Nursing entrance exam comparison: TEAS, HESI, NLN NEX, and Kaplan

There is no single nursing school entrance exam. Different programs require different tests, and the exam you need to take depends entirely on which schools you’re applying to. The four main exams – ATI TEAS 7, HESI A2, the NLN NEX (which replaced the older NLN PAX in 2024), and the Kaplan Nursing Admission Test – are published by different companies, used by different types of programs, and scored on different scales.

This guide gives you a side-by-side comparison so you can understand what each exam involves, which programs typically use each one, and how to find out which exam is on your specific list.

Quick reference:

• Full comparison table below
• How to figure out which exam you need
• Prep resources for each exam
• ATI TEAS 7 section breakdown

Why nursing schools use entrance exams

Nursing programs are selective and have meaningful attrition. Schools use entrance exams as a standardized, objective predictor of two things: whether an applicant has the foundational academic skills to succeed in the program, and – indirectly – whether they’re likely to pass the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN licensing exam after graduation.

The NCLEX pass rate matters to programs because it affects accreditation standing, though the three national nursing accreditors handle it very differently and it is worth knowing which one accredits your program.

All three write 80% into their standards, but they differ in how many ways a program can reach it, and that difference decides which programs come under real pressure.

NLN CNEA is the strictest. Quality Indicator I-D of its Standards of Accreditation requires a minimum licensure or certification pass rate of 80% among first-time takers, measured either as the mean of the three most recent years or as the single most recent year, counting only candidates who sat within two years of degree conferral. Repeaters cannot be counted toward the number, and there is no alternative route around it.

CCNE also requires 80%, with four alternative calculations. Key element IV-C requires each campus, site and track to reach 80% by any one of: first-time takers in the most recent calendar year; all takers including passing repeaters in the most recent calendar year; first-time takers across the three most recent calendar years; or all takers across the three most recent calendar years. Because repeaters count and a three-year window is available, a program with one weak cohort can still comply.

ACEN allows a route that does not involve 80% at all. Under Criterion 5.3 of its 2023 Standards, a program’s most recent annual pass rate or its three-year mean must meet at least one of: 80% for first-time test-takers; 80% for first-time test-takers and repeaters combined; or at or above the national mean for its program type. That third option is the significant one – in a year when the national mean falls below 80%, a program under 80% can still comply by beating its national comparison group.

Separately from accreditation, many state boards of nursing write their own numeric floors into regulation, and those are the thresholds that can suspend a program’s approval to operate. Entrance exams with documented predictive validity help programs maintain selectivity in a way that improves their downstream outcomes.

Most programs use entrance exam scores as one factor among several – alongside GPA (often prerequisite GPA specifically), letters of recommendation, work or volunteering experience, and personal statements. A strong exam score won’t overcome a weak GPA at most programs, and vice versa.

The four main entrance exams {#comparison-table}

A few clarifications on what’s in the table:

ATI TEAS 7 is currently the most widely used nursing entrance exam in the US. ATI TEAS is used by hundreds of ADN and BSN programs, and it is the most researched in terms of NCLEX predictive validity. The TEAS 7 (released 2022) replaced the TEAS 6 and added more science depth and more critical thinking questions. If you are applying to multiple schools and don’t know which exam to prepare for first, TEAS is the safest default assumption.

HESI A2 is published by Elsevier (which also publishes many nursing textbooks). It is heavily used by hospital-based diploma programs and some community college ADN programs. A key point: the HESI A2 is modular – programs select which sections they require. One school might require only Reading, Math, and A&P; another might require all sections. Before you register for the HESI A2, find out exactly which sections your program requires, because you pay per section and may not need all of them.

NLN NEX is published by the National League for Nursing and is more commonly associated with older ADN programs and LPN/PN programs than with newer BSN pathways. Important if you are working from older prep material or an out-of-date program page: the NEX has replaced the PAX. The NLN released the Nursing Entrance Exam in February 2024 and retired the PAX, citing test security, updated content blueprints, and better reporting. The PAX is no longer available to sit, though many programs still accept PAX scores earned before the cutover for a limited window – check with the program rather than assuming.

