What’s on the TEAS Exam? All Four Sections Explained
The ATI TEAS, Version 7 (Test of Essential Academic Skills) has four sections: Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage. The full exam is 170 items (150 scored plus 20 unscored pretest items ATI uses to try out future questions) with a total testing time of 209 minutes. Each section is timed separately: Reading has 39 scored items in 55 minutes, Mathematics 34 items in 57 minutes, Science 44 items in 60 minutes, and English and Language Usage 33 items in 37 minutes. Science carries the most weight of the four sections, followed by Reading, Mathematics, and English and Language Usage. TEAS Version 7 launched June 3, 2022, and remains the current version as of September 2026, with no TEAS 8 announced. This guide breaks down each section, how many questions it carries, how long you have, and what item formats to expect, based on ATI’s own published exam specifications.
Figures reflect ATI’s published TEAS Version 7 exam specifications as of 2026.
The Four TEAS Sections
Each section is scored separately, and you also receive an overall composite score. Here is how the 150 scored items break down by section, along with the time ATI allots for each.
Bar widths are scaled to each section’s share of the 150 scored items. Each section also includes a few unscored pretest items mixed in, so the number of questions you see on screen is slightly higher than the scored count.
Reading is the second largest section by weight, behind Science. It asks you to work with both short passages and longer multi paragraph texts: pulling out the main idea and supporting details, following written directions, reading charts and graphics, telling fact from opinion, figuring out unfamiliar words from context, and reasoning about an author’s purpose or point of view.
Mathematics splits into two broad areas, numbers and algebra, and measurement and data. Expect fraction, decimal, and percentage conversions, one and multi step word problems, ratios, proportions, basic algebraic equations, and reading information out of tables, charts, and graphs. A four function, on screen calculator is provided for the Math section.
Science is the heaviest section on the exam. Its single biggest slice is human anatomy and physiology, 18 of the 44 scored items, across the major body systems (respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, muscular, skeletal, and more), with the rest split between general biology and chemistry concepts and scientific reasoning, things like evaluating an experiment’s design or telling reliable data from unreliable data.
English and Language Usage covers standard grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, along with vocabulary skills like using word roots, prefixes, and suffixes to work out meaning, and matching tone and word choice to the audience of a piece of writing.
Question Formats You’ll See
Most TEAS items are traditional four option multiple choice, but Version 7 also mixes in a handful of other formats: multiple select (choose more than one correct answer), fill in the blank items that ask for a numeric answer rather than a choice, hot spot items where you click a location on an image, and ordered response items where you drag steps or values into the correct sequence. ATI does not publish how often each format appears or in which sections, so it helps to practice more than plain multiple choice before test day.
How Long Is the TEAS Exam?
Total testing time is 209 minutes across the four sections: 55 minutes for Reading, 57 for Mathematics, 60 for Science, and 37 for English and Language Usage. Each section is timed separately, so time left over on Reading does not carry into Math. Plan for the appointment itself to run longer than 209 minutes once you account for check in, a brief tutorial, and any scheduled breaks at your test site, and confirm the current day of policies with your testing center when you register.
Working out a rough pace per section helps more than trying to hit a single overall clock. On Science, for instance, 60 minutes across 50 items (44 scored plus a handful of unscored pretest items) works out to a little over a minute per question, which leaves very little room to get stuck rereading a dense anatomy stem. Reading and English and Language Usage run slightly more generously per item, since longer passages and multi step grammar items take more time to process than a straightforward vocabulary or punctuation question.
Computer Based and Paper Formats
ATI offers TEAS Version 7 in both a computer based format at approved testing sites and a paper format some institutions administer directly, most often as part of an in house testing day. The content, section order, item counts, and time limits are the same either way, and ATI provides a four function calculator for the Math section in the paper format. If your program lets you choose between formats, ask your testing coordinator which version they use before you build a study plan around a specific format.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the TEAS exam?
170 total items: 150 scored across the four sections plus 20 unscored pretest items you cannot identify while testing.
Which TEAS section has the most questions?
Science, with 44 of the 150 scored items, making it the single largest section by both question count and score weight.
How long do I have to finish the TEAS exam?
209 minutes total, split into four separately timed sections: Reading (55 minutes), Mathematics (57 minutes), Science (60 minutes), and English and Language Usage (37 minutes).
Is TEAS Version 7 still the current version in 2026?
Yes. TEAS Version 7 launched June 3, 2022, and remains ATI’s current version as of September 2026, with no TEAS 8 announced.
Want to see how these sections feel in practice? Try a TEAS practice test, or start with a free TEAS practice test to preview the question formats before you commit to a full study plan.
Sources
- ATI, What Are the Specific Content and Sub Content Areas of the ATI TEAS Version 7 Exam?
- ATI, TEAS Exam Details
- ATI, TEAS Overview
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For educational and exam preparation purposes only. Not a substitute for formal clinical training.