HESI A2 tips and tricks by section: tactics that follow from the test format
Written and reviewed by Brittany Scott, BSN, RN, CCM · 3 min read · Updated November 2026
Short answer
The best HESI A2 tips come from the format, not from tricks. Learn which sections your school requires and how it combines them, pace each section to the time your testing site gives, use the on-screen calculator only to check work, and do not spend effort on the learning style and personality items, which are not graded.
Start with your school's formula
Schools choose which HESI A2 sections they require and how they score them, so the first tip is to read the rule before you study. Tarrant County College tests Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar and Math at 55 questions each, plus 30 Anatomy and Physiology questions, with a five-hour limit.
South Texas College requires 75% or higher on each section, then averages an English composite, an Anatomy and Physiology score and a Math score to award application points. Under that rule, a strong Math score cannot rescue a weak Grammar score, because each section has its own floor. Under a pure average, the weakest section is where extra points come cheapest.
Pacing across the sections
South Texas College publishes recommended times: 60 minutes for Reading Comprehension, 50 each for Vocabulary, Grammar and Math, and 25 for Anatomy and Physiology. Its total allowance is 4.25 hours, while Tarrant County College allows five hours, so confirm your site's limit.
Divide the time by the questions before test day. Fifty minutes for 55 Grammar or Math items is under a minute each, while 60 minutes for 55 Reading items has to cover the passages too. Reading is the section where slow first reads cost the most time.
Tips for the English sections
Reading Comprehension asks for the main idea, word meaning in context and logical inferences, according to South Texas College's description. Read the question before the passage so you know whether you are hunting for a detail or judging the whole text.
Vocabulary covers words used in general English and in health care, so learn terms in groups by prefix and root rather than as one long list. For Grammar, collect each rule you miss in practice in one place and review that list, since the section tests parts of speech and common errors.
Tips for Math and Anatomy and Physiology
Math covers fractions, decimals, ratio and proportion and household measures, and an on-screen calculator is available at Tarrant County College. Set up each problem on scratch paper first and use the calculator to check arithmetic, because the calculator cannot tell you whether a conversion is set up the right way.
Anatomy and Physiology is a short section, 30 questions in about 25 recommended minutes, covering general terminology, structures and systems. Review it one body system at a time and answer questions on that system the same day, so gaps show up while you can still fix them.
What not to worry about
Each 55-item section at South Texas College includes 50 scored items and 5 pilot items you cannot identify. If a question looks unfamiliar, answer it and move on, since it may not count, and spending five minutes on it costs scored questions later.
The learning style and personality profile items are not graded and are used for diagnostic purposes only. Answer them honestly and quickly, and save your energy for the scored sections.
Sources
Tarrant County College: HESI A2 exam information. Sections and question counts, five-hour limit, on-screen calculator, 60-day retest interval
South Texas College: HESI Admission Assessment info and FAQs. Recommended time per section, 50 scored plus 5 pilot items, 4.25-hour total, section content descriptions, ungraded personality profile, 75% per section and averaging formula
Elsevier: HESI Exam Solutions, from admission to exit. The HESI Admission Assessment is used by programs to evaluate applicants on areas the program selects
Common questions
How do I pass the HESI A2 the first time?
Find your school's required sections, cutoff and whether it sets a minimum per section or averages them. Then practice each required section under your site's time limit, so the sections that fall below the cutoff show up before test day.
Can you use a calculator on the HESI A2 math section?
At schools such as Tarrant County College an on-screen calculator is available during the Math section. Confirm the rule with your testing site, and set up each problem yourself before using it.
What should I study most for the HESI A2?
The required section furthest below your school's cutoff. Where each section has its own minimum, every required section has to pass. Where scores are averaged, the weakest section gives the biggest gain.