Nursing school entrance exams: TEAS, HESI A2, Kaplan and NLN NEX compared

What entrance exam do nursing schools use?

Each program decides, at admission, and the test companies sell their exams to schools for that purpose. Elsevier describes the HESI Admission Assessment as a way for programs to admit candidates most likely to complete the program and pass the NCLEX. The NLN says the NEX gives programs one measure to guide admission decisions. Your program's application page is the only reliable answer.

The same exam can also look different from school to school. Tarrant County College gives HESI A2 sections in reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and math, plus anatomy and physiology, which it says not all of its programs require. Cut scores vary as well: MSU Billings City College accepts a Kaplan score of 65, which says nothing about what another Kaplan school wants.

The four exams side by side

ATI lists TEAS 7 at 170 questions in 209 minutes: reading 45 questions in 55 minutes, math 38 in 57, science 50 in 60, and English and language usage 37 in 37, with 20 of the 170 unscored. The NLN's NEX technical brief, last updated January 26, 2026, lists 163 items, 145 scored and 18 unscored, across three subject tests of 60 minutes each: verbal, math and science.

MSU Billings City College describes the Kaplan Nursing Admission Test as 91 questions in up to 165 minutes across reading, math, writing and science. Tarrant County College lists 55 questions each for HESI A2 reading, vocabulary, grammar and math, 30 for anatomy and physiology, five hours in total, and an on-screen calculator for the math section.

Where the content really differs

Science is the biggest split. TEAS science has 50 questions, and NEX science has 55 scored items across biology, human anatomy, human physiology, chemistry and health. Kaplan's science section is 20 physiology questions on systems such as cardiovascular, renal and respiratory. HESI A2 science depends on which sections your school turns on; Tarrant County's version includes anatomy and physiology only.

Vocabulary is the other split. HESI A2 at Tarrant County has a separate 55-question vocabulary section and the NEX has 25 scored word knowledge items built on Greek and Latin word parts, while neither ATI's TEAS section list nor the Kaplan outline has a standalone vocabulary section. If your program uses HESI or the NEX, a word-parts list earns its study time; for TEAS and Kaplan, passage reading matters more.

Which nursing entrance exam is easiest?

None of the four publishers puts out a difficulty comparison, and the scores do not translate. MSU Billings sets a Kaplan passing score of 65, while the NLN reports NEX results as percentile ranks against national RN or LPN applicant groups, and its brief puts the RN 50th percentile at a composite of 145. A 65 on one exam and a 65th percentile on another are different measures.

What you can compare is pace. Kaplan allows up to 165 minutes for 91 questions, close to 1.8 minutes each. TEAS gives 209 minutes for 170 questions, about 1.2 minutes each, and each 60-minute NEX test allows roughly one to 1.3 minutes per item. If speed is your weak point that arithmetic matters; if science is, Kaplan's physiology-only section is the narrowest of the four.

Can you choose TEAS or HESI?

Only when a program says it accepts both. If you are applying to several schools, list each one's required exam, required sections, minimum scores and score validity before you book anything; a single test that satisfies two programs saves a fee and a study cycle. MSU Billings, for example, allows two Kaplan attempts per application cycle at least a month apart and treats a score as valid for six months.

When two programs want different exams, study the overlap first. Reading comprehension and math appear on all four, so build those once. Then add what is unique to each: the vocabulary sections on HESI A2 and the NEX, Kaplan's writing passages, or the broader TEAS and NEX science content, scheduling the earlier test date first.

Sources

ATI TEAS exam details. TEAS 7: 170 questions, 209 minutes, section question counts, unscored items and timing (checked November 2026).

NLN Nursing Entrance Exam (NEX) technical brief. NEX three 60-minute subject tests, 145 scored and 18 unscored items, section blueprint, percentile rank reporting, RN 50th percentile composite of 145 (last updated January 26, 2026).

Tarrant County College: HESI A2 exam information. School example: HESI A2 sections and question counts, five-hour total, on-screen calculator, A&P not required by all programs.

MSU Billings City College: Kaplan Admission Test information. School example: Kaplan 91 questions in up to 165 minutes, section breakdown, physiology-only science, passing score of 65, two attempts a month apart, six-month validity.

Elsevier: HESI exam solutions for nursing. Elsevier's stated purpose of the HESI Admission Assessment for program admission decisions.