TEAS-style practice questions (all four sections): cram pack

Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 16 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.

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1Formulas and methods

Reading comprehension (entrance exams)

Method

  1. Read the question first so you know what you are looking for.
  2. Skim the passage for its topic and main point; the first or last sentence often states it.
  3. Go back to the exact lines that answer the question.
  4. For inferences, choose the option the clues most strongly support, not one that goes further.
  5. For labels and tables, apply every rule that fits the case and do the small calculation carefully.

Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)

Order of operations
parentheses → exponents → × ÷ (left to right) → + − (left to right)
Fractions
a/b + c/d = (ad + bc)/bd, a/b × c/d = ac/bd, a/b ÷ c/d = a/b × d/c
Percent
p% of N = (p/100)·N; percent = part/whole × 100
Percent change
(new − original)/original × 100
Discount, then tax
price × (1 − d/100) × (1 + t/100)
Proportion
a/b = c/d → ad = bc
Mean, median, mode, range
sum/count; middle of ordered list; most frequent; max − min
Length, capacity, time
1 km = 1000 m, 1 m = 100 cm, 1 ft = 12 in, 1 yd = 3 ft, 1 mi = 5280 ft, 1 gal = 4 qt = 16 cups, 1 h = 60 min
Temperature
°F = °C·9/5 + 32, °C = (°F − 32)·5/9; a change of 1 °C = 1.8 °F
Area
rectangle l·w, triangle ½·b·h, circle π·r²
Perimeter and circumference
rectangle 2l + 2w, circle π·d = 2π·r
Volume
box l·w·h, cylinder π·r²·h; 1000 cm³ = 1 L
Speed
distance ÷ time (time in hours for mph or km/h)

Method

  1. Read the last sentence first: what exactly is asked, and in which unit or form (lowest terms, nearest cent, one decimal place)?
  2. Write the numbers in one form: turn mixed numbers into improper fractions, percents into decimals, and hours and minutes into one unit.
  3. Pick the method: PEMDAS for expressions, a common denominator for adding fractions, part ÷ whole × 100 for percents, cross-multiplying for proportions, inverse operations for equations.
  4. Work one step at a time and write each line down; round only at the very end.
  5. Check the size of the answer with an estimate, and put an equation’s answer back in.

Biology for nursing entrance exams

Method

  1. Name the topic of the question: cell parts, transport, division, DNA and protein synthesis, inheritance, biomolecules, microorganisms or experimental design.
  2. Recall the key rule: A–T and G–C, diffusion from high to low, water moves towards more solute, mitosis keeps and meiosis halves the chromosome number.
  3. For crosses, write the parents’ genotypes, list the gametes and fill a Punnett square before counting.
  4. For experiments, label the independent, dependent and controlled variables, and ask whether the evidence supports or only suggests the conclusion.
  5. Check each option against the question asked, not just whether it is a true statement.

Chemistry for nursing entrance exams

Method

  1. Identify what is given and asked: particles, a formula, a state change, a concentration, a pH or a mass.
  2. Use the periodic table: the atomic number gives protons, the group gives valence electrons and the usual ion charge.
  3. Balance equations with coefficients only, element by element, oxygen and hydrogen last.
  4. For amounts, go mass → moles → mole ratio → moles → mass, and for solutions use M = mol/L and C₁V₁ = C₂V₂.
  5. Remember that pH is logarithmic: one unit is a factor of 10.

English grammar & language usage (entrance exams)

Method

  1. Find the subject and the verb of the sentence before choosing a form.
  2. Strip away phrases (of the …, along with …) and extra people (you and …) to test agreement and pronoun case.
  3. Check each clause: can it stand alone? Join independent clauses with a comma + conjunction or a semicolon.
  4. Check modifiers and lists: the describing phrase next to its word, items in the same form.
  5. For word choice and register, pick the precise, formal and concise option.

Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)

Method

  1. Read the whole sentence and look for a context clue: a definition, a contrast, an example or a cause and effect.
  2. Split an unfamiliar word into prefix, root and suffix and translate each part.
  3. Read a medical term from the suffix back to the start (hepat-itis: inflammation of the liver).
  4. Put each option into the sentence and check that the meaning still fits.
  5. Choose the meaning used in this sentence, even if the word has another everyday meaning.

2Practice problems

1.Reading comprehension (entrance exams)Medium

“The new teacher wrote her name on the board, smiled and said, ‘Let’s start by learning one interesting fact about each of you.’” What can you infer about the teacher’s goal?

