HESI A2 Practice Test
Free HESI A2 nursing-school entrance exam practice in English, Chinese, and Spanish — math, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, anatomy and physiology, biology, and chemistry, with an explanation for every answer.
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Practice questions built from the seven scored academic exams Elsevier lists for the HESI Admission Assessment (A2). This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Elsevier or HESI, and these are not real exam questions. Each school decides which sections you take, the time allowed, whether a calculator is available and the score it requires, so check those with the program you are applying to. The real exam is given in English; the Vocabulary and Grammar answer choices are kept in English here for that reason.
About the HESI A2 entrance exam
The HESI Admission Assessment, almost always called the HESI A2, is Elsevier's entrance exam for nursing and allied-health programs, and it is the main alternative to the ATI TEAS. Your program decides which sections you take and where you test, and you usually register and pay through the program or its testing center, so two applicants at two schools can sit very different versions. Elsevier lists seven scored academic exams: Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary & General Knowledge, Grammar, Anatomy & Physiology, Biology and Chemistry. This bank has one practice section for each of the seven, with an explanation for every answer, in English, Chinese and Spanish.
How to study for the HESI A2
Start with your program's requirements, not with a textbook. Find out which sections you will take and the minimum it expects on each, then take one full timed practice section of each type to see where you stand. Elsevier's own list gives Math, Reading, Vocabulary and Grammar twice as many scored items as each science exam, which makes them worth the most study time if your program requires them. Spend the most hours on the required section where you scored lowest, and keep the others warm with a short daily set.
Math on the HESI A2 is arithmetic done carefully: fractions, decimals, percents, ratios and proportions, household and metric conversions, 24-hour time and simple equations. Most wrong answers come from a predictable slip, such as inverting a ratio, forgetting to multiply by 100, or converting in the wrong direction, so after every miss, name the slip rather than just reading the right answer. Memorize the handful of standard equivalents (kilograms to pounds, teaspoons and tablespoons to milliliters, ounces to milliliters) until they are automatic, and practice without a calculator in case your school turns it off.
The three English exams reward different habits. Reading Comprehension is answered from the passage alone: the right choice is supported by the text, while the tempting wrong ones are true-sounding, too narrow, too broad or contradicted by a sentence you skimmed. Vocabulary leans on words you will meet in patient charts and instructions, so build a running list of terms like distended, lethargic, void and exacerbate and say each one in a sentence. Grammar tests the usual trouble spots: subject-verb agreement, pronoun case, irregular verbs such as lie and lay, apostrophes, and confused pairs like affect and effect.
For the science exams, learn systems rather than lists. In Anatomy & Physiology, trace the path of blood through the heart, air through the airway and food through the gut, and learn what each major gland's hormone does; directional terms and the four tissue types are quick points. Biology centers on cells: organelles, osmosis, cellular respiration versus photosynthesis, mitosis versus meiosis, and Punnett squares. Chemistry rewards understanding the periodic table, bonding, balancing equations, pH and simple mole problems. In every section, read the explanation even when you answer correctly, because it is where the reasoning for the next variation of the question lives.
FAQ
Is this HESI A2 practice test really free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no account and no payment. Open any section and start; your progress is saved in your browser so you can pick up where you left off.
Which HESI A2 sections do I have to take?
That is decided by the program you are applying to, not by Elsevier. Many nursing programs require Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar and Anatomy & Physiology, and some add Biology or Chemistry, but the list varies. Check your program's admission page before you plan your study time, then put most of it into the sections you will actually sit. Some programs also add a Critical Thinking exam or unscored Learning Style and Personality Profile surveys; this bank covers only the seven academic exams.
What score do I need on the HESI A2?
There is no single passing score. Each school sets its own minimum, sometimes for every section separately and sometimes as a composite, and competitive programs often admit applicants well above their stated minimum. Treat your program's published requirement as the floor, not the target. For context, Elsevier's 2022 scoring guidance calls 75–79% satisfactory for associate and bachelor's programs, 70–79% satisfactory for certificate programs such as practical nursing, and 80–89% very good. On this site a practice section counts as passed at 75% correct.
How long is the HESI A2, and can I retake it?
Elsevier's 2022 overview gives 50 scored items and about 50 minutes each for Math, Grammar and Vocabulary, 50 items and about 60 minutes for Reading, and 25 items and about 25 minutes each for Anatomy & Physiology, Biology and Chemistry. School testing pages often list 55 or 30 questions per section, a few more than the scored count. Retake limits, waiting periods and fees are set by your program or testing center, not by one national rule, so check yours before you book.
How is the HESI A2 different from the TEAS?
Both screen applicants to nursing and allied-health programs, and they overlap heavily in math, reading and science. The main differences are structure and emphasis: the HESI A2 gives Vocabulary and Grammar their own separately scored exams and splits science into Anatomy & Physiology, Biology and Chemistry, while the TEAS combines English usage into one section and science into another. Your program accepts one or the other, so prepare for the one it names. Quibank has a free TEAS practice test too.
Can I study for the HESI A2 in Chinese or Spanish?
Yes, for understanding the concepts: every question and explanation is available in English, Simplified Chinese and Spanish. The real exam is in English, though, so the Vocabulary and Grammar answer choices stay in English here; those sections test English itself, and practicing them in translation would not prepare you. A good routine is to learn a science or math idea in the language you think in, then re-read the English version until the English terms feel natural.
Recommended study resources
- HESI A2 study guides on Amazon ↗
Print study guides pair well with free drilling — read the theory there, test yourself here.
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