Neither the HESI A2 nor the TEAS is universally harder, but most nursing school applicants find the HESI A2 more challenging because it covers more subjects in greater depth. The HESI can include up to 350 questions across eight distinct subject areas, while the TEAS has 170 questions across four. That said, which one feels harder depends heavily on your academic background, especially in science.
What Each Exam Actually Covers
The TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) tests four subjects: reading, math, science, and English and language usage. You get about 3.5 hours to answer 170 questions, though only 150 count toward your score. The remaining 20 are unscored pilot questions mixed in, and you won’t know which ones they are.
The HESI A2 (Health Education Systems Incorporated Admission Assessment) casts a much wider net. Its core subjects include math, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and physics. The full exam contains up to 350 questions with a four-hour time limit. Here’s the catch: not every nursing program requires all eight sections. Your school may only assign five or six, which changes the time limit to anywhere from two to five hours depending on what’s required.
This variability is one reason the difficulty question is hard to answer cleanly. A student whose program only requires math, reading, vocabulary, and grammar on the HESI may find it easier than the TEAS. A student facing the full slate, including physics and chemistry, is dealing with a significantly more demanding exam.
Why the Science Sections Make the Difference
Science is where the two exams diverge most sharply. The TEAS bundles all science content into a single section that covers general biology, anatomy and physiology, and basic chemistry at an introductory level. You don’t need deep expertise in any one area.
The HESI A2 treats each science discipline as its own scored section. Anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and physics each get their own block of questions. This means you need working knowledge across multiple science courses, not just surface-level familiarity. If your program requires the physics section and you haven’t taken physics since high school (or ever), that alone can make the HESI feel significantly harder.
For students who’ve already completed prerequisite science courses, the HESI’s depth can actually work in their favor. The questions align closely with what you’d learn in a college anatomy or chemistry class. For students applying earlier in their academic career with fewer science courses under their belt, the TEAS science section is more manageable.
Math and English: Closer Than You’d Think
Both exams test similar math fundamentals: fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, and basic algebra. Neither requires advanced math like calculus or statistics. The HESI tends to emphasize healthcare-relevant calculations like dosage conversions and unit measurements, while the TEAS math section is more broadly academic. Both provide a calculator during the exam, so mental math under pressure isn’t really a factor.
The English sections differ in structure more than difficulty. The TEAS combines grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure into one “English and Language Usage” section. The HESI splits verbal skills into separate vocabulary and grammar sections, and the vocabulary questions tend to focus on medical and scientific terminology. If you’re comfortable with words like “bilateral” and “subcutaneous,” the HESI vocabulary section won’t trip you up. If those terms are unfamiliar, it requires targeted study that the TEAS doesn’t demand.
Question Format and Test Experience
The TEAS uses several question formats beyond standard multiple choice. You’ll encounter multiple-select questions where more than one answer is correct, fill-in-the-blank questions with no answer choices at all, hot spot questions where you click on the correct area of an image, and ordered response questions where you drag items into the right sequence. These alternate formats can catch you off guard if you’ve only practiced with traditional multiple choice.
The HESI A2 sticks primarily to standard multiple-choice questions. While the content may be more advanced, the format itself is straightforward and familiar to most test-takers.
Scoring and What Schools Expect
Both exams report scores as percentages, but the competitive thresholds vary by program. TEAS scores are broken into four category scores plus a composite. Most nursing programs look for a composite score somewhere between 62% and 80%, with more competitive programs expecting higher.
HESI scores are reported by section, and schools may look at individual section scores, a cumulative average, or both. At competitive programs, admitted students commonly score in the 70s to mid-90s. One school’s recent admissions data showed accepted nursing students scoring anywhere from 70 to 96 on the HESI, which illustrates how wide the range can be depending on the applicant pool.
An important distinction: the TEAS weights its four sections differently when calculating the composite score, meaning science and reading carry more influence than math or English. The HESI typically averages your required section scores equally, though individual programs may prioritize certain sections in their admissions review.
Which One Should You Prepare For?
You rarely get to choose. Most nursing programs specify which exam they accept, and some accept only one. If your target school accepts both, consider your strengths. Students with a solid science background across multiple disciplines generally handle the HESI well. Students who prefer a shorter, more consolidated exam with broader but shallower content tend to prefer the TEAS.
Preparation timelines differ too. Because the HESI can span up to eight subject areas, study plans typically need to be longer and more structured. TEAS prep is more contained, with four subjects and a fixed 3.5-hour format that’s the same everywhere. The HESI’s variability, where you might not know exactly which sections your school requires until you confirm with admissions, can make planning feel less predictable.
Retake policies also vary by school rather than by exam. Some programs allow retakes after 30 days, others after 60, and some limit the total number of attempts. Check your specific program’s policy before your first attempt so you know how much pressure that initial sitting actually carries.