What happens if you fail the TEAS, and how to plan the retest
Written and reviewed by Brittany Scott, BSN, RN, CCM · 4 min read · Updated November 2026
Short answer
Failing the TEAS means you missed a cutoff set by the school you applied to, not by ATI, which has no universal passing score and no required wait between attempts. Your next step is to find which school rule you missed, read your score report for weak areas, and check how many attempts that program allows before you retest.
What failing the TEAS actually means
ATI states that each school sets its own cut score for the TEAS, so there is no national pass or fail line. A result that misses one program's minimum can meet another's. Golden West College in California, for example, publishes a 62% minimum, while Waukesha County Technical College publishes a 65% total for nursing.
Read the requirement closely, because some schools set a cutoff for each section rather than one total. North Shore Community College's nursing program lists Reading 69%, Math 73%, Science 50% and English 66.7%. An applicant there could post a strong total score and still be short because of one section, which changes what the retest needs to fix.
Read your score report before you rebook
ATI's Individual Performance Profile shows your adjusted total score, your academic preparedness level, a score for each of the four content areas with the national mean and your national percentile rank, and a Topics to Review list. That list contains the objectives you missed, and ATI uses it to build your Focused Review.
ATI explains that total and content area scores are adjusted for differences in form difficulty, but sub-content scores are a plain percent correct and are not equated across forms. Use the content area scores to compare attempts. Use the sub-content scores and Topics to Review only to decide what to study, not to measure progress between two different test forms.
Check your school's attempt rules first
Whether failing twice ends your chances for a cycle depends entirely on the program. ATI sets no waiting period, so the limits below come from each school's own page, checked in November 2026.
| School | Attempt limit | Waiting period |
|---|---|---|
| North Shore Community College (MA) | Three attempts in the academic year before applying | Not stated on the requirements page |
| Kapi'olani Community College (HI) | Not stated | 90 days |
| Waukesha County Technical College (WI) | No limit, fee charged for each retest | 30 days strongly recommended |
| Golden West College (CA) | Once at the college's own test site; no overall limit | Not stated |
At North Shore, a fourth attempt in the same academic year produces an invalid score and the fee is not refunded. At Kapi'olani, a fail in March means no retest there until June. Count backward from the application deadline before you book anything.
A retest plan built from your results
Start with the section furthest below your school's cutoff, or the content area with the lowest score if the school uses a total. Work through the Topics to Review for that area first, since those are the exact objectives you missed. Move to the next weakest area only once the first one is consistently above the line in practice.
ATI's free online practice test has 60 questions, 15 in each section, with rationales for right and wrong answers and an end-of-test report. ATI notes that repeat attempts use the same set of questions, so your first run is the honest measurement. A second or third run mostly shows that you remember the answers, not that your skills have moved.
Sources
ATI Help: How soon can I retake the ATI TEAS exam?. No ATI waiting period; retake rules set by the school or program (checked November 2026).
ATI Help: What is an Individual Performance Profile for TEAS?. Contents of the score report, including content area scores, national mean, percentile rank and Topics to Review.
ATI Help: How is the ATI TEAS test scored?. Total and content area scores are adjusted for form difficulty; sub-content scores are not equated across forms.
ATI Help: How to access the ATI TEAS free online practice test. Free practice test of 60 questions, 15 per section, with rationales and unlimited attempts on the same question set.
North Shore Community College: TEAS score requirements. Nursing section minimums and the three-attempt limit with invalid scores beyond it.
Common questions
What happens if you fail the TEAS?
Nothing happens at ATI's end. Your result stays in your account, and the school you applied to decides whether it meets its cutoff. You can usually retest, but the number of attempts and any waiting period are set by the program, not by ATI.
Can you fail the TEAS twice?
Yes, and what follows depends on the school. Waukesha County Technical College does not limit retakes, while North Shore Community College allows three attempts in the academic year before you apply. Check your program's page before a third try.
How soon can you retake the TEAS after failing?
ATI requires no waiting period between attempts. Schools can add one: Kapi'olani Community College asks you to wait 90 days, and Waukesha County Technical College strongly recommends 30 days. Leave enough time to study the Topics to Review first.