taking-teas-test

How Many Times Can I Take the TEAS?

About 80 percent of people who take the TEAS test don’t get the score they need to get into their first choice nursing or allied health program they want the first time they take it. Some students seek a new career five, 10, 20, or even more years after taking basic undergraduate coursework. Other students “don’t test well” or aren’t prepared for the kinds of questions that appear on the test.

 

You can sign up to retake the test 30 days after your most recent attempt. You can register to take the test up to three times in any calendar year (from January 1 through December 31). However, whether the nursing school where you want to apply will accept your scores is a different matter. In this article, I will tell you what you need to know about taking and retaking the TEAS.

 

Nursing Schools Have Different Rules About Retaking the TEAS Test

 

Test takers must understand that TEAS scores don’t go away when they retake the test. The Assessment Technology Institute, better known as the ATI, keeps a transcript of your scores from each time you take the TEAS.

 

This transcript tells nursing schools when you took the test and how your scores changed when you tried again. Most nursing schools realize that anyone can have a bad day and allow you to retake the test at least once. They understand why some students want to improve their scores to have a better chance at getting into a highly competitive nursing school. But they do not let you keep taking and retaking the TEAS test indefinitely. The more attempts, the fewer nursing school options you will have. 

 

Here are some of the standards nursing schools have for TEAS testing:

 

  • Gwinnett College in Georgia lets applicants take the TEAS twice in the same year as part of their application cycle.
  • Mohawk Valley College lets you take the test twice in one year, but if you fail it both times, you must wait another two years before attempting the test for a third time.
  • Palomar College lets you retake the TEAS test as soon as 30 days after your first attempt if you fail the test. But they make you wait two years to retake the test to improve your passing score.
  • The Pennsylvania College of Technology lets you take the test three times a year to get your score high enough to meet their admission standards.

 

Here is what’s important to understand: A score that isn’t high enough for one program may be high enough for another. If you don’t do as well as you would like on your first attempt on the TEAS to get into the program you want the most, consider whether your scores are good enough to get into a program that you like nearly as well.

 

HOWEVER!!!! No getting a high score can cost you; literally, cost you tens of thousands of dollars. To get into the less expensive public school, your TEAS score has to be high and in the 80s or 90s. On the other hand, you can get into many of the private, more expensive schools, with a lower TEAS or HESI score. But be prepared for a much higher price tag. For public schools, your ADN can be anywhere from $8K to $25 or so, but for private school, that’s going to be closer to $50K to $90K. So it’s definitely worth it to get a great TEAS or HESI score.  

 

Do You Get the Same Questions Every Time You Take the TEAS?

Likely NO. However, some people have gotten the same science or reading block of questions with the other sections being different. So really it depends on how they shuffle the questions and sections within the different versions. You don’t get the same questions the third time when you retake the TEAS test three times though. 

 

That’s not all. Although all of the questions on the TEAS test have multiple-choice answers, you may not even get the same kinds of questions when you retake the test.

 

Some of the multiple-choice questions will have four answers, one of which is correct. Usually, at least one other answer will “sound right” or “look right” but is likely a trap. Dr. Adkins TEAS & HESI Mastery Course actually goes through real questions to show you strategies on how to eliminate incorrect answers very quickly.

 

Other multiple-choice questions will have more than one correct answer, and you will be expected to choose all of the right answers to get any credit for answering the question. The TEAS test does not give you partial credit for a partially correct answer.

 

There may also be “fill in the blank” and “hot spot” questions where you click on the right part of an image on your screen to answer the question. The latest TEAS test version has some questions that require you to click on boxes in a list to put them in the right order.

 

You need to be prepared for every kind of question every time you take the TEAS test. You need to be able to answer questions in every study topic every time you take the test. You never know what will change in each new version of the test. Retaking the test won’t accomplish what you want if you aren’t fully prepared each time you take the TEAS. Thorough preparation is essential for success. You will definitely want to get a professional tutor who can guide you through the material and concepts. The Adkins Academy TEAS & HESI Mastery Course can certainly help with getting your scores into the 90s. 

 

Pass the TEAS with a High Score on Your First Try!

Dr. Adkins is no ordinary test tutor. He is a medical doctor and college professor. He also has an MBA and has run several businesses. He has helped over 5,000 students succeed at getting into highly competitive nursing programs like Emory, UCF, Texas Women’s University, Sacramento State University, San Diego State University, and many other schools. 

 

Dr. Adkins helps you learn every topic on the TEAS test “cold.” Online classes analyze practice questions so you can get the right answer quickly. You will “learn to apply your knowledge, not just memorize it,” empowering you to get into the 80s or 90s on the TEAS or HESI. By completing your preparation at The Adkins Academy, you will be able to take your TEAS test with confidence, whether it’s your first time or 5th time taking the test. If you do the work Dr. Adkins lays out for you, you won’t need to retake the test.

 

Dr. Adkins can help you reach your goals. Contact him at (301) 960-4950 or send us an email at info@adkinsacademy.com.