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 warranty covers repairs for two years from the date of purchase. It does not cover damage caused by dropping the device or by water.” Which repair would the warranty cover?

  1. AA fault first appearing after three years
  2. BA fault that appears after one year of normal use
  3. CWater damage after the phone fell in a pool
  4. DA cracked screen after the phone was dropped
2.Reading comprehension (entrance exams)Hard

The author writes: “It is tempting to think that more vitamins are always better. Yet some vitamins, such as vitamin A, can build up in the body and become harmful in large doses.” What assumption does the author challenge?

  1. AThat vitamin A is a vitamin
  2. BThat taking more vitamins is always healthy
  3. CThat vitamins are found in food
  4. DThat the body needs vitamins
3.Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)Medium
d = 26 ft

A circle has a diameter of 26 ft. Using π ≈ 3.14, find its area A.

d = 26 ftπ ≈ 3.14
A = ft²
4.Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)Hard
ABCDA: 35%B: 40%C: 20%D: 5%

The pie chart shows how a hospital’s 200 employees are split between departments A to D. How many employees x work in department C?

200
x =
5.Human anatomyMedium

Which nerve supplies the diaphragm?

  1. AVagus nerve
  2. BIntercostal nerves
  3. CAccessory nerve
  4. DPhrenic nerve
6.Human anatomyHard

Which coronary artery most often supplies the sinoatrial (SA) node?

  1. ALeft anterior descending artery
  2. BLeft main coronary artery
  3. CCircumflex artery
  4. DRight coronary artery
7.Human physiologyMedium

Which hormone increases water reabsorption in the collecting ducts of the kidney?

  1. AParathyroid hormone
  2. BAntidiuretic hormone (ADH)
  3. CAldosterone
  4. DAtrial natriuretic peptide
8.Human physiologyHard

Why does ketoacidosis typically develop in untreated type 1 diabetes but rarely in type 2?

  1. AEven low insulin levels suppress lipolysis and ketogenesis
  2. BKetones are only made in children
  3. CType 1 patients have more glucagon receptors
  4. DType 2 patients cannot make ketones at all
9.Biology for nursing entrance examsMedium

By which process does oxygen enter a cell and carbon dioxide leave it?

  1. AActive transport by membrane pumps
  2. BFacilitated diffusion through glucose carriers
  3. CEndocytosis in small vesicles
  4. DSimple diffusion through the lipid bilayer
10.Biology for nursing entrance examsHard

A karyotype shows 45 chromosomes, with a single X chromosome and no Y. Which condition is this?

  1. AKlinefelter syndrome
  2. BDown syndrome
  3. CTurner syndrome
  4. DA typical male karyotype
11.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsMedium

What is the percent by mass of salt in a solution made from 15 g of salt and 135 g of water?

  1. A11%
  2. B90%
  3. C10%
  4. D15%
12.Chemistry for nursing entrance examsHard

Hydrogen peroxide fizzes when poured on a cut because an enzyme in blood breaks it down. What gas is produced, and what type of reaction is it?

  1. AHydrogen, in a single replacement reaction
  2. BCarbon dioxide, in a combustion reaction
  3. COxygen, in a decomposition reaction
  4. DChlorine, in a synthesis reaction
13.English grammar & language usage (entrance exams)Medium

Choose the correct word: “Please ___ your hand if you have a question.”

  1. Arisen
  2. Braise
  3. Crise
  4. Drose
14.English grammar & language usage (entrance exams)Hard

Which sentence correctly uses an introductory phrase?

  1. AAfter reviewing the chart the doctor, was called by the nurse.
  2. BAfter reviewing the chart, the doctor was called.
  3. CAfter reviewing the chart, the nurse called the doctor.
  4. DAfter, reviewing the chart, the nurse called the doctor.
15.Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)Medium

Choose the meaning of the word in bold: “The nurse noted a deficit in the patient’s memory.”

  1. AA shortfall or loss of ability
  2. BA surplus
  3. CA low score on a written memory test
  4. DA strength
16.Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)Hard

What does the term cardiomyopathy mean?

  1. AInflammation of the heart valves
  2. BEnlargement of the whole heart
  3. CPain felt in the heart
  4. DA disease of the heart muscle

3Solutions

1.Reading comprehension (entrance exams)

Answer: B · A fault that appears after one year of normal use

Why this is the answer

A fault within two years from normal use is covered. Drops and water damage are excluded, and three years is beyond the time limit.

