TEAS reading cheat sheet: every question type on one page
A TEAS reading cheat sheet is a one-page summary of what the reading section asks and how to answer each kind of question. The TEAS 7 reading section has 45 questions in 55 minutes (39 scored) in three content areas: key ideas and details (15 scored), craft and structure (9) and integration of knowledge and ideas (15). Below is each question type with what it asks, the fastest way to answer it and the trap that costs the point.
You can't take any sheet into the test: ATI doesn't allow notes or reference material, and you write only on what the testing site provides, such as scratch paper or a dry-erase board. The sheet is for the last week of study, printed next to your practice questions. Test facts come from ATI, which writes the TEAS; the tables, examples and quick checks are ours.
TEAS reading at a glance
| What | TEAS 7 reading |
|---|---|
| Questions | 45 (39 scored, 6 unscored pretest questions that look the same) |
| Time | 55 minutes, about 73 seconds a question |
| Key ideas and details | 15 scored: what the text says |
| Craft and structure | 9 scored: how and why it was written |
| Integration of knowledge and ideas | 15 scored: judge it, connect it to another text or a chart |
| Question formats | Mostly four-choice multiple choice; also multiple select, ordered response, hot spot and fill in the blank |
| Going back | Inside the section, yes, before you submit it; after, no |
| Blanks | Scored as wrong, so answer everything |
Reading is the section programs name most often when they set a section minimum. If you don't know yet whether reading is your weak section, our free TEAS practice test scores all four sections against your program's minimum.
The five-step passage routine
Use the same steps on every passage, in practice and on test day. A fixed routine saves more time than reading faster.
- Question first. Read the question stem, not the choices. Now you know what you're hunting: a detail, the main idea, a word, the author's purpose.
- Passage once. Normal speed. At the end of each paragraph, write its job in two or three words on scratch paper ("problem", "study result", "author's fix").
- Answer in your own words before you look at the choices.
- Cross out the choices that are too broad, too narrow, true but off the question, or not in the passage.
- Mark and move after 90 seconds. Come back once the easy questions are done.
When several questions share a passage, answer all of them before moving on. Rereading the same passage for each question is where most of the lost minutes go.
Key ideas and details cheat sheet (15 questions)
The answer is in the text. Your job is to find it and add nothing to it.
| Question type | How it's asked | How to answer | The trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main idea | "Which statement best expresses the main idea?" | Pick the choice every paragraph supports | A detail from one paragraph, or a claim wider than the passage |
| Summary | "Which is the best summary?" | Same points, same order, no examples | A choice that adds an opinion or drops the second half |
| Supporting detail | "According to the passage…" | Find the line and match it | Answering from what you already know |
| Inference | "The passage suggests…", "It can be inferred…" | What must be true from what's said | What might be true, or what usually happens in life |
| Conclusion | "Which conclusion is best supported?" | The smallest claim the evidence carries | A bigger claim than the evidence, often with "all" or "always" |
| Following directions | "After step 4, what will the person have?" | Work each step on scratch paper | Doing two steps in your head and skipping one |
| Locating information | A label, map, index or table of hours | Title, units and legend before the question | The right number from the wrong row or in the wrong unit |
| Sequence | "Which happened first?" | Find the time words and number the events | The order the events are told in, not the order they happened |
Main idea vs topic. The topic is a few words ("text reminders at clinics"). The main idea is a sentence that says something about the topic ("A clinic's missed visits fell after it added text reminders and evening hours"). A choice that is only a topic is too vague to be the answer.
Inference vs assumption. An inference follows from the text: if a clinic "added evening hours after wait times doubled", the wait times were a problem. An assumption fills a gap the text leaves: that patients complained. The TEAS rewards the first and punishes the second.
For a method and traps for each of these skills, with 14 practice questions, see TEAS reading key ideas and details.
