The Short Answer
The HESI Admission Assessment — everyone calls it the HESI A2 — is Elsevier's entrance exam for nursing and health programs. The important thing to understand is that there is no single HESI A2. Elsevier offers eight academic sections, and your school chooses which ones you take, the score you need and how many times you can try. Elsevier publishes no universal passing score.
So before you buy a single book, find your program's HESI page. It will tell you nearly everything this guide cannot: the sections, the minimum, and the retake rules. Everything below helps you read that page and prepare for what it says.
| Academic section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | Fractions, decimals, ratios and proportions, percentages, conversions, household and metric measures, basic algebra |
| Reading Comprehension | Main ideas, supporting details, inference, author's purpose and meaning in context |
| Vocabulary and General Knowledge | Words used in health care and everyday academic reading |
| Grammar | Parts of speech, agreement, pronouns, punctuation and commonly confused words |
| Biology | Cells, metabolism, genetics, biological molecules |
| Chemistry | Atomic structure, the periodic table, bonding, reactions, basic stoichiometry |
| Anatomy and Physiology | Body systems, terminology and how the systems work together |
| Physics | Motion, forces, energy and basic mechanics — rarely required |
Many programs also ask for the unscored personality and learning-style profiles, which take a few minutes and cannot be failed. Our free HESI A2 practice questions cover the academic sections with explanations, and the practice quiz gives you a quick starting point.
What Real Schools Require
These three published policies show how differently programs use the same exam. Yours may look like any of them — or none.
| Program | Sections | Minimum | Attempts |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arizona College of Nursing | Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Biology (4 hours allowed) | 75% combined across the four | Up to twice per application cycle; highest eligible score counts; scores valid one year |
| Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing | Math, plus an English composite of Reading, Vocabulary and Grammar; no science | 80 on Math and 80 on the English composite | Once per semester, maximum three attempts, 60 days between tests; no superscoring |
| Temple College (Texas) ADN program | Reading (47 questions, 60 min), Vocabulary (50, 50 min), Math (50, 50 min) | 80 in each section | Two per academic year; a retake means all three sections again |
Notice the traps hiding in those rules. "Combined" and "each section" are very different standards — a strong reading score can carry a weak math score under the first but not the second. "No superscoring" means your best math from one attempt cannot be paired with your best reading from another. And a waiting period between attempts means a failed first try can push you past an application deadline.
How Long the Exam Takes
Each section is timed separately. Common configurations give about 50 minutes for 50 math questions, 50 minutes for 50 vocabulary questions and about an hour for roughly 47 reading questions, as in Temple College's published format; science sections are shorter. A four-section exam usually takes three to four hours in total. Your testing site or program confirms the exact times.
How to Prepare
- Study only the sections you will sit. Physics prep is wasted time if your program does not use it, and most do not.
- Take a timed diagnostic in each required section and compare it with the program minimum. The widest gap gets the most hours.
- Math: master fraction–decimal–percent conversions, ratios and proportions, and metric and household conversions. Health-care math is dosage math in disguise; set up each problem before calculating.
- Reading and vocabulary: read health articles daily and look up every unfamiliar word; learn common prefixes, roots and suffixes (hyper-, hypo-, -itis, -ectomy, cardi-, nephr-) so unknown terms become guessable.
- Grammar: pronoun case, subject–verb agreement, commas and commonly confused words (affect/effect, their/there/they're) account for many questions.
- Anatomy and physiology or biology: work body system by system, and connect structure to function rather than memorising lists.
- Book early. With limited attempts and waiting periods, your first attempt should be a real one, taken when practice scores sit comfortably above your program's minimum.
Applying to programs that use the TEAS instead? Our ATI TEAS 7 guide explains that exam's fixed four-section format.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a passing score on the HESI A2?
Elsevier sets none; each program does. Published minimums commonly fall around 75–80%, sometimes as a combined score and sometimes for each section, so read your program's wording carefully.
How many sections are on the HESI A2?
There are eight academic sections — Math, Reading, Vocabulary, Grammar, Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, and Physics — plus optional personality and learning-style profiles. Your program chooses which you take; four or five is typical.
How long is the HESI A2?
It depends on the sections your program requires. Individual sections are separately timed — around 50 minutes for 50 math or vocabulary questions — and a typical four-section exam takes three to four hours.
How many times can you take the HESI A2?
Your program decides. Published policies range from two attempts a year to three attempts with 60 days between them, and some programs require you to retake every section, not just the one you missed.
Is the HESI A2 harder than the TEAS?
They test similar skills in different formats. The HESI A2 lets programs choose sections, and its vocabulary and grammar sections are longer; the TEAS has a fixed four-section structure with a heavier science section. The right one to study for is the one your program requires.
Sources
- University of Arizona College of Nursing — HESI A2 requirements — required sections, 75% combined, four hours, attempts and score validity.
- Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing — HESI A2 information — Math and English composite at 80, three attempts, 60-day wait, no superscoring.
- Temple College — HESI A2 requirements and FAQ — required sections with question counts and times, 80 per section, two attempts per year.
- Elsevier — HESI Admission Assessment product information — the eight academic sections and program-selected configurations.