Answer

B · A fault that appears after one year of normal use
2.Reading comprehension (entrance exams)

Answer: B · That taking more vitamins is always healthy

Why this is the answer

The author questions the belief that more vitamins are always better, pointing out that some can be harmful in excess.

Answer

B · That taking more vitamins is always healthy
3.Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)

Answer: A = 530.7 ft²

Perimeter, area and volume: the perimeter is the distance around a shape (rectangle: 2l + 2w). Area is measured in square units: rectangle l × w, triangle ½ × base × height, circle π·r². The circumference of a circle is π·d = 2π·r. Volume is in cubic units: box l × w × h, cylinder π·r²·h. Use the value of π the question gives.

Radius

r = 26/2 = 13 ft

Area

A = 3.14 × 13² = 3.14 × 169 = 530.66 ft²

Answer

A = 530.66 ft²
4.Pre-nursing math (entrance exam)

Answer: x = 40

Reading charts and tables: read the title, the categories and the scale first. On a bar chart or line graph, follow the top of the bar or the point across to the vertical axis; every gridline is one step of the scale. A pie chart shows parts of a whole: a sector of p% stands for p% of the total and has an angle of p% of 360°.

Percent of the total

x = 0.2 × 200 = 40

Answer

x = 40
5.Human anatomy

Answer: D · Phrenic nerve

Why this is the answer

The phrenic nerve (roots C3–C5) is the motor supply to the diaphragm. High cervical cord injury above C3 therefore stops spontaneous breathing.

Answer

D · Phrenic nerve
6.Human anatomy

Answer: D · Right coronary artery

Why this is the answer

The SA nodal artery arises from the right coronary artery in roughly 60% of people and from the circumflex artery in the rest.

Answer

D · Right coronary artery
7.Human physiology

Answer: B · Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)

Why this is the answer

ADH (vasopressin) from the posterior pituitary inserts aquaporin-2 channels, making the collecting duct permeable to water and concentrating the urine.

Answer

B · Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)
8.Human physiology

Answer: A · Even low insulin levels suppress lipolysis and ketogenesis

Why this is the answer

Insulin strongly inhibits lipolysis and hepatic ketone production. In type 1 there is almost no insulin, so fatty acids flood the liver and ketones build up.

Answer

A · Even low insulin levels suppress lipolysis and ketogenesis
9.Biology for nursing entrance exams

Answer: D · Simple diffusion through the lipid bilayer

Why this is the answer

O₂ and CO₂ are small, nonpolar molecules that pass directly through the lipid bilayer from high to low concentration. No carrier protein and no energy are needed.

Answer

D · Simple diffusion through the lipid bilayer
10.Biology for nursing entrance exams

Answer: C · Turner syndrome

Why this is the answer

Turner syndrome (45,X) affects females who have only one X chromosome. Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY) affects males with an extra X, and Down syndrome is trisomy 21.

Answer

C · Turner syndrome
11.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams

Answer: C · 10%

Why this is the answer

The solution has 15 + 135 = 150 g, so the salt is 15/150 × 100 = 10%. Dividing by the water alone gives 11%.

Answer

C · 10%
12.Chemistry for nursing entrance exams

Answer: C · Oxygen, in a decomposition reaction

Why this is the answer

The enzyme catalase catalyses 2H₂O₂ → 2H₂O + O₂. One compound breaking into simpler substances is decomposition, and the bubbles are oxygen.

Answer

C · Oxygen, in a decomposition reaction
13.English grammar & language usage (entrance exams)

Answer: B · raise

Why this is the answer

“Raise” takes an object (your hand). “Rise” means to go up by itself and takes no object, as in “The sun rises.”

Answer

B · raise
14.English grammar & language usage (entrance exams)

Answer: C · After reviewing the chart, the nurse called the doctor.

Why this is the answer

In the second sentence it sounds as if the doctor reviewed the chart. The doer (the nurse) must follow the introductory phrase.

Answer

C · After reviewing the chart, the nurse called the doctor.
15.Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)

Answer: A · A shortfall or loss of ability

Why this is the answer

A deficit is a lack or impairment, such as a neurological deficit after a stroke.

Answer

A · A shortfall or loss of ability
16.Healthcare vocabulary (entrance exams)

Answer: D · A disease of the heart muscle

Why this is the answer

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump.

Answer

D · A disease of the heart muscle

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