Craft and structure cheat sheet (9 questions)
The fewest questions, but several are quick points once you know the labels.
| Question type | How it's asked | How to answer | The trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word in context | "As used in the passage, X most nearly means…" | Cover the word, say your own word for the gap, pick the closest | A real meaning of the word that doesn't fit this sentence |
| Author's purpose | "The author's primary purpose is to…" | Inform, persuade, entertain or explain how | Calling a passage informative when it ends with "should" |
| Point of view | "From whose point of view…" | I/we = first, you = second, he/she/they = third | Mixing up the narrator with a person quoted |
| Tone | "The author's tone is best described as…" | Read the adjectives and verbs | Picking a strong tone ("furious") for mild words ("concerned") |
| Fact or opinion | "Which statement is an opinion?" | Can it be checked? Fact. Does it judge? Opinion | A judgment with a number in it ("the best clinic since 2019") |
| Bias and stereotype | "Which sentence shows bias?" | Loaded words, one side only, "all of them" | Strong but fair wording that is backed by evidence |
| Text structure | "How is the passage organized?" | Find the signal words (table below) | Naming the structure of one paragraph, not the whole |
| Text features | "Where would a reader find…?" | Glossary = meaning, index = page, table of contents = chapters | Glossary and index swapped |
Signal words for text structure
| Structure | Signal words |
|---|---|
| Cause and effect | because, so, as a result, therefore, led to, due to |
| Compare and contrast | however, similarly, unlike, both, on the other hand, whereas |
| Problem and solution | the problem, one answer, to fix this, the solution, proposed |
| Sequence | first, next, then, after, before, until, finally |
| Description | for example, such as, includes, is made of, looks like |
Tone words worth knowing
| Mild | Strong | Clues in the text |
|---|---|---|
| neutral, objective | clinical, detached | numbers, no adjectives that judge |
| concerned, cautious | alarmed, urgent | "risk", "must act now" |
| hopeful, optimistic | enthusiastic | "promising", "a step forward" |
| critical, skeptical | scornful, dismissive | "failed to", "claims", quote marks around a word |
| nostalgic, reflective | sentimental | past tense, memories, "back then" |
The TEAS usually wants the mild word. Strong tone words are right only when the passage is plainly strong.
Integration of knowledge and ideas cheat sheet (15 questions)
As many questions as key ideas, and the place where careful readers lose points by bringing in their own opinion.
| Question type | How it's asked | How to answer | The trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary or secondary source | "Which is a primary source?" | Made at the time by someone involved | A textbook about an event (secondary) |
| Evaluate an argument | "Which would most weaken the claim?" | Find the claim, then hit its evidence | A choice that is true but about something else |
| Strongest evidence | "Which evidence best supports…?" | Recent, many cases, no money at stake | One story, an old figure, a seller's own claim |
| Compare two texts | "How do the two authors differ?" | Three-word summary of each first | A point only one of them made |
| Text and graphic | "Which statement do both support?" | Check the claim in both places | True in the chart, absent from the passage |
| Prediction | "What will most likely happen next?" | Follow the evidence given | What usually happens in real life |
| Choose a source | "Which source would best answer…?" | Match the source to the question | A trusted source that answers a different question |
Primary vs secondary sources
| Primary (made at the time, by someone involved) | Secondary (about primary sources) |
|---|---|
| a diary or letter | a biography |
| a lab report or original study | a textbook chapter on the study |
| a patient's own account | a news article quoting the patient |
| a photograph, a law, a speech | an encyclopedia entry, a review article |
Which source answers which question
| You need | Best source |
|---|---|
| The meaning of a word | A dictionary |
| Synonyms | A thesaurus |
| A place, distance or route | An atlas or map |
| Recent research results | A peer-reviewed journal article |
| Public health numbers | A government health agency |
| Where a term is in a book | The book's index |
The wrong-answer patterns
Most wrong choices on TEAS reading fall into a few patterns. Learn to name them and you cross them out faster.
- Too broad. Says more than the passage ("Exercise improves every part of health").
- Too narrow. True, but only one paragraph's point. Wrong for main idea, often right for detail.
