1.3 Scoring and Program Requirements

How the TEAS Is Scored

The TEAS is scored entirely on the 150 scored items — the 20 pretest items never affect your result. Your score report is percentage-based and far richer than a single number. Understanding each layer helps you read your report and decide where to focus a retake.

Because the total score is built from all 150 scored items, the larger Science and Reading sections naturally influence your composite more than the smaller English section.

A practical implication: the composite is not a simple average of the four section percentages. It is equated from your raw score on all 150 scored items, and ATI notes that the content area scores do not add up to the total score. This is why a single weak but large section (such as Science) drags the composite down more than an equally weak but small section (such as English) — there are simply more points at stake in the larger area.

Academic Preparedness Levels

ATI translates your total score into one of five Academic Preparedness Levels. The ranges below come from ATI's TEAS 7 score report, and ATI equates scores to adjust for differences in difficulty between test forms.

Your score report also shows the national mean (the average score of all examinees), the mean for your program type, and your national and program percentile ranks.

Program Cut Scores Vary

The single most important thing to understand about TEAS scoring is that there is no universal passing score. ATI: "Each school sets its own minimum, and many weigh the TEAS alongside GPA and other factors." ATI also says your school will most likely want you at the Proficient level or above. Some programs also set section minimums, such as a Science or Reading cut score.

Look up the posted minimum for every program on your list and aim above it, because admission is competitive and a higher score strengthens your overall application.

No Penalty for Guessing

The TEAS has no penalty for incorrect answers. An unanswered question and a wrong answer both score zero, so leaving anything blank can only hurt you. This has two practical consequences:

1. Never leave a question blank. Even a pure guess on a 4-option item has a 25% chance of being correct.
2. Eliminate to improve the odds. Removing one or two clearly wrong choices raises a guess from 25% toward 33% or 50%.

Example: Priya finishes the Science section with 40 seconds left and three questions still unanswered. Because there is no guessing penalty, she rapidly fills in an answer for each rather than leaving them blank. On average, random guesses on three 4-option items will net her about 0.75 correct — roughly one extra point she would have forfeited by leaving them blank. Always bank those points.

Reading Your Score Report for a Retake

If you retake, the sub-content scores are your roadmap. Suppose your composite is 68% (Proficient) but your report shows Science 58% and, within it, Anatomy & Physiology at 50%. That tells you exactly where the lost points are: a focused A&P review could lift both your Science section and your composite without needing to re-study Reading or English. Targeted retake prep, guided by sub-content percentages, is far more efficient than starting over.