Nursing school admission usually hinges on a single standardised entrance exam, most often the ATI TEAS 7 or the HESI A2. This calculator reproduces the real scoring rules so you can see your composite before the official report arrives, and compare it against the benchmark your program expects.
ATI TEAS 7 — weighted composite
The ATI TEAS 7 (Test of Essential Academic Skills, version 7) covers four content areas, each with a fixed number of scored questions (not counting unscored pilot items). ATI weights the composite by these question counts:
| Section | Scored questions | Content focus |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 39 | Craft and structure, information and ideas, integration of knowledge |
| Math | 34 | Numbers/algebra, measurement/data |
| Science | 44 | Life science, physical science, Earth/space science |
| English/Language Use | 37 | Conventions of standard English, knowledge of language |
The composite is:
composite % = Σ(section % × section question count) / Σ(all question counts)
= Σ(section % × section questions) / 154Science carries the most questions and therefore pulls the composite most strongly. A student who scores 95% on English but only 55% on Science will find their composite dragged downward more than the simple average suggests.
HESI A2 — unweighted average
The HESI A2 (Health Education Systems Inc Admission Assessment) takes a different approach. Each nursing program selects which academic sections it requires — commonly Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary & General Knowledge, Grammar, Math, and Biology. The composite is the simple arithmetic mean of the required section scores, with every section weighted equally regardless of question count. This means improving any weak section lifts the composite by the same amount.
Proficiency bands and admission benchmarks
Most programs publish minimum TEAS composites rather than HESI ones (HESI programs typically state minimums directly). General guidance for TEAS 7:
| Band | Score range | Typical implication |
|---|---|---|
| Developmental | Below 41 | Below most program minimums |
| Basic | 41 – 58 | Meets minimum for some ADN programs |
| Proficient | 58 – 79 | Competitive for most ADN, meets minimums for many BSN |
| Advanced | 79 – 90 | Competitive for most BSN programs |
| Exemplary | 90 – 100 | Highly competitive, top BSN and accelerated programs |
These are general benchmarks — always check the posted minimum for your specific program, because cutoffs vary widely. Some community college ADN programs accept 60%; some university BSN programs set the floor at 78–80% and rank applicants by composite.
Worked example — TEAS 7
Scores: Reading 80%, Math 70%, Science 60%, English 75%.
Calculation:
(80 × 39) + (70 × 34) + (60 × 44) + (75 × 37) = 3120 + 2380 + 2640 + 2775 = 10915
10915 / 154 = 70.9%Simple average would be (80 + 70 + 60 + 75) / 4 = 71.25%, just 0.35 points higher — but in borderline cases this difference matters. The low Science score (lowest-weighted in the simple average, but most-weighted here because it has 44 questions) pulls the composite down slightly.
All calculations run locally in your browser.