TEAS Science Practice Test and Review

How To Study For The Science Section Of The ATI TEAS Test

In this post we’ll go over an outline of all the topics you will see on the science section of the ATI TEAS exam as well as provide you with a timed free TEAS science practice test. This outline comes directly from the Smart Edition Academy TEAS online course. You’ll also get an idea of how using a timed free TEAS science practice test can help you become more comfortable with the format of the test, the types of questions you will see, and help you become faster at answering the questions with the given time limit. Check out everything you need to know about the test in our TEAS test ultimate guide review.

So how do you study for the TEAS science section of the test? We get this question all the time.

You’re not the first person to ask and you’re not the first person to struggle with this section of the ATI TEAS.

Step 1: If you’re *just starting* or taking the TEAS test for another attempt, the first thing to do is take a timed TEAS Science practice test free here.

By taking this ATI TEAS science practice test, you have access to a full-length timed TEAS practice test which will then give you a breakdown of how you did on all the topics outlined in the table of contents below.

As a result you’ll also get a “feel” for how quickly the time passes so you can be prepared for the actual test.

Step 2: Evaluate your diagnostic report from the free TEAS science practice test section of the practice test.

Most importantly notate exactly what topics within Science you did well on and the areas you need more practice on

Step 3: Make a study schedule or a study plan. For example begin by making a list of subjects within the science section that you are scoring 70% or better, 40-69%, and 0-39%.

Likewise, Don’t study topics that you scored high in. Start by studying the topics you scored the lowest in because you will have to revisit those topics several times and apply practice before seeing improvements in those categories.

Study the topics you scored low in and begin to plan when you will study these topics.

For example, for two weeks straight, you might dedicate 6 hours a week to reviewing two categories within the Science section: cardiovascular system and genetics and DNA.

Watch this video on how to make a TEAS study schedule with a free template here.

Step 4: Get Good TEAS Test Prep Resources Based On Your Learning Style

If you like to study within a group, you might like our free group tutoring sessions and Facebook study group.

If you like to study by listening or watching videos, you’ll love the 100+ videos in our 50+ lessons inside of our ATI TEAS Online Course.

If you like to take practice tests and study from the answer explanations, you’ll love our 1,300+ practice questions and 8 timed practice tests in the ATI TEAS Online Course.

Step 5: Retake a free TEAS science practice test here. At the end of those two weeks, you should be able to retake the practice test and see progression in 4 of the categories you’ve been studying.

Above all we recommend taking a practice test every 10-14 days to track your improvement.

Students say studying for 6-10 weeks gives them the ability to take 4-6 practice tests and plenty of time to tackle their weak areas within each section.

ATI TEAS Test Science Practice Test and Review

The science section of the ATI TEAS is arguably the most difficult section.

There’s probably not a person out there who has taken the TEAS that will tell you that science wasn’t the hardest most in-depth area.

For this reason we’re going to do a deep dive into all the topics you might see on the test.

We’ll go over all the topics but also some of the more anecdotal things like tips, strategies and the types of questions that you might see.

The science section of the TEAS is going to have 53 questions in 63 minutes.

The test does have unscored questions, for this section 47 questions are scored and 6 questions are unscored, but you won’t know which ones.

A&P is by far the area you need to know the most about, and roughly 32 of the 53 questions will be on A&P.

So this is your high value topic that you should be spending the most time studying.

The Smart Edition Academy online course covers every topic covered on this page in a very detailed way so that you can really learn and understand each topic, and you have the option to learn it with lesson modules, video lessons, test banks, flashcards, and practice tests.

A&P Organization of systems: TEAS Science Practice Test

Organization of the the human body

First off, you’re going to need to know the organization of the human body and the levels of organization and the body cavities.

The 7 levels are:

chemical
organelles
cell
tissue
organ
organ system
organism

Make sure you know the body cavity and the terminology, a few or them to know are:

Posterior
anterior
lateral
distal
medial

Know the body planes:

upper limbs
lower limbs
central region
head region

The four types of human tissue:

connective
epithelial
muscle
neural

Know homeostasis and feedback mechanisms and understand the differences between them:

negative feedback
positive feedback

This video provides a complete review of this topic.

Cardiovascular System

You will see lots of questions on the cardiovascular system on the TEAS.

You need to know the flow of the heart like the back of your hand. You will likely have 3-4 questions on the cardiovascular system.

One great tip that can help you is to draw or label diagrams of the heart with your book or online course closed, if you can do this then that’s how you know that you’re really starting to understand how these systems work.

In the Smart Edition Academy online course, we have a lot of diagrams and illustrations that go into detail on this topic with interactive questions.

An example would be where you have to drag and drop the labeling of the heart or an EKG chart which really helps you to know this system by working with interactive questions and activities like this.

