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TEAS practice test science: 20 questions with answers

The TEAS science section has 50 questions in 60 minutes, about 72 seconds a question; 44 of them are scored (ATI time limit, ATI exam details). Human anatomy and physiology is the largest area, 18 of the 44 scored questions; the rest covers life and physical sciences (biology, chemistry, basic physics) and scientific reasoning. The 20 questions below touch all of them. Each has four options; tap "Show answer" for the answer and a short explanation.

These are our own practice questions, written for this page. They are not real TEAS questions and are not from ATI.

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The 20 questions

1. Which structure carries blood away from the heart?

  1. Vein
  2. Artery
  3. Capillary
  4. Venule
Show answer

Answer: B. An artery carries blood away from the heart; veins carry it back. Remembering "A for away" helps. Capillaries are the tiny vessels where exchange with tissue happens.

2. Where does most chemical digestion and nutrient absorption take place?

  1. Stomach
  2. Esophagus
  3. Small intestine
  4. Large intestine
Show answer

Answer: C. The small intestine receives enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver, and its folded lining absorbs most nutrients. The stomach starts protein digestion; the large intestine mostly absorbs water.

3. Which organ produces insulin?

  1. Liver
  2. Gallbladder
  3. Pancreas
  4. Adrenal gland
Show answer

Answer: C. Beta cells in the pancreas make insulin, which lowers blood glucose. The liver stores glucose as glycogen; the adrenal glands make hormones such as adrenaline.

4. Which part of the brain mainly controls balance and coordinated movement?

  1. Cerebrum
  2. Cerebellum
  3. Medulla oblongata
  4. Thalamus
Show answer

Answer: B. The cerebellum coordinates movement and balance. The medulla controls breathing and heart rate, and the cerebrum handles thinking and voluntary action.

5. During inhalation, the diaphragm

  1. relaxes and moves up
  2. contracts and moves down
  3. contracts and moves up
  4. relaxes and moves down
Show answer

Answer: B. The diaphragm contracts and flattens downward, enlarging the chest cavity so air flows in. On exhalation it relaxes and rises.

6. Which blood cells carry oxygen?

  1. Platelets
  2. White blood cells
  3. Red blood cells
  4. Plasma cells
Show answer

Answer: C. Red blood cells carry oxygen bound to hemoglobin. Platelets help clotting, and white blood cells fight infection.

7. A person with type A blood receives a transfusion of type B blood. What is the likely result?

  1. No reaction
  2. The recipient's anti-B antibodies attack the donor cells
  3. The donor's antibodies are destroyed
  4. The recipient makes more type A cells
Show answer

Answer: B. Type A blood carries anti-B antibodies, which attack type B red cells. That is why blood types must be matched.

8. In which phase of mitosis do the chromosomes line up along the middle of the cell?

  1. Prophase
  2. Metaphase
  3. Anaphase
  4. Telophase
Show answer

Answer: B. Metaphase puts chromosomes on the cell's equator. In anaphase they are pulled apart, and in telophase two nuclei form.

9. A plant that is heterozygous (Tt) for height is crossed with another Tt plant. T (tall) is dominant. What fraction of offspring is expected to be short?

  1. 0
  2. 1/4
  3. 1/2
  4. 3/4
Show answer

Answer: B. The Punnett square gives TT, Tt, Tt, tt. Only tt, 1 of 4, is short.

10. Which organelle makes most of the cell's ATP?

  1. Ribosome
  2. Nucleus
  3. Mitochondrion
  4. Golgi apparatus
Show answer

Answer: C. Mitochondria make most ATP through cellular respiration. Ribosomes build proteins and the nucleus holds DNA.

11. What is the pH of a solution with a hydrogen ion concentration of 1 × 10−4 M?

  1. 4
  2. 10
  3. −4
  4. 7
Show answer

Answer: A. pH = −log[H+] = 4. A pH below 7 is acidic. Option C forgets the minus sign in the formula.

12. How many protons, neutrons and electrons are in a neutral atom of carbon-14 (atomic number 6)?

  1. 6, 8, 6
  2. 6, 6, 8
  3. 8, 6, 6
  4. 14, 6, 14
Show answer

Answer: A. The atomic number 6 is the proton count, and a neutral atom has the same number of electrons. Neutrons are the mass number minus protons: 14 − 6 = 8.

13. Which type of bond forms when two atoms share electrons?

  1. Ionic
  2. Covalent
  3. Hydrogen bond
  4. Metallic only
Show answer

Answer: B. A covalent bond shares electrons, as in water or CO2. An ionic bond transfers electrons from one atom to another.

14. Balance: __ H2 + O2 → __ H2O. What is the coefficient in front of H2O?

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
Show answer

Answer: B. 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O has 4 hydrogen and 2 oxygen atoms on each side.

15. A 2 kg cart is pushed with a net force of 10 N. What is its acceleration (F = ma)?

  1. 0.2 m/s²
  2. 5 m/s²
  3. 20 m/s²
  4. 12 m/s²
Show answer

Answer: B. a = F ÷ m = 10 ÷ 2 = 5 m/s². Multiplying instead gives 20, the common slip.

16. A student tests whether plant growth depends on the amount of light. Which is the independent variable?

  1. Plant height
  2. Amount of light
  3. Type of soil
  4. Number of leaves
Show answer

Answer: B. The independent variable is what the experimenter changes: the light. Height is what is measured (the dependent variable). Soil should be held constant.

17. Which is the best hypothesis?

  1. Plants are nice to have
  2. If plants get more light, then they will grow taller
  3. Light is important
  4. Do plants need light?
Show answer

Answer: B. A hypothesis is a testable, specific prediction, often in if-then form. A question or a vague opinion cannot be tested.

18. A graph shows a drug's concentration in blood falling by half every 4 hours. If the concentration is 80 mg/L now, what will it be in 8 hours?

  1. 60 mg/L
  2. 40 mg/L
  3. 20 mg/L
  4. 10 mg/L
Show answer

Answer: C. 8 hours is two half-lives: 80 → 40 → 20. Halving only once gives 40.

19. Which tissue connects muscle to bone?

  1. Ligament
  2. Tendon
  3. Cartilage
  4. Fascia only
Show answer

Answer: B. Tendons join muscle to bone; ligaments join bone to bone. Cartilage cushions joints.

20. Which hormone, released by the pituitary gland's posterior lobe, causes the uterus to contract during labor?

  1. Oxytocin
  2. Insulin
  3. Cortisol
  4. Thyroxine
Show answer

Answer: A. Oxytocin is stored in and released from the posterior pituitary. Thyroxine comes from the thyroid and cortisol from the adrenal glands.

Score yourself

Count your correct answers out of 20. Questions 1 to 7 and 19 to 20 are anatomy and physiology, 8 to 14 are biology and chemistry, and 15 to 18 are physics and scientific reasoning. A set this short swings a lot, since each question is worth 5 points, so use it to find the weaker area, not to predict a TEAS score. There is no penalty for guessing on the real test, so never leave a question blank.

Compare your result with your program's minimum. See what score you need for the 56 programs we checked.

How to fix what you missed

Then take our free practice test, which scores science with the other three sections against your program's minimum. The four-week study plan shows how to split your time, and the TEAS 7 format covers every section.

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