The NEX tests Verbal Ability, Mathematics, and Science and reports scores as percentile ranks rather than raw or percentage scores – a meaningful difference when comparing your score to a program’s minimum. Scoring changed again on 1 November 2025. The NLN’s 2024 validity analysis established that RN applicants and LPN/VN applicants are distinct subpopulations, so score reports now give percentile ranks against two separate national reference groups rather than one pooled group. The same raw performance therefore produces a different percentile depending on which program type you told the pretest survey you were applying to, and a percentile from a report issued before that date is not comparable to one issued after it. At the 50th percentile the composite is 145 for RN applicants and 143 for LPN/VN applicants; at the 70th it is 189 and 188. If a program’s published minimum is a percentile, confirm which reference group and which report version it was set against.

Structurally the NEX runs 60 minutes per section (the PAX allowed 40), and it carries unscored pretest items the PAX did not: Verbal 50 scored plus 8 unscored, Mathematics 40 scored plus 5, Science 55 scored plus 5. The science blueprint also changed materially – physics was dropped entirely, chemistry was cut from 13 items to 5, and anatomy and physiology were split into separate 11-item areas. If your prep book was written for the PAX, its science weighting no longer matches the exam.

Retake waits are set by whoever administers the exam, and this is widely misreported. For the TEAS, ATI enforces a 14-day wait between attempts at its own proctored test centers, and it sets no cap on total attempts. When your school administers the exam, the school’s interval governs instead, and 30 days is the common institutional rule – which is why “the TEAS retake wait is 30 days” circulates as though it were ATI policy. Elsevier publishes no universal HESI A2 interval at all: Arizona College of Nursing allows three attempts in 12 months with three calendar days between the first and second, Gateway Technical College requires 30 days, and Lone Star College requires 60. Before you plan a retake, find the number in your program’s own admissions or testing policy rather than on a prep site.

The second policy matters more than the waiting period: programs differ on whether they take your highest score, average your attempts, or count only the first. If your program averages attempts, a fast retake can lower the score it evaluates.

Kaplan Nursing Admission Test is the least widely used of the four. Kaplan doesn’t publish a full list of which programs use it, so if a program in your list requires it, you’ll find out from the program directly. Kaplan also sells nursing school prep courses and NCLEX prep, so there is a business incentive behind the exam’s design and distribution.

ATI TEAS 7 section breakdown {#teas-breakdown}

Because TEAS 7 is the most commonly required exam, this breakdown is worth having in detail.

The composite score is calculated from the 150 scored items only. The 20 unscored pretest items are embedded throughout and are not labeled – you won’t know which questions count and which don’t.

Science is the section where most applicants underperform relative to their expectations. The biology and A&P content assumes completion of at least one semester of A&P at the college level. Students who take the TEAS before completing their prerequisite science courses consistently score lower on this section.

For a complete guide to TEAS 7 preparation, scoring benchmarks by program type, and retake strategy: TEAS test for nursing school.

How to figure out which exam you need {#which-exam}

The only reliable answer is to check each program’s admissions requirements directly. There is no central database mapping programs to exams, and programs change their exam requirements – occasionally without updating every reference on third-party sites.

Steps to find out:

1. Go to each program’s admissions page. Look for “admissions requirements,” “application requirements,” or “entrance exam” in the navigation. Most programs list the required exam on the program page.

2. Look for the exact exam name and version. “ATI TEAS” vs “TEAS 6” vs “TEAS 7” matters. Some programs haven’t updated their website to reflect the TEAS 7 (the current version since 2022) – if you see TEAS 6, call and confirm which version they accept.

3. Call the admissions office if unclear. Nursing program admissions staff are used to fielding this question. A 5-minute phone call will give you a definitive answer and may also give you the program’s score minimums, which aren’t always on the website.

4. Note the program’s accepted score age. Most programs require test scores from within the last 2–3 years. If you’re planning to apply in multiple cycles, check whether a score you take now will still be valid for applications in 18 months.

5. Check if the program has a preferred testing vendor. Some programs have a partnership with a specific vendor (particularly for HESI A2) and require you to register through their vendor portal rather than independently. This affects where and how you schedule.

If you are applying to multiple programs and they require different exams, you may need to take more than one. Prioritize by which programs you’re most interested in and when applications open. Most students preparing for multiple exams start with TEAS (because it’s most commonly required and has the most prep material available) and add the second exam afterward.

