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TEAS test taking strategies: pacing, guessing and every question type

The best TEAS test taking strategies follow from how the test is scored: there's no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question; you can't go back to a section once you close it, so finish each one; and select-all questions score only if every choice is right, so judge each option on its own. Add a pace check at the halfway mark of each section and a two-pass method, and you avoid the mistakes that cost the most points.

This guide gives you those strategies in order of how many points they save, then a method for each of the five TEAS 7 question types, section-by-section tips, and how to practise them so they're automatic on test day.

The 8 TEAS strategies that matter most

1. Answer every question. No penalty for wrong answers means a blank is always worth less than a guess.
2. Know your halfway marks. Check the clock once mid-section; adjust before it's too late.
3. Use two passes. Answer what you can, flag what's slow, come back before closing the section.
4. Never close a section early with flags left. Once you submit it, it's gone.
5. Treat select-all as true-or-false. Decide each option alone.
6. Finish fill in the blank answers exactly. Units, decimals and rounding as asked.
7. Read the last line of the question first on long items, so you know what you're reading for.
8. Don't hunt for the unscored questions. 20 of the 170 don't count, and you can't tell which.

How TEAS scoring shapes your strategy

Every strategy here comes from four facts ATI publishes about the TEAS 7:

Sources: ATI question types, ATI sections and going back, ATI exam details.

Pacing strategy: time per question and halfway marks

Each section has its own clock, so pace each one on its own. The halfway marks are the most useful thing you can memorize before test day:

Questions and minutes are ATI's; the rest is our arithmetic. Behind at the halfway mark? Don't panic-speed every question: switch to the two-pass method below for the rest of the section, so the slow ones get the leftover time instead of the quick ones.

Leave 2–3 minutes at the end of each section for your flagged questions and a check that nothing is blank.

The two-pass method

1. Pass one: go through in order. Answer every question you can in your per-question time. When one will clearly take longer (a long word problem, a passage you'd need to reread), pick your best guess, flag it, and move on. A guess now means it isn't blank if time runs out.
2. Pass two: go back to the flags, in order, with the time you saved. Change an answer only if you find a reason, not a feeling.
3. Before you submit: scan for any blank or unfinished select-all. Then close the section.

A rough rule for "will take longer": if you've read the question twice and still don't see the first step, flag it.

Guessing strategy

With no guessing penalty, a blind guess on a four-option question is still a 1 in 4 chance; every option you rule out raises it. So:

• Cross off what you can (on your scratch paper, write A B C D and strike them).
• Prefer the option that answers the exact question asked over one that's true but off-topic.
• On math, estimate: if the answer must be a bit under 50, drop options of 5 and 500.
• In the last minute, put an answer on everything left, even with no reading.

Fill in the blank questions have no options, but a reasonable estimate in the right format still has a chance; a blank has none.

Multiple choice strategies

Most TEAS questions are standard multiple choice with four options (ATI question types). The habits that save points:

• Answer before you look. For a fact or calculation, work out your answer first, then find it. It stops a near-miss option from steering you.
• Watch the reversals: "NOT", "EXCEPT", "least likely". Underline them mentally; they flip which option is right.
• Two options that say the same thing usually means neither is right, since only one answer can be.
• Extreme words ("always", "never", "only") in reading and science options are often wrong when the passage or science is hedged.
• Charts and exhibits: read the title, the axes and the units before the question.

Select all that apply: the true-or-false method

Multiple select questions give five or six options, two or more of them right, and end with "select all that apply". They score all or nothing: one missed right option, or one wrong option added, and the question is zero (ATI question types).

1. Read the stem, then cover the other options with your mind: take one option at a time.
2. Ask: "Is this statement true and does it answer the question?" Yes = select. No or unsure = leave.
3. Don't count. There's no fixed number of right answers, and "it's usually three" is a guess, not a rule.
4. Re-read the stem at the end; a "which are NOT" stem flips everything.

Example: "Which of the following are functions of the kidneys? Select all that apply." Judge each alone: filter blood (yes), make bile (no, that's the liver), help regulate blood pressure (yes), produce insulin (no, the pancreas), balance electrolytes (yes). Three yes, two no: select the three. For the science behind it, see TEAS anatomy and physiology.