  1. AShe wants to test the students’ spelling.
  2. BShe wants to get to know her students.
  3. CShe wants the students to stay silent.
  4. DShe wants to finish the lesson early.
2.Reading comprehension (entrance exams)Hard

Read the two statements. Statement 1: “Walking 30 minutes a day lowers the risk of heart disease.” Statement 2: “Walking is the most enjoyable form of exercise.” Which is true?

  1. AStatement 1 is an opinion; Statement 2 is a fact.
  2. BStatement 1 can be tested; Statement 2 is an opinion.
  3. CBoth statements are proven facts.
  4. DBoth statements are opinions.
3.Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)Medium

A town had 125 registered nurses last year and has 110 this year. What is the percent decrease p?

125 → 110
p = %
4.Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)Hard
1 67/1001 67/10007 7/101 33/67

Which fraction or mixed number in lowest terms equals the decimal 1.67? Click it.

1.67
  1. 11 67/100
  2. 21 67/1000
  3. 37 7/10
  4. 41 33/67
5.Human anatomyMedium

Which cranial nerve controls movement of the tongue?

  1. AFacial nerve (VII)
  2. BGlossopharyngeal nerve (IX)
  3. CHypoglossal nerve (XII)
  4. DVagus nerve (X)
6.Human anatomyHard

Where does the thoracic duct usually empty its lymph into the blood?

  1. AJunction of the left subclavian and left internal jugular veins
  2. BInferior vena cava at the level of the kidneys
  3. CRight atrium directly
  4. DJunction of the right subclavian and right internal jugular veins
7.Human physiologyMedium

During which phase of the cardiac cycle are all four heart valves closed while ventricular pressure rises?

  1. ARapid filling
  2. BIsovolumetric contraction
  3. CAtrial systole
  4. DRapid ejection
8.Human physiologyHard

Spirometry shows reduced FEV1 and reduced FVC, with a normal or high FEV1/FVC ratio. What pattern is this?

  1. AAn obstructive pattern, as in emphysema or chronic bronchitis
  2. BA normal result in an older adult
  3. CAn obstructive pattern, as in asthma
  4. DA restrictive pattern, as in pulmonary fibrosis
9.Biology for nursing entrance examsMedium

Which sequence is complementary to the DNA strand A-T-G-C-C-A?

  1. AG-C-A-T-T-G
  2. BU-A-C-G-G-U
  3. CT-A-C-G-G-T
  4. DA-T-G-C-C-A
10.Biology for nursing entrance examsHard

Potato cylinders are placed in sugar solutions of different strengths. They gain mass in weak solutions, lose mass in strong ones and show no change at 0.3 mol/L. What can be concluded?

  1. ASugar enters the cells only by active transport, not by diffusion
  2. BPotato cells are always hypertonic to sugar solutions
  3. CThe potato cells contain no water at all
  4. DThe potato cells have a solute concentration of about 0.3 mol/L
11.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsMedium

Why does the vapour pressure of a liquid increase as it is heated?

  1. AThe molecules become heavier and press harder on the surface
  2. BThe liquid's volume decreases and squeezes out vapour
  3. CMore molecules have enough energy to escape into the gas phase
  4. DThe attractions between the molecules become stronger
12.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsHard

Balance the equation __C₃H₈ + __O₂ → __CO₂ + __H₂O. What is the coefficient of O₂?

  1. A4
  2. B10
  3. C5
  4. D3
13.English grammar & language usage (entrance exams)Medium

Choose the correct word: “Last night he ___ awake for hours.”

  1. Alied
  2. Blaid
  3. Clay
  4. Dlayed
14.English grammar & language usage (entrance exams)Hard

Choose the correct word for formal writing: “I do not know ___ the manager will choose.”

  1. Awho
  2. Bwhom
  3. Cwhose
  4. Dwho’s
15.Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)Medium

Choose the meaning of the word in bold: “The supply room is adjacent to the nurses’ station.”

  1. AFar from
  2. BBehind
  3. CAbove
  4. DNext to
16.Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)Hard

Choose the meaning of the word in bold: “The child with croup had loud stridor.”

  1. AHigh-pitched noisy breathing
  2. BFine crackles at the lung bases
  3. CAn extra sound from a heart valve
  4. DSnoring during deep sleep

3Solutions

1.Reading comprehension (entrance exams)

Answer: B · She wants to get to know her students.

