HESI A2 exam: what is on it, scores and how to prepare
The HESI A2 exam is Elsevier’s HESI Admission Assessment, an entrance exam nursing and health programs use to evaluate applicants on the knowledge their program builds on. Elsevier’s review book covers math, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, biology, chemistry, and anatomy and physiology. Your school decides which of those sections you take, what it costs and which score it requires.
- Exam
- HESI Admission Assessment Exam (A2), by ElsevierElsevier and Prometric, checked 18 October 2026
- Versions
- A2 for RN, PN or health professions; A2CT with critical thinking for RN or PNPrometric, checked 18 October 2026
- Subject areas
- Math, reading, vocabulary, grammar, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiologyElsevier Admission Assessment Exam Review, checked 18 October 2026
- Delivery
- At your school, at a Prometric test center or by Prometric remote proctoringPrometric, checked 18 October 2026
- Number of questions
- Not published by Elsevier on the pages checked; depends on the sections your school selectsChecked 18 October 2026
- Exam fee
- Not published by Elsevier on the pages checked; set by the school or test siteChecked 18 October 2026
- Passing score
- Set by each school (example: 75% at Cuyahoga Community College)Tri-C, checked 18 October 2026
- Official review book
- Admission Assessment Exam Review, 6th edition, by HESIElsevier, checked 18 October 2026
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What is the HESI A2 exam?
The HESI A2 exam, short for HESI Admission Assessment, is the admission exam in Elsevier’s HESI family. Elsevier describes it as a way for programs to evaluate applicants on their existing level of knowledge in areas important to the program, and to admit candidates likely to stay and graduate. It is also called the HESI entrance exam or the HESI A2 admission exam.
Prometric lists two forms: the HESI A2 for RN, PN or health professions programs, and the A2CT, the HESI Admission Assessment Exam with Critical Thinking, for RN or PN programs. If you are asking what the HESI exam is for an applicant, this is the one: a HESI entrance test taken before you start, not during nursing school.
Source: Elsevier — HESI Exam Solutions. Checked 18 October 2026.
What is on the HESI A2 exam?
Elsevier’s official review book for the HESI A2 test covers seven subject areas: math, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, biology, chemistry, and anatomy and physiology. Your school chooses which of them you take, so two applicants can sit different HESI A2 exams. Some schools add critical thinking, a personality profile and a learning style inventory.
Elsevier does not publish question counts on the pages we checked. Two schools publish the same structure for the core sections. Example, Gwinnett Technical College: reading, vocabulary, grammar and math have 55 questions each, anatomy and physiology and critical thinking 30 each, and the personality profile and learning style 15 each. South Texas College adds that each 55-item section includes 50 scored and 5 pilot items.
- Reading comprehension
- Vocabulary and general knowledge
- Grammar
- Math
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Anatomy and physiology
Source: Example school: Gwinnett Technical College — HESI A2. Checked 18 October 2026.
How long is the HESI A2 test?
The length depends on the sections your school selects, and Elsevier does not publish a fixed time on the pages we checked. School examples: Gwinnett Technical College allows 4.5 hours for nursing applicants, South Texas College 4.25 hours, and Cuyahoga Community College describes a four-hour timed exam.
Source: Example school: South Texas College — HESI A2 Info. Checked 18 October 2026.
HESI A2 scores and what your school requires
Schools set HESI A2 requirements in percent, per section or as composites. Example: Cuyahoga Community College requires at least 75% in math and in an English composite of reading, grammar and vocabulary; South Texas College requires 70% per section for vocational nursing and 75% for its VN-RN track. Elsevier publishes no national pass mark for the A2 on the pages we checked.
Do not confuse this with the HESI Score of 0 to 1500 that Elsevier uses for nursing Specialty and Exit Exams. That scale belongs to exams taken during nursing school, not to the admission exam.
Source: Example school: Cuyahoga Community College — HESI A2 Entrance Exam. Checked 18 October 2026.
How to register for the HESI A2 exam
In the school instructions we checked, registration runs through Elsevier’s Evolve platform with a code or department ID from the school. If you test at a Prometric center or by Prometric remote proctoring, you then schedule with Prometric using your eligibility number. For remote testing, Prometric requires a device compatibility check before you book.
Fees are not published by Elsevier on the pages we checked and vary by school and site. School examples: Gwinnett Technical College lists $54 for nursing applicants, and South Texas College states about $107 with Prometric.
Source: Prometric — Elsevier Remotely Proctored Exams. Checked 18 October 2026.
HESI A2 vs the HESI Exit Exam and other HESI nursing exams
Searches for a HESI exam or HESI test often mix up several Elsevier products. The HESI A2 is the admission exam. The HESI Exit Exam is taken at the end of nursing school: Elsevier describes HESI Exit Exams as preparing students for the NCLEX, with a benchmark of 850 for RN and 900 for PN on the HESI Score. The HESI exit exam RN version and the PN version are nursing exit exams, so a HESI nursing exit exam is not an entrance test.