Fill in the blank: finish it exactly

You type a number or word with no options to check against. Most appear in math. Method:

1. Note the format the question asks: "round to the nearest tenth", "as a percent", "in milliliters".
2. Work it on paper, with units written in every step.
3. Sanity check: is a dose of 2,500 tablets plausible? Is a percent over 100 possible here?
4. Type only what's asked, in the asked form: if it says "nearest whole number", 12, not 12.4.

Practise these on TEAS math word problems and TEAS fractions, covering the options as you work.

Ordered response and hot spot

Ordered response asks you to drag four to six options into the right order: steps of a process, the path of blood, the order of events in a passage. Strategy: place the first and last items first (they're usually the easiest to identify), then fill the middle. Check each neighbour pair: "does B really come right after A?" One item out of place scores zero.

Hot spot asks you to click the area of an image that answers the question, from two to five areas. Strategy: read the question, name the answer in words first ("the left ventricle"), then find it on the image. Check the labels and the orientation: in an anatomy diagram, the body's left is on your right.

TEAS strategies by section

Reading (45 questions, 55 minutes)

• Read the question before the passage on short passages; you'll know what to look for.
• For main idea questions, the answer covers the whole passage, not one detail.
• For inference questions, pick what the passage supports, not what is merely likely.
• Full method per question type: TEAS reading study guide.

Mathematics (38 questions, 57 minutes)

• Write the units in every step; conversions are where the points go.
• Use the built-in calculator for arithmetic, not for setting up the problem.
• For algebra, plug the options back in when solving is slow.
• Formulas and conversions to know: TEAS math formulas.

Science (50 questions, 60 minutes)

• Spend no more than about 70 seconds on a recall question: you know it or you don't. Guess, flag and move on.
• For scientific reasoning, find the independent and dependent variable first.
• Body system questions often ask what a structure does, not where it is.
• Topic by topic: TEAS science cheat sheet.

English and language usage (37 questions, 37 minutes)

• One minute each: this is the section where speed matters most.
• For "which sentence is correct", read the shortest option first; extra words often add errors.
• Spelling and vocabulary: sound the word out, then check for the rule (i before e, doubling).
• Rules to know: TEAS grammar rules.

Using the calculator and scratch paper

A calculator is built into the exam, and you may not bring your own. You get one blank sheet of paper (8½ × 11) or a desktop whiteboard and two writing instruments (ATI exam day requirements). Use the paper well:

• Fold or divide it into four, one quarter per section, so you don't run out.
• For each flagged question, write its number and your guess, so pass two is quick.
• Write the per-section halfway marks at the top when the section starts.

What else to bring and what's banned: TEAS exam day tips.

Practising the strategies so they're automatic

Strategies only help if you've used them before test day. A two-week routine:

This is our routine, not ATI's. Start by finding which section needs the most work: our free 15-question TEAS check covers all four sections and scores you against your program's minimum. If you have more time, the four-week TEAS plan builds these drills into a full schedule, and is the TEAS test hard shows which sections cost applicants the most.

TEAS strategy mistakes that cost points

• Spending three minutes on one question early, then rushing the last ten.
• Submitting a section with flags left, thinking you can come back.
• Leaving a question blank when the clock runs out.
• Selecting "the usual three" on select-all questions.
• Typing 12.4 when the question said nearest whole number.
• Changing answers on pass two without a new reason.
• Studying strategies but never practising them on a clock.

TEAS test taking strategies FAQ

Should you guess on the TEAS?

Yes. There's no penalty for wrong answers, so answer every question, ruling out what you can first.

Can you go back to questions on the TEAS?

Yes, inside the section you're in, and you can flag questions to revisit. Once you submit a section, you can't return to it.

Is there partial credit on select-all questions?

No. A multiple select question scores only if you choose every right option and no wrong one.

How do you finish the TEAS on time?

Know your per-question time for each section, check the clock at the halfway mark, and flag slow questions for a second pass instead of fighting them first.

Which question type is hardest on the TEAS?

For many people, select-all and fill in the blank, because they leave no room for a near answer. Practise them on purpose.

Sources

• ATI, ATI TEAS question types. Read 2026-10-19.
• ATI, ATI TEAS sections and going back to a question. Read 2026-10-19.
• ATI, TEAS exam details. Read 2026-10-27.
• ATI, TEAS exam day requirements. Read 2026-10-29.
• Hallmark University, Tips for taking the TEAS exam. Read 2026-11-03.

More: TEAS exam day tips, TEAS sample questions, or all TEAS guides. To try these strategies on real-style questions, take the free TEAS practice test.