- True but off the question. The passage says it, but the question asked something else.
- Outside knowledge. True in real life, not stated or implied in the text.
- Extreme words. always, never, only, all, none, proves. Right only if the text uses them too.
- Right words, wrong link. Uses phrases from the passage but joins them in a way it didn't (cause swapped with effect).
- Wrong row or unit. On a chart or label: the number beside the one asked for.
Charts, labels and maps: the 4-check list
Some reading questions use a nutrition label, a bar chart, a map with a legend, a thermometer scale or a schedule. Before you read the question:
- Read the title: what is being measured?
- Read the units: grams or milligrams, per serving or per package, hours or minutes.
- Read the legend or key: which colour or symbol is which.
- Put your finger, or your cursor, on the row the question names before you read across.
Example: a label shows 240 mg sodium per serving and 2.5 servings per container. "How much sodium is in the whole container?" is 240 × 2.5 = 600 mg. The trap choice is 240 mg, the per-serving figure. This is a reading question, but a math slip loses it, so do the multiplication on scratch paper.
Pace checkpoints for 55 minutes
At about 73 seconds a question, check the clock at these points. If you're behind, mark the slowest question and move.
| After question | Time used | Time left |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | about 12 minutes | about 43 minutes |
| 20 | about 24 minutes | about 31 minutes |
| 30 | about 37 minutes | about 18 minutes |
| 40 | about 49 minutes | about 6 minutes |
| 45 | about 55 minutes | review marked questions with anything left |
Word-in-context and fact-or-opinion questions often take 30 seconds. Use the time they save on two-text and argument questions, which take longer.
12 quick checks with answers
Our own questions, short on purpose: each tests one line of the sheet. Answer all 12 in 8 minutes, then check.
Passage for 1 to 4. "Last spring, the town library began lending blood pressure monitors. In the first three months, 140 people borrowed one, compared with 35 who attended the library's health talks the year before. The librarian believes every library in the county should lend monitors. A nurse at the local clinic notes that the program has not yet tracked whether borrowers' blood pressure changed."
- The main idea is: A. Libraries should hold health talks. B. A library's monitor program drew more people than its talks, but its health effect is not yet known. C. Blood pressure monitors lower blood pressure. D. The nurse disagrees with the librarian about everything.
- Which statement is an opinion? A. 140 people borrowed a monitor. B. The program began last spring. C. Every library in the county should lend monitors. D. 35 people attended the talks.
- Which would most weaken the librarian's argument? A. Monitors cost money. B. Most borrowers returned the monitor unused. C. The library is open on weekends. D. The talks were held in the evening.
- The nurse's tone is best described as: A. furious B. cautious C. nostalgic D. enthusiastic
- "The new policy was implemented in March." Implemented most nearly means: A. argued about B. put into effect C. written down D. cancelled
- A passage uses "however", "unlike" and "both". Its structure is most likely: A. sequence B. compare and contrast C. problem and solution D. description
- Which is a primary source on a 1918 flu outbreak? A. A 2020 textbook chapter B. A nurse's diary from 1918 C. An encyclopedia entry D. A documentary made in 2015
- To find the page where "osmosis" appears in a biology book, use the: A. glossary B. index C. table of contents D. preface
- A cereal box: 190 calories per serving, about 9 servings per box. Calories in the whole box, to the nearest hundred: A. 190 B. 900 C. 1,700 D. 2,000
- Directions: "Write the number 6. Double it. Subtract 4. Divide by 2." The result is: A. 2 B. 4 C. 6 D. 8
- "The author claims the diet works, but the only evidence is the diet company's own survey." The weakness named is: A. too few words B. evidence from a source that profits C. first-person point of view D. a missing chart
- A passage written as "you should wash your hands before…" is in: A. first person B. second person C. third person D. no person
Answers and reasons
- B. It covers both halves: more borrowers, effect unknown. A is about the old talks; C goes beyond the text; D is extreme.
