TEAS section scores: what's a good math, reading, science and English score
Every TEAS section score runs from 0% to 100%: the share of that section's scored questions you got right, adjusted by ATI for the difficulty of your test form. The highest math score, like every section, is 100%. There is no passing score for a section on its own; your program decides, and in our list of 56 programs, 15 set a minimum for one or more sections, from 45% to 73%.
This guide shows how each section is scored, how much each one moves your total, the section minimums programs really publish, what a good score looks like in each section, and which section to raise first.
How TEAS section scores work
Your ATI TEAS score report shows three layers of scores (ATI exam details, ATI scoring):
| Score | What it is | Adjusted for the form? |
|---|---|---|
| Total (adjusted individual total score) | Percent of all 150 scored questions right | Yes |
| Section scores | Percent right in Reading, Math, Science, English | Yes |
| Content area (sub) scores | Percent right in each area inside a section, such as numbers and algebra | No, plain percent |
Each question counts once, right or wrong. There is no partial credit (a select-all question with one choice missed scores zero) and no penalty for a wrong answer, so a blank is always worse than a guess.
Of the 170 questions, 20 are unscored pretest items spread through the sections. You can't tell which they are, so treat every question as if it counts.
What is the max score on each TEAS section?
100% in every section. The scored questions per section differ, so 100% means a different number of right answers in each:
| Section | Questions | Scored | Minutes | One scored question is worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 | 39 | 55 | about 2.6 points |
| Mathematics | 38 | 34 | 57 | about 2.9 points |
| Science | 50 | 44 | 60 | about 2.3 points |
| English and language usage | 37 | 33 | 37 | about 3.0 points |
| Total | 170 | 150 | 209 | about 0.67 points |
Questions, scored counts and minutes are ATI's; points per question are our arithmetic (100 ÷ scored questions) before ATI's form adjustment. Two things follow from it. In the math section, each scored question is worth almost 3 points, so two or three careless misses take a 70% to the low 60s. And a perfect section is rare simply because 34 to 44 questions in a row is a long run without a slip.
How sections add up to the total
The total is not the average of the four section percents. It is built from all 150 scored questions, so a section with more questions pulls harder. ATI adjusts the total and each section separately, so the section scores don't add up exactly to the total (ATI score explanation, posted by Cal State LA). Roughly:
| Section | Share of the total | 10 more points in this section adds about |
|---|---|---|
| Science | 29% | 2.9 points to the total |
| Reading | 26% | 2.6 points |
| Mathematics | 23% | 2.3 points |
| English and language usage | 22% | 2.2 points |
Our arithmetic from ATI's scored counts. Raising science from 55% to 65% does more for the total than the same jump in English. To add up your own numbers, use the TEAS score calculator; it weights the sections the way the test does.
Section minimums programs set
Of the 56 programs in our list, each checked against the program's own page, 15 set a minimum for at least one section, and 7 of those set no overall number at all. These are the published rules:
| Program | Reading | Math | Science | English | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Virginia CC, Nursing (RN) | 73% | 65% | 58% | 62% | none |
| Northern Virginia CC, Sonography | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | none |
| Northern Virginia CC, Radiography | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | none |
| Washtenaw CC, Associate Degree RN | 70% | 60% | 45% | 60% | none |
| Pikes Peak State College, ADN | 70% | 70% | 60% | - | none (points awarded) |
| Middlesex CC, Nursing | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | none, one sitting |
| Nassau CC, Radiologic Technology | - | 58.7% | 58.7% | - | none |
| Redlands CC, Nursing (RN) | 68% | - | - | - | 70% |
| UMass Boston, BSN (transfer) | - | - | 68% | - | 68% |
| Northwestern Oklahoma State, BSN | - | - | 58% | - | 68% |
| Collin College, ADN | 50% | - | 50% | - | 65% |
| York Technical College, ADN | 64% | - | - | - | 64% |
| York Technical College, Practical Nursing | 58.7% | - | - | - | 58.7% |
| Hennepin Technical College, PN | 50% | - | - | - | 60% |
| North Central Texas College, LVN | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 58.7% |
Each program's own page is linked; rules change, so check yours before you book. "-" means no minimum for that section. The full list, with overall minimums, is in what TEAS score you need.
What the table shows, counted from it:
- Reading is the section programs set most often: 12 of the 15, from 50% to 73%.
- Science comes next: 11 of 15, from 45% to 70%.
- Math: 8 of 15, from 50% to 70%.
- English: 6 of 15, from 50% to 70%.
- When a program sets both, the section line is often below the total (Collin: 50% reading and science, 65% total). It exists to stop one very weak section hiding behind a strong total.
- When a program sets only sections (Northern Virginia, Washtenaw, Middlesex), the section lines are higher, 60% to 73%, and every one must be met.
What is a good TEAS math score?
A good math score is one above your program's math line, if it has one, and high enough to hold up your total. In our list, the 8 programs with a math minimum ask for 50% to 70%; the most common lines are 60% and 70%. At 34 scored questions, that is:
| Math score | About this many of 34 scored right | Meets |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | 17 | NVCC radiography, NCTC LVN |
| 58.7% | 20 | Nassau radiologic technology |
| 60% | 21 | Washtenaw, Middlesex |
| 65% | 22 | NVCC nursing |
| 70% | 24 | Pikes Peak, NVCC sonography |
Right answers are our arithmetic, before ATI's form adjustment. Math is the section where practice pays fastest: it has two content areas (numbers and algebra, 18 questions; measurement and data, 16), a four-function calculator is on screen, and most misses come from a few skills done slowly, such as conversions, percents and word problem setups. See how to pass TEAS math and the TEAS math formulas sheet.
The TEAS math passing score question has the same answer as the total: no score passes or fails on ATI's side. If your program asks for "Proficient" overall and says nothing about math, a math score in the 50s can still work if reading and science carry the total.