HESI Specialty Exams measure clinical nursing content areas during the curriculum. If you searched for a HESI PN mental health exam, that belongs to this group of HESI nursing exam products rather than the A2; Elsevier does not list Specialty Exam topics on the pages we checked. Prometric notes that only the A2 and A2CT can be taken remotely.
Source: Elsevier — Understanding the HESI Score. Checked 18 October 2026.
HESI vs TEAS test
The HESI A2 and the ATI TEAS are both admission exams for nursing and health programs, from different publishers: Elsevier for HESI, ATI for TEAS. The TEAS has a fixed structure of four sections, while the HESI A2 sections are chosen by your school. Which one you take is your program’s decision, not yours; check its admission page before you study.
Source: Prometric — Elsevier (HESI exams). Checked 18 October 2026.
HESI A2 exam prep with the official review book
Elsevier’s official HESI A2 exam prep book is the Admission Assessment Exam Review by HESI, 6th edition, published in June 2024: 192 pages, $45.99 in print. It walks through each subject area with HESI Hints boxes, step-by-step math explanations, a 25-question pre-test and a 50-question post-test with rationales. Its Evolve companion site has comprehensive practice exams with over 200 questions.
On this page we call it the HESI Admission Assessment Exam Review book. Good HESI exam prep starts with your school’s list of required sections. Spend most of your time on those, and on math if your school sets a separate math minimum.
Source: Elsevier — Admission Assessment Exam Review, 6th Edition (HESI). Checked 18 October 2026.
Free HESI A2 practice tests and test banks
If you are looking for a HESI A2 exam practice test free of charge: Elsevier did not list a free HESI A2 practice test on the pages we checked. Its own practice exams come on the Evolve companion site of the review book. Certsqill does not offer a free HESI A2 practice test either; treat any free HESI practice exams as unofficial and check them against the subject areas above.
Files sold as a HESI A2 test bank or a HESI exit exam 2019 test bank are not Elsevier products on the pages we checked. Certsqill does not use or sell leaked exam content.
Source: Elsevier — Admission Assessment Exam Review, 6th Edition (HESI). Checked 18 October 2026.
HESI A2 prep course or prep class?
Elsevier’s public pages we checked list the review book and its Evolve practice exams, not a live HESI A2 prep course. If you want HESI prep in a HESI A2 prep class with an instructor, ask the college you are applying to whether it runs one, and check that it matches the sections your school requires.
Source: Elsevier — Admission Assessment Exam Review, 6th Edition (HESI). Checked 18 October 2026.
HESI A2 practice questions
Certsqill’s HESI A2 practice questions are expert-developed and mapped to the A2 subject areas, from reading and vocabulary to anatomy and physiology. Use them as a HESI A2 practice test or a general HESI practice test, or as a HESI A2 math practice exam if your school sets a math minimum, with HESI math practice questions on conversions, fractions and word problems. Each HESI A2 math practice test, like any HESI math practice test, should show which math skills still cost you points.
Every question comes with an explanation for each answer option, and your results build a readiness score per section, so your HESI practice goes where it moves your score. Working through HESI exam practice questions this way is closer to real HESI exam questions than rereading notes. A 7-day money-back guarantee applies.
HESI A2 questions people ask
What is the HESI exam for nursing school admission?
The HESI A2, Elsevier’s HESI Admission Assessment, which programs use to evaluate applicants. Source: Elsevier, checked 18 October 2026.
What is on the HESI exam?
Elsevier’s review book covers math, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, biology, chemistry, and anatomy and physiology; your school picks the sections. Source: Elsevier, checked 18 October 2026.
What is the HESI A2 test with critical thinking?
The A2CT, for RN or PN programs, adds a critical thinking component. Source: Prometric, checked 18 October 2026.
What is HESI exam scoring for admission based on?
Schools set percentage minimums per section or composite, for example 75% at Cuyahoga Community College. Source: Tri-C, checked 18 October 2026.
Can I take the HESI A2 exam online?
Yes, through Prometric remote proctoring, or in person at a Prometric center or your school. Source: Prometric, checked 18 October 2026.
What book does Elsevier publish for the HESI A2?
The Admission Assessment Exam Review by HESI, 6th edition, $45.99 in print. Source: Elsevier, checked 18 October 2026.
Is there a free HESI A2 practice test from Elsevier?
Not on the Elsevier pages we checked. Practice exams come with the review book on Evolve. Checked 18 October 2026.
How many times can I take the HESI A2?
Your school decides. Example: Cuyahoga Community College allows two attempts in a year, at least 30 days apart. Source: Tri-C, checked 18 October 2026.
