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HESI Admission Assessment Exam (A2)
600 questions
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About this exam
The HESI Admission Assessment Exam (A2) is a nursing-school entrance assessment used by many U.S. programs to evaluate applicants’ academic readiness. Prospective students may take it when applying to practical nursing, associate-degree, or bachelor’s nursing programs, but each school sets its own eligibility rules and determines how scores fit into admissions. The A2 is not a single universal checklist: programs choose which sections applicants must complete, accepted testing locations, score requirements, and retake policies. Check your target program’s current admissions page before scheduling.
Depending on the school, tested areas can include reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, mathematics, and science subjects such as anatomy and physiology, biology, or chemistry; some programs also request learning-style or personality assessments. For nursing applicants, review cells, tissues, body organization, and the skeletal, muscular, integumentary, cardiovascular, blood, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems. Preparation works best when matched to your program’s required sections: identify weak areas, revisit concepts rather than memorize isolated answers, and build accuracy under time limits. Practice with explanations can help reveal gaps.
How to Prepare for the HESI A2
- Review anatomy and physiology by connecting structure with function, including how the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems work.
- Confirm which A2 sections your nursing program requires, then use timed practice for those subjects and review the reasoning behind missed answers.
- Check your program’s current admissions instructions and Elsevier’s HESI A2 information for testing arrangements, required sections, score policies, and retake rules.
FAQ
Who is eligible to take the HESI A2?
The exam is generally taken by prospective nursing students, but eligibility and registration procedures are set by each nursing program or its testing provider. Check the current requirements for the school you plan to apply to.
What is the format of the HESI A2?
The A2 is commonly administered on a computer and includes selected-response questions, but the sections, timing, and testing arrangements can vary by program. Your school determines which sections you need to take.
What subjects should I study for the HESI A2?
Common sections include reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, mathematics, and science subjects such as anatomy and physiology, biology, or chemistry. Requirements differ, so use your program’s instructions to choose what to review.