Why this is the answer

Asking for an interesting fact about each student shows she wants to get to know them.

Answer

B · She wants to get to know her students.
2.Reading comprehension (entrance exams)

Answer: B · Statement 1 can be tested; Statement 2 is an opinion.

Why this is the answer

Statement 1 can be checked with research. “Most enjoyable” is a personal judgement, so Statement 2 is an opinion.

Answer

B · Statement 1 can be tested; Statement 2 is an opinion.
3.Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)

Answer: p = 12 %

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.

Change

110 − 125 = −15

Compare with the original

p = 15/125 × 100 = 12%

Answer

p = 12%
4.Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)

Answer: 1 67/100

Fractions, decimals and percents are three ways to write the same number. Fraction → decimal: divide the numerator by the denominator. Decimal → percent: multiply by 100 (move the point two places right). Percent → decimal: divide by 100. Decimal → fraction: write the digits over 10, 100 or 1000 (one zero per decimal place) and simplify.

Over a power of ten

0.67 = 67/100

Simplify

67/100
1.67 = 1 67/100

Answer

1 67/100
5.Human anatomy

Answer: C · Hypoglossal nerve (XII)

Why this is the answer

The hypoglossal nerve supplies the intrinsic and most extrinsic tongue muscles. A lesion makes the protruded tongue deviate towards the affected side.

Answer

C · Hypoglossal nerve (XII)
6.Human anatomy

Answer: A · Junction of the left subclavian and left internal jugular veins

Why this is the answer

The thoracic duct drains lymph from both legs, the abdomen and the left side of the upper body into the left venous angle. The right lymphatic duct drains the rest into the right venous angle.

Answer

A · Junction of the left subclavian and left internal jugular veins
7.Human physiology

Answer: B · Isovolumetric contraction

Why this is the answer

After the AV valves close, the ventricles contract against closed semilunar valves. Pressure rises with no volume change until the aortic and pulmonary valves open.

Answer

B · Isovolumetric contraction
8.Human physiology

Answer: D · A restrictive pattern, as in pulmonary fibrosis

Why this is the answer

In restrictive disease the lungs are small or stiff, so both FEV1 and FVC fall but the ratio is preserved. Obstruction lowers FEV1 more than FVC.

Answer

D · A restrictive pattern, as in pulmonary fibrosis
9.Biology for nursing entrance exams

Answer: C · T-A-C-G-G-T

Why this is the answer

Each base is replaced by its partner: A→T, T→A, G→C, C→G. Using U would make an RNA copy, not a DNA strand.

Answer

C · T-A-C-G-G-T
10.Biology for nursing entrance exams

Answer: D · The potato cells have a solute concentration of about 0.3 mol/L

Why this is the answer

Where there is no net osmosis, the solution is isotonic with the cells. So the cell contents have a solute concentration roughly equal to 0.3 mol/L sugar solution.

Answer

D · The potato cells have a solute concentration of about 0.3 mol/L
11.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams

Answer: C · More molecules have enough energy to escape into the gas phase

Why this is the answer

At higher temperatures a larger share of molecules has enough energy to overcome intermolecular attractions and escape. More molecules in the vapour means a higher vapour pressure.

Answer

C · More molecules have enough energy to escape into the gas phase
12.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams

Answer: C · 5

Why this is the answer

C₃H₈ + 5O₂ → 3CO₂ + 4H₂O. The products have 3 × 2 + 4 × 1 = 10 oxygen atoms, which needs 5 O₂.

Answer

C · 5
13.English grammar & language usage (entrance exams)

Answer: C · lay

Why this is the answer

“Lie” means to recline: lie, lay, lain. “Laid” is the past of “lay” (to put something down), and “lied” means told an untruth.

Answer

C · lay
14.English grammar & language usage (entrance exams)

Answer: B · whom

Why this is the answer

In the clause “the manager will choose him/her”, the pronoun is the object of “choose”, so the object form “whom” is correct.

Answer

B · whom
15.Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)

Answer: D · Next to

Why this is the answer

Adjacent means next to or adjoining something.

Answer

D · Next to
16.Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)

Answer: A · High-pitched noisy breathing

Why this is the answer

Stridor is a harsh, high-pitched breathing sound caused by obstruction of the upper airway.

Answer

A · High-pitched noisy breathing

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