Prep resources for each exam {#prep-resources}

ATI TEAS 7

• ATI’s official TEAS prep includes SmartPrep (adaptive practice) and full-length practice tests; available at atitesting.com
• Mometrix TEAS study guide is widely used by students for its clear explanations
• Khan Academy covers the math and science content areas well for building foundational skills
• r/StudentNurse has an active TEAS prep thread with score ranges and study timelines

HESI A2

• Elsevier’s official HESI A2 study guide is the primary resource; matches the actual exam content areas
• Evolve (Elsevier’s online platform) offers practice questions
• Mometrix HESI A2 guide is a common secondary resource
• Focus your prep specifically on the sections your program requires – not all of them

NLN NEX

• NLN offers official study guides and practice materials at nln.org
• Confirm any prep resource is written for the NEX rather than the retired PAX – the science blueprint changed enough that PAX-era material misallocates your study time
• Because the NEX reports percentile ranks, review score percentiles for your target programs before setting a prep goal – knowing the cutoff percentile is more useful than a raw score target

Kaplan Nursing Admission Test

• Kaplan’s official prep materials are available through kaplan.com
• Because the exam is less widely used, there is less third-party prep material available compared to TEAS or HESI A2

Related resources

For prerequisites and GPA requirements at the application stage:

• Nursing school prerequisites: what you need before you apply
• Nursing school GPA requirements: what programs expect
• TEAS test for nursing school: complete guide to TEAS 7

What programs are looking for

A note on how entrance exam scores are used in context: most programs that publish score minimums treat those as floors, not targets. A score at the minimum cutoff puts you in the running; a score significantly above it strengthens your application alongside your GPA and other factors.

Programs that are more competitive – particularly direct-entry BSN programs at universities with high selectivity – tend to see applicant pools where most candidates clear the minimum significantly. In those contexts, your entrance exam score is less a gate than a tiebreaker. In community college ADN programs where a single minimum score determines eligibility (and programs admit based on a points system), your score above the minimum may directly determine your rank in the applicant pool.

Know which type of program you’re applying to. The weight of the entrance exam in the admissions decision varies considerably, and studying for a score well above a points-system minimum has a real return on investment that studying for an already-cleared minimum does not.

References

1. ATI Nursing Education, “What Is on the ATI TEAS, Version 7 Exam?” ATI Testing help center, 2024.
2. ATI Nursing Education, “TEAS Exam Details,” atitesting.com, 2024.
3. Elsevier, “HESI Admission Assessment (A2) Exam,” Evolve product documentation, 2024.
4. Elsevier, “Admission Assessment Exam Review,” 6th Edition, 2024.
5. National League for Nursing, “Nursing Entrance Exam (NEX) Technical Manual,” March 2024 (Table 1, High Level NEX Blueprint; PAX-to-NEX change table).
6. National League for Nursing, “NEX Technical Brief,” last updated 26 January 2026 (two-group RN and LPN/VN norming effective 1 November 2025; Table 1, select percentile ranks for NEX composite scores).
7. National League for Nursing, “Product Update: PAX to NEX” (rationale for the transition, 60-minute sections, revised item counts and science blueprint), nln.org.
8. Kaplan, “Nursing School Admissions Test,” kaplan.com program materials, 2024.
9. ATI Nursing Education, “How soon can I retake the ATI TEAS exam?” ATI Testing help center (14-day interval at ATI-proctored centers; school-administered intervals set by the institution).
10. Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), “2023 Standards and Criteria,” Standard 5 (Outcomes), Criterion 5.3 (licensure examination pass rate – 80% first-time, or 80% first-time and repeaters combined, or at/above the national mean for the program type), 2023.
11. Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), “Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs,” amended 2024, key element IV-C (80% licensure pass rate reachable by four alternative calculations). CCNE’s Board of Commissioners approved amended 2026 Standards on 7 July 2026; the 2024 Standards remain in effect through 31 December 2026, and programs hosting an on-site evaluation or submitting a report on or after 1 January 2027 must address the 2026 Standards. Key element IV-C is unchanged between the two editions. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/CCNE/CCNE-Education-Standards-2026.pdf
12. National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA), “Standards of Accreditation,” June 2026, Quality Indicator I-D (minimum 80% first-time licensure or certification pass rate, three-year mean or most recent single year, test-takers within two years of degree conferral).
13. Nnedu, C. C. and Davis, M. S., “Examining the Relationships between the TEAS’ Score, BSN Matriculation and NCLEX-RN Pass Rate,” International Journal of Nursing & Clinical Practices, Vol. 6, Article 304, 2019, DOI 10.15344/2394-4978/2019/304.
14. National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), “NCLEX Pass Rates,” program-outcome benchmark data, 2024.