What is a good TEAS score? For nursing, LPN and allied health programs
A good TEAS score is one that clears your program's minimum and, if the program ranks applicants, is close to the scores it admits. For most minimums that means about 62% to 70%: the median published minimum in our list of 43 programs is 62%. For competitive bachelor's programs it means the 80s: two public BSN programs that publish their admitted students' averages report 82% to 86% for recent classes.
For scale, the national average is about 63% to 65%, a 70% total is around the 70th percentile, and 80% is around the 90th. Below: good scores by program type, what 70, 78 and 80 mean, good section scores, and what to do from where you are.
A good TEAS score at a glance
| Total score | Where it stands | What it does for you |
|---|---|---|
| Under 58.7% | Below ATI's "Proficient" level, which many programs use as the floor | Meets few published minimums; plan a retake |
| 58.7% to 62% | Around the national mean (about 63% to 65%) | At 58.7%, meets 14 of 43 published minimums; at 62.6%, 25 of 43 |
| 65% | Above average | Meets 32 of the 43 published minimums in our list |
| 70% | About the 72nd percentile (ATI 2022 table) | Meets 42 of 43 minimums; competitive at many associate degree programs |
| 80% and up | About the 90th percentile and above | In range of the admitted averages at competitive BSN programs |
Minimum counts are from our list of 56 nursing and allied health programs, each linked to its own page (what TEAS score you need). Percentiles are from ATI's tables and sample score reports (average TEAS score).
Minimum score vs competitive score
The single most useful thing to know about your program is how it uses the TEAS. There are two kinds:
- Minimum only. The TEAS is a gate. Meet the number and you're eligible; a higher score earns nothing more. Some programs say this outright. For these, a good score is the minimum plus a small safety margin, because a retake costs a fee and weeks.
- Ranked. The TEAS is part of a points system or a ranking, often next to prerequisite GPA. Northern Virginia Community College, for example, notes on its TEAS page that higher scores are more competitive for its nursing, sonography, dental hygiene and radiography programs (NOVA TEAS page). For these, a good score is one near the people who got in last cycle.
Programs that rank applicants sometimes publish their admitted students' averages. Two public BSN programs that do:
| Program | Cohort | Average TEAS of admitted students |
|---|---|---|
| University of Nevada, Reno, BSN | Fall 2026 | 86% |
| University of Nevada, Reno, BSN | 12 cohorts, spring 2021 to fall 2026 | 76.8% to 89.7% |
| Texas State University, BSN | 2024, 2025, 2026 | 82.6%, 83.2%, 86.4% |
Sources: UNR admission statistics; Texas State admission profiles, read 2026-11-04. Texas State's earlier classes (2021–2023) averaged 93% to 95% in math and about 81% to 83% in science. These are two selective programs, not a national rule, but they show how far above the minimum a ranked program can sit. If your program publishes a class profile, that number is your target, not the minimum.
Good TEAS score by program type
From the published minimums in our list (what TEAS score you need):
| Program type | Programs with an overall minimum | Range | Median | A good target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate degree nursing (RN) | 29 | 58.7% to 70% | 62% | 70% or more if ranked |
| Bachelor's nursing (BSN) | 7 | 58.7% to 75% | 68% | 80% or more at selective programs |
| Practical nursing (LPN, LVN) | 6 | 58% to 60% | 58.7% | 60% to 65% |
| Allied health | 1 of 6 | 66% | - | Every section minimum, with margin |
"A good target" is our reading of the data, not a program rule. Seven BSN programs is a small sample, so treat its median as rough.
What is a good TEAS score for LPN programs?
The practical nursing programs in our list ask for 58% to 60% overall, the lowest of any group. A score in the low to mid 60s clears all of them with a margin. If the program ranks applicants, aim higher; check its page.
What is a good TEAS score for sonography, dental hygiene or radiology?
Allied health programs mostly set a minimum per section instead of one overall number, and the bars vary widely. At Northern Virginia Community College, read 2026-11-04 (NOVA TEAS page):
| NOVA program | TEAS minimum |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic medical sonography | 70% in all four sections |
| Nursing | Reading 73%, Math 65%, Science 58%, English 62% |
| Dental hygiene | 50% in all four sections |
| Radiography | 50% in Reading, Math and English |
| Physical therapist assistant | 50% in English and Reading, 50% on the anatomy and physiology part of Science |
Sonography's 70% in every section is one of the hardest TEAS rules we have seen, because the national science mean is about 50%. Nassau Community College's radiologic technology program, in our list, counts only Science and Math, at 58.7% each. For allied health, a good score is every required section above its line.