What is a good TEAS reading score?
Reading has the highest section lines in our list: 70% at Washtenaw and Pikes Peak, 73% at Northern Virginia's nursing program, 68% at Redlands. If your program sets a reading line, plan for about 70% to be safe. On 39 scored questions, 70% is about 27 right.
Reading has three content areas: key ideas and details (15 questions), craft and structure (9) and integration of knowledge and ideas (15). The time is the trap: 55 minutes for 45 questions, about 73 seconds each including the passage. Our TEAS reading study guide covers each question type, and the reading practice test gives you a timed score.
What is a good TEAS science score?
Science lines in our list sit lower than reading: 45% (Washtenaw) to 70% (NVCC sonography), with most between 50% and 60%. Science is the biggest section, 44 scored questions, and the one most applicants find hardest, so programs seem to set it lower on purpose.
Inside science, anatomy and physiology is the biggest block (18 questions), then biology (9), chemistry (8) and scientific reasoning (9). Because A&P is 18 of 50, raising it is the fastest way to raise the section. Start with TEAS anatomy and physiology and the science cheat sheet.
What is a good TEAS English score?
English and language usage is the shortest section (37 questions, 37 minutes) and the least often given its own line: 6 of 15 programs, 50% to 70%. Many applicants score highest here, which is why a strong English score can lift a total that science pulls down. But it only counts for 22% of the total, so it cannot carry a weak science or reading score far.
The three areas are conventions of standard English (12), knowledge of language (11) and using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing (10). See the TEAS English and language usage study guide and the 12 grammar rules.
Average TEAS section scores
ATI prints a national mean on every score report: the average score of everyone who took the test. Its 2022 TEAS 7 percentile table, for diploma programs, gives these means (ATI table, posted by Capital Health):
| Score | Mean, TEAS 7 (diploma programs, 2022 table) | Mean, TEAS V era report |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 70.2% | 70.5% |
| Mathematics | 73.5% | 69.0% |
| Science | 49.6% | 53.6% |
| English and language usage | 61.2% | 63.8% |
| Total | 62.6% | 64.3% |
The older column is from a sample report Merced College posts (Merced College). Means move with each version and year, but one thing holds in both: science is the lowest section by 10 to 20 points, and math and reading the highest. A 60% in science is above average; a 60% in reading is below it. More on the total in average TEAS score.
Content area scores: the part of the report to study from
Under each section, the report breaks your score into its content areas. These are plain percent correct, not adjusted, and some areas have only 8 or 9 questions, so one question moves them 11 to 12 points. Use them to choose what to study, not as a grade:
| Section | Content areas (questions) |
|---|---|
| Reading | Key ideas and details (15), craft and structure (9), integration of knowledge and ideas (15) |
| Math | Numbers and algebra (18), measurement and data (16) |
| Science | Anatomy and physiology (18), biology (9), chemistry (8), scientific reasoning (9) |
| English | Conventions of standard English (12), knowledge of language (11), using language and vocabulary (10) |
Content area counts are ATI's for TEAS 7 (ATI exam details). A low score in a big area (A&P, numbers and algebra, key ideas, integration) is worth more of your time than a low score in a small one.
Which section to raise first
Work it out in this order:
- Any section under its line. If your program sets section minimums, a miss there fails the application no matter the total. Fix those first, even if they are small sections.
- Then the biggest gap in the biggest section. With no section lines, raise the section where you're furthest below 70% and that has the most scored questions. Usually that is science (44) or reading (39).
- Then the cheapest points. Math errors often come from a handful of skills; fixing conversions or percent problems can add 3 to 6 points in a week.
A worked example: an applicant to Northern Virginia's nursing program scores Reading 68%, Math 70%, Science 61%, English 75% on a practice test. Every section but reading clears its line (73%, 65%, 58%, 62%). Reading is 5 points short, about two more right answers of 39. That is the whole plan: reading first, the rest only kept warm.
If you don't know your section scores yet, our free TEAS practice test gives a reading for each of the four sections in about 10 minutes, scored against your program's minimum.
Improving one section for a retake
Most programs take the whole attempt, not your best section from each, so a retake means sitting all four sections again. Some programs do combine scores across attempts or count only certain attempts; check your program's page. Two rules from our retake guide: know how many attempts your program accepts and the wait between them, and keep practising the sections you already passed, because they count again.
TEAS section scores FAQ
What is the max score on the TEAS math section?
100%, the same as every section. The math section has 34 scored questions, so each one is worth about 3 points.
What is a passing score for TEAS math?
ATI sets none. Programs in our list that set one ask for 50% to 70%; most programs set only a total.
Are TEAS section scores averaged to get the total?
No. The total counts all 150 scored questions, so science (44) weighs more than English (33).
Can I combine my best section scores from two attempts?
Only if your program says so. Most use one attempt's total and sections as a set; Middlesex, for example, requires 60% in each section in one sitting.
Why is my section score different from my count of right answers?
ATI adjusts total and section scores for the difficulty of the form, and 20 unscored questions are mixed in. Content area scores are not adjusted.
Which TEAS section counts most?
ATI publishes no section weights, but science has the most scored questions (44 of 150, 29%), then reading (39, 26%). ATI notes section scores are adjusted separately and don't add up exactly to the total.
Sources
- ATI, TEAS exam details (sections, questions, scored items, minutes, content areas).
- ATI, How is the ATI TEAS scored?
- ATI, ATI TEAS national percentile rank table, 2022 (posted by Capital Health).
- Program pages linked in the table above, each read for our program minimums list (checked October 2026).
More: TEAS score calculator, what TEAS score you need, average TEAS score, or all TEAS guides. To see your four section scores today, take the free TEAS practice test.