1.2 Content Area Breakdown

How the Scored Items Are Distributed

Each TEAS 7 section is divided into published sub-content areas, and ATI tells you exactly how many scored items come from each one. This is enormously useful for study planning: the sub-areas with the most items deserve the most attention. The chart and tables below map every scored item so you can target your effort instead of studying everything equally.

The four sections weigh roughly Science 29%, Reading 26%, Mathematics 23%, and English & Language Usage 22% of the 150 scored questions. Note that these percentages describe the scored test; the unscored pretest items are excluded from your final percentage.

Why does ATI structure the exam this way? The content areas mirror the foundational skills a nursing student draws on daily — reading clinical orders, calculating doses, reasoning about body systems, and documenting clearly. The heavier weighting of Science reflects research showing it is the area most predictive of early nursing-school performance. Treating the published item counts as a study budget is therefore the single most effective planning move you can make.

Reading — 39 Scored Items (26%)

The Reading section measures whether you can comprehend, interpret, and integrate written material — a daily requirement in nursing, where you read charts, care plans, drug inserts, and research. It draws on both informational and occasionally literary passages, single and paired.

Mathematics — 34 Scored Items (23%)

The Mathematics section focuses on the arithmetic, algebra, and data skills nurses use for dosage calculation, intake/output, and interpreting clinical data. A four-function on-screen calculator is available here only.

Science — 44 Scored Items (29%)

Science is the largest and most heavily weighted section and the one programs scrutinize most, because it best predicts success in nursing coursework. Within it, Human Anatomy & Physiology is the single biggest sub-area on the entire exam at 18 items.

English & Language Usage — 33 Scored Items (22%)

The English section tests your command of standard written English, which underpins clear, accurate clinical documentation.

Putting the Weights to Work

Example: Devin has 60 study hours available. Rather than splitting them evenly (15 hours each), he allocates by item count: Science 44 items → ~18 hours (with most of that on Anatomy & Physiology), Reading 39 → ~15 hours, Math 34 → ~14 hours, English 33 → ~13 hours. By weighting his time toward the largest, most-scrutinized section, he maximizes the score impact of each study hour.

The headline takeaway: Science, and Anatomy & Physiology in particular, is where points are concentrated. A candidate who masters the eight body systems and can interpret a simple experiment has already secured a large share of the highest-value items on the test.

Question Formats Within Each Section

The sub-content areas tell you what is tested; it also helps to know the formats you will encounter, which appear across all four sections. The TEAS 7 uses five item types: standard multiple choice (pick one of four), multiple select (pick all that apply — partial credit is not given), fill-in-the-blank (type a value or word), ordered response (drag items into sequence), and hot spot (click the correct region of an image, common in Anatomy & Physiology). Knowing these formats in advance prevents surprises and lets you practice each one before test day.