Average HESI A2 score: why there is no national number and what schools reward
Written and reviewed by Brittany Scott, BSN, RN, CCM · 4 min read · Updated November 2026
Short answer
There is no official national average HESI A2 score to aim for. Elsevier does not publish one for applicants, and its support pages point you to your own results report and your program. What schools do publish is how they rank your average, and those charts show 75 as a floor while top points start at 90 or higher.
Why you will not find an official average
Elsevier's Evolve support article on HESI scoring, last updated July 2026, explains where to find your results report and says the report carries information on scoring and acceptable scores. It gives no national average, and for anything beyond that it sends you to your instructor or program.
Averages quoted on forums or prep sites are not Elsevier figures, so treat them as anecdotes. They also blend schools that require different sections, which makes one national number close to meaningless: a five-section average at one school cannot be compared with a math and English composite at another.
The average your school actually calculates
The word average still matters on the HESI A2, just in a different sense. Many programs combine your section scores into one number. East Carolina University's BSN program requires Basic Math, Vocabulary and General Knowledge, Reading Comprehension, Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology, and ranks applicants on the average of those five, without rounding.
South Texas College's ADN program averages three numbers instead: an English Language composite, an Anatomy and Physiology score, and a Math score. Its own example adds 75, 80 and 88 to get 243, then divides by 3 for an average of 81%. Same exam, different formula, so start from your program's version.
What competitive looks like on real ranking charts
ECU's BSN FAQ, updated January 2026, awards ranking points on the five-section average: 97 to 100% earns 6 points, 93 to 96.9% earns 5, 89 to 92.9% earns 4, 85 to 88.9% earns 3, 81 to 84.9% earns 2, 75 to 80.9% earns 1, and anything under 75% earns nothing.
South Texas College uses a shorter scale. Every section must reach 75%, and the average then earns 3 points at 90 to 100%, 2 points at 83 to 89%, and 1 point at 75 to 82%. On both charts 75 is the entry floor, not a target, and the maximum points sit at 90 or above, or 97 or above at ECU.
A worked example with two attempts
ECU allows two attempts in total, three months apart, and superscores them by taking your best result in each required section. In its own example the best scores are 90 in Reading, 82 in Vocabulary, 94 in Math, 72 in Biology and 96 in Anatomy and Physiology. They add up to 434, an average of 86.8%, which earns 3 of the 6 possible points.
Look at what held that number down. Biology at 72 sat far below every other section, while Math was already at 94. Every point gained in any section adds 0.2 to a five-section average, but Math had only 6 points of room left and Biology had up to 28, so a retake is best spent on the lowest required section.
Questions to ask before you set a target
Find out which sections count, whether the program averages them or sets a minimum on each, whether it superscores across attempts, and how much weight the HESI carries in the full ranking. ECU's ABSN program, for example, gives preference to applicants who reach 75% on all five required sections, alongside its average-based points.
If the admissions page does not answer those questions, email the advising office before you book. A program that publishes a points chart like ECU's is telling you what competitive means there. A program that lists only a minimum is telling you the floor and nothing about how other applicants score.
Sources
Where can I find my HESI exam scoring information? (Elsevier Evolve support, updated July 2026). Elsevier directs students to their results report and instructor for scoring standards; no national average is published
BSN HESI A2 Exam FAQs, East Carolina University College of Nursing (updated January 2026). Five required sections, unrounded average, 0-6 point ranking chart, two attempts three months apart, superscore example of 86.8% for 3 points
ABSN HESI A2 Exam FAQs, East Carolina University College of Nursing (updated August 2023). Preference for applicants scoring 75% or higher on all five sections; average used for ranking points
HESI Admission Assessment Info and FAQs, South Texas College ADN program. 75% minimum per section, three-part average example (243 / 3 = 81%), 1 to 3 point chart
Common questions
What is the average HESI A2 score?
Elsevier does not publish a national average for applicants. The average that matters is the one your program calculates from its required sections, and each school builds that number differently.
Is 80 a good HESI A2 score?
It clears the 75% floor used by programs such as South Texas College and ECU, but on ECU's BSN chart an 80 average earns 1 of 6 ranking points. Whether it is competitive depends on your program's chart.
What is a high HESI A2 score?
On published ranking charts, the top tier starts at 90% at South Texas College and at 97% in ECU's BSN program. Check whether your school publishes a similar chart before you choose a target.