TEAS 7 science breakdown: how many questions per topic and what each covers

The official numbers, side by side

ATI's TEAS 7 content outline lists 150 scored questions across the whole test, and science holds 44 of them. Human anatomy and physiology has 18 scored questions, which is 12 percent of the whole test and about 41 percent of the scored science items. Biology has 9 (about 20 percent of science), chemistry has 8 (about 18 percent) and scientific reasoning has 9 (about 20 percent).

A common mix-up is reading 50 and 44 as two different versions of the section. Both numbers are correct: you will see 50 science questions on screen, and 6 of them are unscored pretest items mixed in with the rest. Since 60 minutes covers all 50, you have about 72 seconds per question, and it makes sense to answer every item as if it counts.

Anatomy and physiology: 12 objectives for 18 questions

The outline starts with general orientation of human anatomy, meaning body planes, directional terms and regions. It then names eleven systems, each with its own objective: respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, muscular, male and female reproductive, integumentary, endocrine, urinary, immune and skeletal. With 18 questions spread over 12 objectives, expect one or two questions per system rather than deep coverage of any one.

That spread is the reason a system-by-system checklist works better here than rereading a whole textbook. For each system, be able to name the main structures, say what they do, and connect them to a neighboring system, such as the kidneys and blood pressure. Our separate guide to TEAS anatomy and physiology goes through the systems one at a time.

Biology and chemistry: 11 objectives for 17 questions

Biology has five objectives in ATI's outline: cell structure, function and organization; the relationship between genetic material and protein structure; Mendel's laws of inheritance; the structure and function of basic macromolecules; and the role of microbes such as bacteria and viruses in disease. A Punnett square question and a question on what carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids do are fair examples of what those objectives cover.

Chemistry has six: basic atomic structure, physical properties and changes of matter, chemical reactions, how conditions affect reactions, properties of solutions, and acids and bases. Eight questions over six objectives means roughly one or two each, so a working grasp of pH, concentration and reaction rate factors pays off more than memorizing the periodic table.

Scientific reasoning: four skills, nine questions

Scientific reasoning is the one science area that tests method rather than facts. ATI lists four objectives: using basic scientific measurements and measurement tools, applying logic and evidence to a scientific explanation, predicting relationships among events, objects and processes, and applying the scientific method to interpret an investigation.

In practice that means reading a short study description and identifying the independent and dependent variables, the control, or the conclusion the data supports. It carries 9 scored questions, the same as biology, which makes it easy to underweight. Our scientific reasoning guide has worked examples of these question styles.

Which part is hardest, and how to split your study time

ATI does not publish which science area candidates find hardest, so any ranking you read elsewhere is opinion. What ATI does publish is the question count, and that is a better guide to where your hours go. Worked example: with 20 hours set aside for science, a split that follows the scored counts gives about 8 hours to anatomy and physiology, 4 to biology, 4 to scientific reasoning and 4 to chemistry.

Adjust from there using your own practice results, not the averages. Also check the formats: ATI's outline says TEAS 7 uses multiple-choice, multiple-select, fill-in-the-blank numeric, hot spot and ordered response items, so practice with a few of each before test day.

Sources

ATI: TEAS Exam Details. TEAS 7 science section: 50 questions, 6 unscored, 60 minutes; sub-area counts (checked November 2026).

ATI TEAS Version 7 Content Outline (PDF). Scored question counts and percentages, the science objectives listed under each area, and item formats.

ATI Help Center: TEAS Content Areas and Question Counts. 170 total items with 150 scored and 20 unscored pretest items; 44 scored science items.