HESI A2-style practice test questions: math, reading, vocabulary, grammar, A&P, biology and chemistry
Practice for the HESI Admission Assessment (A2) and similar nursing school entrance exams. Schools choose which sections applicants take, so this course covers the academic sections most programs require: math, reading comprehension, vocabulary and general knowledge, grammar, anatomy and physiology, biology and chemistry.
Cram pack (PDF)Formula sheets, method steps and practice problems with full solutions, ready to print.
This is independent practice material. ExamProblems is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organisation that runs this exam, and the exam name is used only to describe the content.
About the exam and how to practise
Math covers fractions, decimals, percents, ratios and proportions, simple algebra, conversions, reading charts, and household measures and the 24-hour clock (the first two levels of the nursing math topic). Reading uses short passages, notices and labels. Vocabulary focuses on words used in health care and on medical word parts. Grammar covers parts of speech, agreement, pronouns, tenses, punctuation and commonly confused words. The science sections cover cells, genetics, biomolecules and microorganisms, chemistry from atoms to stoichiometry, and the body systems.
Practise anatomy and physiology at the easy and medium levels, which match the depth of the exam; the hard level of those topics contains clinical cases for nursing students. Some schools also ask for a physics section; the physics topics on this site (kinematics, Newton’s laws, energy) cover similar ground but are not part of this course. The learning-style and personality sections are not graded and are not practised here.
All questions are original, with an explanation for every answer; none is taken from the real exam, and its interface and scoring are not copied. Check your school’s requirements for the sections and passing scores, and the exam organisation’s candidate information for the current details.
Exam tips for HESI A2-style practice: math, English, A&P, biology and chemistry
Find out which sections your school requires and practise those first.
Learn the common prefixes, roots and suffixes: they unlock many vocabulary questions.
In math, show each conversion step and round only at the end.
Use timed mixed sets in the final weeks so the pace feels familiar.
Worked examples
Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)Easy
What is 90% of 30? Find x.
90%30
Find x
Show hints
p% of a number is (p/100) × the number.
90% = 0.9.
0.9 × 30.
Show the answer and the step-by-step solution
Percent means per hundred: p% of a number is (p/100) × the number. To find what percent A is of B, divide A by B and multiply by 100. A percent change compares the change with the original value: percent change = (new − original)/original × 100.
Percent as a decimal
90% = 0.9
Multiply
x = 0.9 × 30 = 27
Answer
x = 27
Nursing math & unit conversionsMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient’s temperature is 40.4 °C. Convert it to degrees Fahrenheit T with °F = °C × 9/5 + 32. Round to one decimal place.
40.4 °C
Find T(°F)
Show hints
Multiply by 9/5 (that is 1.8) first.
40.4·1.8 = 72.72.
Then add 32.
Show the answer and the step-by-step solution
Temperature: °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9 and °F = °C × 9/5 + 32. Subtract 32 before you multiply when going from °F, and add 32 after you multiply when going from °C. A quick check: 37 °C is 98.6 °F, and every 1 °C is 1.8 °F.
Multiply by 9/5
40.4·9/5 = 72.72
Add 32
T = 72.72 + 32 = 104.7 °F
Answer
T = 104.7 °F
How practising works
“Practise this course” mixes problems from all its topics, like a real exam.
Every problem has new values, so you learn the method instead of an answer.
Stuck? Open a small hint first, and the full explanation only when you need it.
Mock exams are timed and have no hints, and you get your score and a full review at the end.