TEAS online vs in person: which should you take?

The four ways ATI offers the TEAS

ATI lists four formats: TEAS at Institution, in person on campus or at a testing center and proctored by the school; TEAS Online at Institution, at home with your school's proctor using Proctorio or Respondus; TEAS at ATI, at home with live ATI proctors using Respondus; and TEAS at PSI, at a PSI center or through PSI's online proctoring.

As of November 2026, ATI's registration page lists $120 plus sales tax for TEAS at ATI and TEAS at PSI, while exams through your school are priced by the school. Every format requires a physical, unexpired government-issued photo ID.

Do schools accept remote TEAS scores?

Not all of them. ATI's guidance is blunt: your school decides which formats it accepts, so start there. ATI also warns that some schools accept only exams taken in person on their campus and will not accept a remote transcript, and its exam purchases are non-refundable.

Applying to several programs makes this stricter, not looser. Your format has to satisfy the strictest school on your list. ATI suggests emailing admissions and asking directly whether they accept a TEAS taken remotely, in person, or through PSI.

What testing at home requires

ATI's at-home requirements list a PC, Mac or iPad, and state that Chromebooks are not supported. You need at least 4GB of available RAM, 200 MB of free disk space, a webcam and microphone, a connection of at least 5 Mbps, and administrator rights to install Respondus LockDown Browser. A work laptop that blocks installs will not do.

On the day you need a physical, current government photo ID whose name matches your ATI account exactly; ATI ends the exam without a refund if it does not. ATI says to do the dry run on the same computer, in the same room, on the same internet connection. You must stay on camera for the whole exam; the optional 10-minute break after math is the only time you may leave the camera's view.

Is the online TEAS harder?

ATI publishes one TEAS 7 blueprint, 170 questions in 209 minutes, and lists no separate version for remote test takers. The built-in calculator and the one-sheet scratch paper rule apply in both settings. What changes is the environment: a frozen connection or someone walking into your room becomes your problem at home.

In person, ATI says to arrive 15 to 20 minutes early because ATI allows no grace period for late arrivals. Score timing differs too: TEAS at ATI scores are final 4 business days after the exam, PSI scores can take up to 2 business days to post, and school-proctored scores usually post right away.

A quick way to decide

Book at home if all of these are true: every school on your list accepts remote scores, you own a non-Chromebook computer you can install software on, you have a quiet private room with steady internet, and you can stay on camera for the whole exam. If any one is false, book in person.

If a school only accepts its own proctored sitting, use that option even if another format is cheaper or sooner. The format that counts for your application is the right one, whatever the convenience.

Sources

ATI: TEAS exam information and registration. Four testing options and $120 plus sales tax fee for ATI, PSI and ATI in-person sittings (checked November 2026)

ATI: Where to take the ATI TEAS exam. Format definitions, proctoring software, school decides accepted formats

ATI: System requirements for TEAS at ATI taken at home. PC, Mac, iPadOS; no Chromebooks; RAM, disk, webcam, microphone, 5 Mbps, LockDown Browser admin rights

ATI: TEAS exam day requirements and expectations. Arrival time, ID, scratch paper, dry run, staying on camera, break rules

ATI: What to know before you register for the ATI TEAS. Exams are non-refundable; some schools accept only in-person campus exams and not remote transcripts