Top 10 Most Common Types of ATI TEAS Questions

This blog discusses the different types of questions you will face on the ATI TEAS exam. Every TEAS exam is different. The questions you face when you take the exam will be different from the questions another person who takes the TEAS that same day will face. The exam pulls questions, at random, from its large question bank for each topic and then shows that question to you.

The actual questions on the TEAS are secret, but we do know the topics and the types of questions you could face on the exam. Below are the types of questions present on the TEAS as well as examples for each type of question. 

1. Interpret reading passages

Questions on the reading section of the ATI TEAS exam mostly involve a one to two paragraph passage you will need to read and then you will be asked several questions about it like what was the author trying to say when she said this ___, what was the author’s opinion on somethings, etc. It’s very similar to the reading section of the SAT/ACT exams. These types of questions will test your reading comprehension skills.

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Example:

Construction is one industry that has seen a stagnation in productivity over the years, despite advancements in technology and innovation. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, construction productivity has remained virtually unchanged in the last 20 years, while other industries have seen significant improvements. Factors such as a lack of collaboration and communication, ineffective management practices, and insufficient investment in technology have all contributed to the industry's slow progress.

What is the main reason for the lack of productivity improvements in the construction industry, according to McKinsey & Company's report?

A) Insufficient investment in technology ✔
B) The lack of skilled labor
C) The absence of regulatory oversight
D) The high cost of construction materials

See practice questions like these >

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2. Interpret figures and tables

You will face questions with figures and tables in virtually all the sections of the ATI TEAS exam.
Depending on which section you are on at the moment, the exam will ask you to interpret a table or graph it gives you. You are to look at the figure and answer the question based on what the figure illustrates.

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Example:

The table below displays the female life expectancy for two countries in each continent. Which continent has the longest average female life expectancy?

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A) Africa
B) Asia ✔
C) Europe
D) North America
E) South America

See practice questions like these >

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3. Numerical algebra problems

You thought you could run away from math, but here it shows up once again to ruin your day. The math section of the TEAS includes several numerical algebra problems for you to solve. The algebra asked on the TEAS is high school level algebra, so no worries about anything too advanced.

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Example:

For the equation, 5x+22= 8x/2, which answer choice correctly solves for x?

A)  ✔
5x-8x/2 = -22
x = -22/(5-4)
x=-22

B)
5x-8x/2 = -22
x = -22/(5-2)
x=-7.3

C)
5x-8x/2 = -22
x = 22/(5-4)
x=22

D)
27x=8x/2
27x*2 = 8x
54x=8x
x=6.7

E)
10x-44 = 8x
x =- 42

See practice questions like these >

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4. Math word problems

Math problems where you don’t just crunch numbers for a test, but instead use math to solve a real-world problem.

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Example:

In a recent school election, there were 1,200 total votes cast for two candidates, John and Sarah. John received 75% of the votes. How many votes did Sarah receive?

A) 200 votes
B) 300 votes ✔
C) 600 votes
D) 900 votes
E) 1,000 votes

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5. Recall from memory equations for areas of common shapes

There will be a few math questions where you are asked to calculate the area of the perimeter of a square, rectangle, triangle, or circle. However, the TEAS will not give you the area equations. You’ll have to know them from memory.

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Example:

What is the area of the overall shape shown above?

A) 13.2
B) 23.5 
C) 16.8
D) 22.5  ✔
E) 14.9

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6. Lots of human anatomy and physiology

In the science section of the exam, there will be a lot of questions testing your knowledge of different systems of the human body. These questions will be more knowledge based, basic understanding of what is all going on within the different systems of the human body.   

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Example:

Fill in the blanks for the following statement. The __________ is a specialized type of bone cell that is responsible for breaking down and absorbing old or damaged bone tissue, while the __________ is a type of bone cell that is responsible for building new bone tissue.

The correct answers are: osteoclast; osteoblast

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7. Basic chemistry knowledge

Chemistry can get very in-depth, but the TEAS will just ask you the most important basic concepts in chemistry.

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Example:

Which of the following statements accurately describes an oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction?

A) A reaction that involves the transfer of electrons from one molecule to another
B) A reaction that results in a change in the oxidation state of one or more atoms
C) Both a and b are correct ✔
D) None of the above are correct

See practice questions like these >

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8. Correct punctuation and spelling

The english section of the ATI TEAS has questions where you are given four different sentences and you are to pick the sentence that uses correct spelling and punctuation. 

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Example:

Select all that apply. Which of the following sentences uses proper grammar and punctuation?

A) The cat, its collar was red, ran away. ✔
B) She is going too the store to buy bread.
C) They're having a party on Friday; we're going too. ✔
D) My favorite book, it's called "To Kill a Mockingbird", was written by Harper Lee.

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9. Use context to define a word

The English section of the ATI TEAS has questions where you are given one or two sentences that contain an atypical word. You are to use the context around that atypical word to decipher the meaning of it. 

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Example:

For the following sentence, the definition of the word “accentuate” most likely means: He has spent a lot of time at the gym, He likes to wear clothes that accentuate his broad shoulders.

A) Hide
B) Emphasize ✔
C) Isolate
D) Recognize

See practice questions like these >

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10. Alternative item types (AIT’s)

Out of the 170 questions on the ATI TEAS, roughly 85% will be traditional multiple choice and 15% will be AIT’s questions. An AIT question includes fill in the blank, multiple right answer selection, place in the right order, point to the right location in the figure. These types of questions really aren’t any more difficult than multiple choice questions. The only difference is that it is harder to guess on them as you can’t just select one of the four answer choices and just hope it was right.  

Examples of AIT questions can be seen in bullet point #6 (fill in the blank) and bullet point #8 (multiple right answers).

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Place in the right order questions:

Arrange in the correct order from first to last all the events that occur during a muscle contraction.

Solution:

Point to the right location questions:

For the given skeleton shown below, point to the humerus.

TEAS Exam Topics

Reading (45 questions / 26% of all questions, 55 mins allotted)

Key Ideas and Details (~17 Q’s / 10% of all questions)

• Summarize a multi-paragraph text
• Make inferences and draw conclusions about a text's purpose and meaning
• Locate specific information in a text
• ….

Mathematics (38 questions / 23% of all questions, 57 mins allotted)

Numbers and Algebra (~20 Q’s / 12% of all questions)

• Convert among non-negative fractions, decimals, and percentages
• Perform arithmetic operations with rational numbers (including positive and negative numbers)
• ….

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See complete list of exam topics >