- C. "Should" judges. A, B and D can be checked.
- B. If monitors went unused, borrowing doesn't show health use. A is true but doesn't touch the claim's evidence.
- B. The nurse points to missing data without anger or praise: the mild word.
- B. Swap it in: "the policy was put into effect in March."
- B. All three are compare-and-contrast signals.
- B. Made at the time, by someone involved.
- B. The index gives pages; the glossary gives meanings.
- C. 190 × 9 = 1,710. A is the per-serving trap.
- B. 6 → 12 → 8 → 4.
- B. A seller's own survey is weak evidence.
- B. "You" is second person.
Missed 3 or more? Take the full TEAS reading practice test: 39 questions on 10 passages in ATI's 15/9/15 split, each answer explained.
How to use this cheat sheet in the last week
A sheet you only read is forgotten in a day. Use it next to questions.
| Day | What to do | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timed reading set (20–45 questions). Tag each miss with its row on this sheet | 40–60 |
| 2 | Key ideas table: write each trap from memory, then 10 key ideas questions | 30 |
| 3 | Craft and structure: signal words and tone words from memory, 10 questions | 30 |
| 4 | Integration: source tables from memory, 10 argument and two-text questions | 30 |
| 5 | Wrong-answer patterns: redo every miss from days 1–4 and name the pattern that caught you | 30 |
| 6 | Second timed set using the pace checkpoints | 40–60 |
| 7 | Read the sheet once, cover it, write the five-step routine and the 4-check list. Rest | 15 |
With more than a week, the TEAS reading study guide has a 14-day plan and a sample passage with 8 questions.
Mistakes the sheet can't fix by itself
- Reading the choices first. Four plausible sentences before the passage plant ideas. Stem, passage, then choices.
- Leaving blanks at the end. A blank is scored as wrong; a guess may be right.
- Spending 3 minutes on one question. It's worth the same as a 30-second one.
- Studying only reading. Most programs also set an overall minimum, so a reading gain that costs math or science points may not help. Check your program's numbers on our program minimums page.
TEAS reading cheat sheet FAQ
Can I bring a cheat sheet to the TEAS?
No. You can't bring notes or reference papers into the testing room or an online session; you write only on what the testing site provides, such as scratch paper or a dry-erase board, and its confirmation email says which. This sheet is for study before test day.
Is there an official TEAS reading cheat sheet?
No. ATI publishes the content areas and the skills in them and sells its own study manual and practice assessments. Cheat sheets are summaries made by study sites like this one.
How many reading questions are on the TEAS 7?
45, in 55 minutes. 39 are scored: 15 key ideas and details, 9 craft and structure and 15 integration of knowledge and ideas. The other 6 are unscored pretest questions.
Is TEAS reading open book?
Only in the sense that the answer to most questions is in the passage in front of you. You can't use outside material, and you shouldn't use outside knowledge: the answer comes from the text.
What is the hardest part of TEAS reading?
For many test takers it's integration of knowledge and ideas, because it asks you to judge evidence and compare texts, and the wrong choices are often true in real life. Timing is the other common problem; the pace table above helps.
What is a good TEAS reading score?
It depends on your program. Among the programs in our list that set a reading minimum, the numbers run from 60% to 73%. See what TEAS score you need for each program's own figure.
For the craft and structure questions in depth (context clues, tone words, text structures and 14 practice questions), read TEAS reading craft and structure.
Sources
- ATI, ATI TEAS exam details (reading: 45 questions, 55 minutes, content areas and their scored counts for Version 7).
- ATI, question types on the ATI TEAS Version 7.
- ATI, TEAS exam day requirements (scratch paper, items not allowed).
- ATI, ATI TEAS sections and going back to a question (unanswered questions scored as wrong).
Before you study, find out where your points are: the free TEAS practice test takes 15 questions across all four sections and shows your gap to your program's minimum. More on reading: the TEAS reading study guide, the reading practice test, or all TEAS guides.