 58.7%. The other rows round up to the next whole question. To put it another way: at the most common minimum, you can get roughly two in five scored questions wrong and still meet it. That surprises many people, and it is why the minimum is rarely the real target (more on that below).
How many questions can you miss in each section?
Fifteen of the 56 programs in our list set a minimum for one or more sections, and seven of those set no overall number at all (what TEAS score you need). This is where misses add up fast, because the sections are small. Scored questions per section: Reading 39, Math 34, Science 44, English 33 (UConn nursing).
| Section minimum | Reading (39) | Math (34) | Science (44) | English (33) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | miss 19 | miss 17 | miss 22 | miss 16 |
| 58.7% | miss 16 | miss 14 | miss 18 | miss 13 |
| 60% | miss 15 | miss 13 | miss 17 | miss 13 |
| 65% | miss 13 | miss 11 | miss 15 | miss 11 |
| 70% | miss 11 | miss 10 | miss 13 | miss 9 |
| 73% | miss 10 | miss 9 | miss 11 | miss 8 |
Each scored question is worth about 2.6 points in Reading, 2.9 in Math, 2.3 in Science and 3.0 in English. So one or two questions can be the difference between meeting a section minimum and missing it. Section by section, with the max score and what one question is worth, is in TEAS section scores.
Real programs: how many misses their minimums allow
Three published rules, turned into questions:
- Northern Virginia Community College, nursing: Reading 73%, Math 65%, Science 58%, English 62% (NOVA TEAS page). That allows about 10 misses in Reading, 11 in Math, 18 in Science and 12 in English. Reading, usually the easy section, is the tight one here.
- NOVA, diagnostic medical sonography: 70% in all four sections. About 11, 10, 13 and 9 misses. Science at 70% is the hard part: the national science mean is about 50% (average TEAS score).
- NOVA, dental hygiene and radiography: 50% in each section required. About half of each section can be wrong. NOVA adds that higher scores are more competitive, so meeting the floor is not the same as getting a seat.
Your program's page may set a total, sections, a level such as "Proficient", or a mix. Check it, and get it in writing if anything is unclear.
Why "how many can I miss" is the wrong target
A minimum is a floor. Many programs rank applicants who meet it, and the TEAS is often a large part of the ranking. Two public nursing programs that publish their admitted students' scores show the gap:
| Program | Admitted average TEAS | Questions missed at that score (of 150) |
|---|---|---|
| University of Nevada, Reno, BSN (12 cohorts, 2021–2026) | 76.8% to 89.7%; 86% for fall 2026 | about 16 to 35; about 21 at 86% |
| Texas State University, BSN (2024–2026) | 82.6% to 86.4% | about 20 to 26 |
Sources: UNR admission statistics and Texas State admission profiles, read 2026-11-04. At these programs, missing 60 questions would clear the minimum and still leave you far behind the people who got in. A program that only checks a minimum (some say so on their page) is different: there, clearing it is enough.
Use the miss count the other way round: decide the score you want, then work out how many more right answers that is from where you are now. Going from 62% to 70% is 12 more scored questions. Spread over four sections, that is three each.
How to find your own number in 4 steps
- Write down your program's rule: the overall minimum, any section minimums, and whether it ranks applicants. Our program minimums list links to each program's own page.
- Turn each into right answers with the tables above, or type them into the TEAS score calculator.
- Measure where you are. A timed practice section tells you how many you get right now. Our free TEAS practice test scores all four sections against your program's minimum.
- Study the biggest gap in questions, not percent. Five questions short in Science (44 scored) and five short in English (33 scored) are the same number of questions, but English questions are worth more each. Start with whichever section has the most questions you can realistically win back.
Where the misses usually come from
ATI's national means show where test takers lose the most points. From ATI's 2022 TEAS 7 table: Reading 70.2%, Math 73.5%, Science 49.6%, English 61.2% (average TEAS score). In questions, an average test taker misses about:
| Section | Scored | Average misses | Where to win them back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 39 | about 12 | Reading study guide |
| Math | 34 | about 9 | How to pass TEAS math |
| Science | 44 | about 22 | How to study TEAS science |
| English | 33 | about 13 | English study guide |
Science alone accounts for about 22 of an average test taker's misses. That is why most score gains come from science, and why programs with a science minimum are the hardest to meet.
You missed too many: what next
If your score is under the minimum, most programs let you retake, but the rules vary a lot: how many attempts, how long between them, and which score counts. NOVA, for example, asks for one month between attempts and no more than three a calendar year (NOVA TEAS page). Our guide on how many times you can retake the TEAS collects the rules, and your score report's "Topics to review" list shows where your misses were (reading your TEAS results).
How many questions can you miss on the TEAS: FAQ
How many questions can you get wrong on the TEAS and still pass?
There is no single pass mark. At 58.7%, the most common minimum, about 62 of 150 scored questions; at 70%, about 45.
Do the unscored questions count as misses?
No. Wrong answers on the 20 unscored questions don't affect your score, but you can't tell which they are, so answer all of them.
What is the highest score on the TEAS?
100%, on the total and on each section. Very few reach it: in ATI's 2022 table an 88% total was already in the 99th percentile (average TEAS score).
Is a blank answer counted as a miss?
Yes. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect, and there's no extra penalty for a wrong guess, so never leave one blank.
Why doesn't my count of misses match my score exactly?
Because ATI equates scores across test forms, and because some of your misses may have been on unscored questions. The tables here are close, not exact.
Sources
- ATI, How the ATI TEAS is scored. Read 2026-10-27.
- University of Connecticut School of Nursing, TEAS structure. Read 2026-11-04.
- Northern Virginia Community College, TEAS test. Read 2026-11-04.
- University of Nevada, Reno, Nursing admission application statistics. Read 2026-11-04.
- Texas State University, St. David's School of Nursing, Admission profiles. Read 2026-11-04.
- Next Cohort, 56 program minimums, each linked to the program's page.
More on scores: what is a good TEAS score, TEAS section scores, average TEAS score and the TEAS score calculator, or all TEAS guides. To count your own right answers per section, take the free TEAS practice test.