1.1 HESI A2 Math Format, Scoring, Pacing & On-Screen Calculator Rules

The HESI Admission Assessment (A2) Mathematics subtest is Elsevier's numeracy check for nursing and allied-health applicants. Elsevier's subtest description, restated on many school testing pages, says it "focuses on math skills needed for health care fields, including basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, decimals, ratio and proportion, household measures, general math facts." Each school chooses which HESI A2 subtests its applicants take, and many nursing programs include Math.

This section gives you the current test facts, explains how timing and scoring work, and sets up the calculator and scratch-paper habits used throughout the rest of this guide.

Examination Structure at a Glance

These figures come from Elsevier's item table as published by schools. Quincy College's HESI A2 preparation sheet (updated December 2024) lists Basic Math Skills as 55 items, "50 scored and 5 pilot items," with 50 minutes. Tarrant County College's HESI A2 page (updated August 2026) lists Math as 55 questions with an on-screen calculator. Elsevier's HESI NG A2 Distance Testing Student Guide (March 2026) describes the Prometric test-center and ProProctor remote options.

Scored versus Pilot Items

The 5 pilot items are new questions that Elsevier is trying out for future forms. They are not marked, so you cannot tell which items count. Treat every item as scored, and do not waste time guessing which questions are experimental.

Recommended Time versus Total Testing Time

The 50 minutes is a recommended time for the Math subtest, and schools set the actual clock. Gateway Technical College, for example, describes its per-section times as "a guideline for pacing purposes only" and gives nursing applicants one total time of 4.5 hours for all required sections. Other schools publish totals such as 4 hours. Check your program's instructions, and practice at the recommended pace even if one clock covers the whole battery.

How Scores Are Reported and Used

HESI A2 results are reported as a percentage for each subtest, and many schools also use a cumulative average of the subtests they require. Elsevier does not set one passing score. Each program sets its own rule, for example:

• South Texas College's ADN program requires 75% or higher on each section.
• Hannibal-LaGrange University's nursing program requires at least 80% in Math.
• TCAT Upper Cumberland lists a passing score of 70 in Math for its Practical Nursing and Surgical Technology applicants.

Because cutoffs and ranking formulas differ, look up your own program's requirement and aim comfortably above it.

The On-Screen Calculator

Testing sites provide an on-screen calculator for the Math subtest, and personal calculators are not permitted. Elsevier does not publish a key-by-key description of the calculator, so practice as if it were a basic four-function calculator:

• Do not count on parentheses, fraction keys or exponent keys.
• Do not assume the calculator applies the order of operations to a long typed string.
• Convert fractions to decimals (numerator divided by denominator) before you key them in.

Why Keying Order Matters

Consider $6 + 4 \times 5$. By the order of operations, multiplication comes first:

$$4 \times 5 = 20, \qquad 6 + 20 = 26$$

A basic calculator that carries out each operation as soon as you press the next key would instead compute $6 + 4 = 10$ and then $10 \times 5 = 50$. The safe habit is to do the multiplication or division first, write the result on scratch paper, and then finish the problem.

Two-Part Entries

For an expression such as $(18 \times 2.5) - (14.4 \div 3.2)$:

1. Calculate $18 \times 2.5 = 45$ and write it down.
2. Calculate $14.4 \div 3.2 = 4.5$ and write it down.
3. Combine the written results: $45 - 4.5 = 40.5$.

If your calculator shows memory keys (M+, M−, MR), you can use them the same way, but written intermediate values are easier to check.

Scratch Work and Pacing

Testing sites supply scratch paper or a dry-erase board; the exact item varies by site. Use it to:

1. Write the item number beside each calculation so you can find it again if you flag the item.
2. Write units next to every number in conversion and dosage problems, and cancel them before calculating.
3. Keep three or four decimal places in intermediate results and round only the final answer.

With 55 items in a 50-minute recommended time, your average budget is about 55 seconds. Simple items take 20 to 30 seconds; multi-step word problems may take 90 seconds. Use these checkpoints:

Common Pacing Traps

1. Clicking out simple facts. Use mental math for facts such as $7 \times 8$ and save the calculator for multi-digit work.
2. The stubborn item. Four minutes on one problem costs you three or four easier items later.
3. Keying errors. Typing $248$ for $284$ is easy under pressure. Compare the display with the question before you press the next key.
4. Fatigue. Math may come after other subtests. A consistent scratch-paper layout keeps your work organized when you are tired.

Registration and Test-Day Rules

You register through an Evolve account, using the link or instructions your program provides. For exams delivered through Prometric, Elsevier's March 2026 student guide states that:

• The first and last name in Evolve must match a non-expired, government-issued photo ID with a signature.
• Unregistering 30 or more days before the appointment brings an automatic refund; 5 to 29 days brings a partial refund minus the reschedule or cancel fee; within 5 days there is no refund.
• Rescheduling must be done at least 30 calendar days ahead, or extra fees or forfeiture may apply.

Retake waiting periods are set locally. Tarrant County College, for example, allows one attempt every 60 days.