The exams between you and your RN license
Two exams usually stand in the way of getting into nursing school (the ATI TEAS or HESI A2) and one stands between graduation and licensure (the NCLEX-RN). Here is what each one is and how it is used.
NCLEX-RN
The national licensure exam every new RN must pass. Adaptive, clinical-judgment focused.
- Questions
- 85–150
- Max time
- 5 hours
ATI TEAS
The most widely used nursing entrance exam: reading, math, science and English.
- Questions
- 170
- Time
- 209 min
HESI A2
Entrance exam where each school chooses which academic sections you take.
- Sections
- School-selected
- Common
- Math, A&P, reading
Licensure exam
NCLEX-RN
The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses is developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and delivered at Pearson VUE test centers. Every U.S. state uses it to decide whether a new graduate is safe to practice as an entry-level RN.
- Format: computerized adaptive testing. Questions get harder or easier based on your answers, and the test stops once it is statistically confident about your result.
- Next Generation NCLEX (NGN): since April 2023, the exam includes case studies and new item types that measure clinical judgment.
- Length: 85 to 150 questions, including 15 unscored pretest items, with up to 5 hours of testing time.
- In California: you apply to the BRN for licensure by examination and register separately with Pearson VUE. You can test once the Board makes you eligible and you receive your Authorization to Test.
Program results matter because they show how well a school prepares its graduates. Compare every California program on our NCLEX pass rate table.
CA first-time pass rate, 2024–25
90.2%
CA first-time testers, 2024–25
15,874
Programs with results
154
California BRN data, SEAPHE tester-weighted calculation.
Entrance exam
ATI TEAS
The Test of Essential Academic Skills, published by ATI, is the most common entrance exam for nursing programs. Schools use it to check readiness in four areas, and each program sets its own minimum score and retake rules.
| Section (TEAS 7) | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 | 55 min |
| Math | 38 | 57 min |
| Science | 50 | 60 min |
| English & Language Usage | 37 | 37 min |
| Total | 170 | 209 min |
Per ATI's TEAS exam details: 150 scored and 20 unscored pretest items. Confirm current details with ATI and your program.
Entrance exam
HESI A2
The HESI Admission Assessment from Elsevier is the other widely used entrance exam. Unlike the TEAS, each school chooses which sections you take, so two programs can require very different HESI A2 exams.
- Academic sections offered: math, reading comprehension, vocabulary and general knowledge, grammar, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and physics.
- Other sections: some schools add a learning style or personality profile, which is not scored.
- Tip: ask each program for its exact section list and minimum scores before you study.
Where each exam fits
- 1
Prerequisites
Anatomy, physiology, microbiology, English, math and more, often with minimum GPAs.
- 2
TEAS or HESI A2
Entrance exam used in admissions scoring or as a minimum cutoff.
- 3
Nursing program
Theory plus at least 500 hours of supervised direct patient care in CA.
- 4
NCLEX-RN
Licensure exam after you graduate and the BRN makes you eligible.
Clinical-hour minimum: California BRN, Prelicensure Distance Education Institutional and Programmatic Information (16 CCR 1426).