Is 70, 78 or 80 a good TEAS score?
Percentile ranks for these totals, from ATI's 2022 TEAS 7 table and a 2024–25 sample report posted by the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (average TEAS score links both):
| Total | Percentile | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 62.7% | 51st | About average; meets 25 of 43 published minimums (those at 62.6% or less) |
| 70% | 72nd | Nearly every published minimum in our list |
| 77.3% | 81st | Strong for associate degree programs; below the BSN class averages above |
| 80% | 93rd | Competitive at most programs; near the low end of the admitted averages above |
| 85.3% | 94th | At or above the BSN admitted averages above |
- Is 70 a good TEAS score? Yes for nearly all minimums and for many ranked associate degree programs. For a selective BSN, it is likely below the admitted average.
- Is 78 a good TEAS score? Yes: about the top fifth of test takers. At a program whose admitted average is in the 80s, it is close but not above.
- Is 80 a good TEAS score? Yes, at almost any program, and near the 90th percentile. At the most selective programs, the 80s are typical of the people admitted, not exceptional.
The two percentile sources differ by a few places (different years and norm groups), so read them as approximate.
What is a good TEAS section score?
Each section is scored 0 to 100% on its own, and the national means differ a lot. From ATI's 2022 TEAS 7 table: Reading 70.2%, Math 73.5%, Science 49.6%, English 61.2%. So a 65% in science is well above average, while a 65% in math is below it. Programs with section minimums tend to set them between 50% and 73%. A good section score is one that clears your program's line by two or three questions, since each scored question is worth 2.3 to 3 points depending on the section. TEAS section scores has the max, what one question is worth, and the 15 programs' section rules, and how many questions you can miss turns each minimum into wrong answers.
TEAS score levels: Proficient, Advanced, Exemplary
Your score report places your total in one of five academic preparedness levels: Developmental, Basic, Proficient, Advanced or Exemplary (ATI score report). Several programs use the level as the rule: in our list, five ask for Proficient, and Owensboro and Heartland tie Proficient to 58.7%. Proficient is a common floor; Advanced or Exemplary is what "good" usually means at competitive programs. ATI shows the exact level ranges only as an image, so we don't restate them; your report shows your level next to your adjusted individual total score.
How to know what is good for your program
- Find the rule. Overall minimum, section minimums, level, and whether higher scores count. Our program minimums list links to each program's page.
- Look for a class profile. Search the program's site for "admission statistics" or "admitted student profile". If it publishes an average TEAS, aim for it.
- Check how long scores last and which attempt counts. Some count the highest, some the most recent, some the first. Validity runs from six months to five years in our list; NOVA accepts three years.
- Measure your gap. Take a timed practice test and compare each section with your program's lines. Our free TEAS practice test does this against your own program's minimum.
Your score isn't good enough yet: what to do
Most programs accept a retake, though the rules vary: NOVA asks for one month between attempts and allows three a calendar year (NOVA TEAS page); our guide on how many times you can retake the TEAS has more. Start from your score report's "Topics to review", and spend the most time on science if it's your lowest: it has the most scored questions (44) and the lowest national mean. How long to give it depends on the gap: how long to study for the TEAS sizes it from your score.
Good TEAS score FAQ
What is a good TEAS score for nursing school?
Above your program's minimum, which is usually 58.7% to 70%. At ranked or selective programs, around the admitted average, which can be in the 80s.
What is a passing TEAS score?
There is no national pass mark; each program sets its own. The most common published minimum is 58.7%.
Is 65 a good TEAS score?
It is above the national average and meets 32 of the 43 published minimums in our list. It may be low for a ranked BSN.
What is the average TEAS score?
About 63% to 65% overall; see average TEAS score.
Do schools look at section scores or only the total?
Both, depending on the program. 15 of the 56 programs in our list set section minimums, and seven of those set no total at all.
Is a good TEAS score enough to get in?
Not on its own at most programs. GPA, prerequisites and sometimes interviews count too. The TEAS is one part of the application.
Sources
- ATI, TEAS score report and topics to review. Read 2026-10-19.
- ATI, How the ATI TEAS is scored. Read 2026-10-27.
- University of Nevada, Reno, Nursing admission application statistics. Read 2026-11-04.
- Texas State University, St. David's School of Nursing, Admission profiles. Read 2026-11-04.
- Northern Virginia Community College, TEAS test. Read 2026-11-04.
- Next Cohort, 56 program minimums and ATI's national means and percentile tables, each linked to its source.
More on scores: how many questions you can miss, TEAS section scores, the TEAS score calculator, or all TEAS guides. To see how close you are, take the free TEAS practice test.