TEAS sample questions: 12 free examples with answers
Twelve questions from Reading, Math, Science and English. Original questions in the style of the TEAS, answers explained below each one. About 8 minutes.
1. Reading
Which sentence best states a main idea rather than a supporting detail?
- The city planted 400 trees last spring.
- Urban tree planting improves air quality and lowers summer heat.
- Maple trees were the most common choice.
- Volunteers watered the trees weekly.
Answer
B. A main idea covers the whole passage; the others are specific details that support it.
2. Reading
A label says "Take one tablet every 8 hours." How many tablets does a patient take in 24 hours?
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 8
Answer
B. 24 ÷ 8 = 3 doses, one tablet each.
3. Math
A patient is prescribed 0.5 g of a drug. Tablets are 250 mg each. How many tablets?
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Answer
B. 0.5 g = 500 mg. 500 ÷ 250 = 2 tablets.
4. Math
What is 15% of 80?
- 8
- 12
- 15
- 12.5
Answer
B. 0.15 × 80 = 12.
5. Science
Which organ produces most of the body's bile?
- Gallbladder
- Pancreas
- Liver
- Stomach
Answer
C. The liver makes bile; the gallbladder only stores and concentrates it, the usual mix-up.
6. Science
Which blood cells carry oxygen?
- Platelets
- White blood cells
- Red blood cells
- Plasma
Answer
C. Hemoglobin in red blood cells binds oxygen.
7. English
Choose the correct word: "The nurse checked ___ patient's chart."
- their
- there
- they're
- thier
Answer
A. "Their" shows possession; "there" is a place; "they're" is "they are".
8. English
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
- After the exam, she went home.
- After the exam she, went home.
- After, the exam she went home.
- After the exam she went, home.
Answer
A. An introductory phrase takes a comma before the main clause.
9. Science
Which part of a cell makes most of its ATP?
- Nucleus
- Ribosome
- Mitochondrion
- Golgi apparatus
Answer
C. Cellular respiration runs in the mitochondria. Ribosomes build proteins and the nucleus holds the DNA, the two usual wrong picks.
10. Science
A student changes how many hours of light bean plants get each day and measures their height after two weeks. What is the independent variable?
- Plant height
- Hours of light
- Type of soil
- Number of plants
Answer
B. The independent variable is the one the student changes on purpose. Height is the dependent variable: it is what gets measured. The TEAS asks about scientific reasoning like this in nearly every form.
11. Math
A patient is 5 feet 6 inches tall. About how tall is that in centimeters? (1 inch = 2.54 cm)
- 152.4 cm
- 167.6 cm
- 170.2 cm
- 139.7 cm
Answer
B. 5 feet 6 inches is 66 inches. 66 × 2.54 = 167.64, so about 167.6 cm. Convert everything to one unit first; mixing feet and inches is the common slip.
12. Reading
A clinic's sign reads: "Walk-in hours: Monday to Friday, 8 to 11 a.m. After noon, appointments only." A patient with no appointment arrives on Wednesday at 1 p.m. What should they expect?
- To be seen as a walk-in
- To need an appointment
- To find the clinic closed
- To be seen only on Thursday at 8 a.m.
Answer
B. At 1 p.m. the sign's second rule applies: appointments only. Nothing says the clinic is closed, and Thursday is one option, not the only one. Reading questions often test exactly this: what the text says, not what you assume.
How the real TEAS is laid out
The TEAS 7 has 170 questions in four sections, and 20 of them are unscored pilot items. You get 209 minutes in total: Reading is 45 questions in 55 minutes, Math is 38 questions in 57 minutes, Science is 50 questions in 60 minutes, and English and Language Usage is 37 questions in 37 minutes. Because English gives you only about a minute a question, speed matters there more than anywhere else. Math is the only section with a built-in calculator, and some Math answers are typed in rather than picked. The samples above mirror those formats, so you can see which question types you will face.
How to use sample questions well
Answer each question before you open the answer. Then read the reason even when you were right, because a lucky guess hides a gap. Keep a short list of the topics you missed: unit conversions, reading a passage for the main idea, the order of the cardiovascular system, comma rules. Two misses in one topic is a signal; one miss is noise.
Time yourself on the second pass. A question you can solve in three minutes but not in one will cost you points on test day. If a Reading passage took you longer than about a minute to read, practise skimming the question first, then reading for that detail only.
Mistakes we see most on practice questions
- Rushing the Math setup. Most wrong answers come from a mis-read unit or a skipped step, not from a missing formula. Write the units down.
- Choosing the answer that is true but does not answer the question. In Reading and Science, several options are accurate statements. Only one answers what was asked.
- Studying only your favourite section. Many nursing programs publish a minimum for each section as well as an overall number, so a weak section can sink an otherwise good score.
- Skipping review. Practising 200 questions without reading the reasons teaches less than 80 with every miss reviewed.
Programs set their own cut-offs, and they differ a lot. Check yours on the program minimums page so you know which number you are aiming for.
What to do next
Twelve questions will not tell you where you stand. The free practice test has 15 questions across all four sections and shows your score in each against your own nursing program's minimum. See also the 24 math questions and the science questions. This is practice only: no promise of a score.