TEAS Test Format: Sections, Questions and Timing
6 min read · Updated
The ATI TEAS 7 is 170 questions long and takes 209 minutes, which is three hours and twenty-nine minutes of actual testing. It is split into four sections, and each section has its own clock. When a section's time runs out it closes and you move on, whether you finished it or not.
The four sections
| Section | Questions | Time | Minutes per question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 | 55 min | 1.2 |
| Mathematics | 38 | 57 min | 1.5 |
| Science | 50 | 60 min | 1.2 |
| English & Language Usage | 37 | 37 min | 1.0 |
| Total | 170 | 209 min | 1.2 |
That last column is the one worth memorising. You have roughly a minute per question in English and around a minute and a half in Mathematics. Students who run out of time almost always lose it in Reading, because the passages tempt you into re-reading.
Only 150 of the 170 questions count
Twenty of the questions are unscored pretest items. ATI includes them to trial wording for future versions of the exam, and they are scattered through all four sections. You are never told which ones they are, and they look identical to scored questions.
What this means in practice
Do not try to guess which questions are unscored. Students who convince themselves a hard question 'must be a pretest item' talk themselves out of answering properly. Treat all 170 as if they count.
Question types
Most of the exam is standard multiple choice with four options and one correct answer. You will also meet a handful of other formats:
- Multiple choice — four options, choose one. The large majority of the exam.
- Multiple select — choose every option that applies. There is no partial credit, so you need all of them right.
- Fill in the blank — type a number or a word rather than choosing.
- Ordered response — arrange steps or values into the correct sequence.
What each section covers
Reading — 45 questions, 55 minutes
Key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integrating knowledge across sources. Passages range from short paragraphs to longer multi-paragraph texts, and some questions use labels, instructions or diagrams rather than prose.
Mathematics — 38 questions, 57 minutes
Numbers and algebra, and measurement and data. An on-screen four-function calculator is provided, so the difficulty is in setting the problem up rather than in the arithmetic.
Science — 50 questions, 60 minutes
The largest section, and the one that decides most Science-weighted admissions scores. Human anatomy and physiology dominates, followed by biology, chemistry and scientific reasoning.
English & Language Usage — 37 questions, 37 minutes
Conventions of standard English, knowledge of language, and using context to determine word meaning. The shortest section and the most pressured, at about a minute per question.
How the timing actually feels
Reading and Mathematics run back to back, which is close to two hours before your break. Most students underestimate how tiring that is. The single best reason to sit a full-length practice test rather than doing question banks is to find out how your concentration holds up in the last thirty minutes of Science.