You need to know the functions of blood in homeostasis as well as the blood groupings:

You should work towards having a solid understanding of cardiovascular anatomy which include things like:

Atria
Ventricles
Septum
The three layers of the heart wall
The four valves that regulate blood flow in and out

The four heart valves are:

Aortic
Mitral
Tricuspid
Pulmonary

Check out this replay of one of our group tutoring sessions reviewing the Smart Edition TEAS online course cardiovascular lesson module with Nurse Melissa.

Respiratory System

This lesson in the Smart Edition TEAS course introduces the anatomy of the respiratory system and how each organ within this system functions.

It also discusses the mechanics of breathing and respiration.

As with all systems you’ll need to know the anatomy of the respiratory system which includes things like:

upper and lower tracks
nasal cavity
larynx
pharynx
trachea

Amongst other things to be familiar with the respiratory functions and the breathing mechanics.

Check out this replay of one of our group tutoring sessions reviewing the Smart Edition TEAS online course respiratory system lesson module with Nurse Melissa.

Gastrointestinal System

This lesson introduces the structures and functions of the digestive system.

You’ll need to know the anatomy of the digestive system as well knowing the path of food into the system.

There are some accessory organs to the gastrointestinal system to like:

liver
pancreas
gallbladder
tongue

Digestion is a big part of this system so you will be expected to know how digestion works.

In addition to the above you’ll want to know disorders of the digestive system:

Stomach: vomiting and ulcers
Liver: cirrhosis and hepatitis
Intestines: IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), Crohn’s disease, colitis, and appendicitis

Reproduction System

For this system you should know all of the parts of the reproductive system and be able to identify them on a diagram.

The illustrations and diagrams in the Smart Edition Academy TEAS online course provide you with the material needed for you to do this.

Understanding how reproduction works down to that scientific level is necessary for this topic.

Knowing both the male and female reproductive anatomy will be the foundation for answering questions correctly on the TEAS exam.

An important aspect of this system revolving around reproduction will require being familiar with things like:

fetus
umbilical cord
placenta
amniotic sac

In later stages of this topic there are things to know about human development like puberty and menstruation.

Urinary System

This Smart Edition Academy TEAS online course lesson introduces the anatomy of the urinary system and how it functions.

This lesson also explores the role of other body systems, particularly the circulatory and endocrine systems, in aiding with urinary excretion, absorption, and filtration.

The basics of this system require you to know the anatomy of the urinary system which include things like:

waste elimination
osmoregulation of blood and water
hormone secretion

When it comes to hormones, across all systems covered on the TEAS exam you’re going to get pretty detailed questions on hormones so make sure you are familiar with them.

Knowing the characteristics of the following will be necessary for this system:

kidneys
bladder
urethra

Nephrons and how urine formations work are another important part of this system to become familiar with.

Urine excretion and being familiar with ADH (antidiuretic hormone) will be necessary for this system as well.

Lastly know the two parts of urinalysis:

macroscopic urinalysis
microscopic urinalysis

A&P Support and Movement: TEAS Science Practice Test

Skeletal System

The lesson from the Smart Edition Academy TEAS online course introduces the anatomy and functions of the skeletal system.

This lesson also explores how bone forms, remodels, and constantly changes as a person grows.

When a human is born there are 270 bones in the body and as you grow bones fuse together. By the time you are an adult you have 206 bones.

There are two main parts to the skeletal system.

axial skeleton
appendicular skeleton

The skeletal system consists of bones, cartilage and ligaments, you should know what they are, what they do and how they work.

It’s likely you’ll see questions on bone shape and structure so you should know the types of bones:

long bones
flat bones
irregular bones
sesamoids
short bones

An example of what you are not going to see on the test is “What is a flat bone?”

That’s too easy. That’s not what the TEAS is about. The TEAS test is going to give you something more like:

“Which of these bones is a flat bone”? And then you’ll have a list of bones to choose from, so not only do you need to know what a flat bone is, you’ll need to go a step further and know, of the bones in the answer choices, which ones are flat bones.

That’s kind of the level of detail that you can expect, now that you know that, do your studying accordingly.

Make sure you are getting into those details and know that you can’t stop on that really topical level of just knowing the definition of a short bone.

Ossification and bone remodeling is also going to be a part of the skeletal system to know.

Check out this replay of one of our group tutoring sessions reviewing the Smart Edition TEAS online course skeletal system lesson module with Nurse Melissa.

Muscular System

This lesson in the Smart Edition TEAS online course introduces the anatomy of the muscular system, including the three different muscle tissues.

This lesson also describes the role of the muscular system in movement and the physiology of muscle contraction.

There are three types of muscles to know:

cardiac
skeletal
smooth

You should become familiar with the anatomy of those three types of muscles and know how muscle contraction works.

When it comes to the ligaments and the joints there are three types to know:

immovable
partly movable
synovial

There is a lot to know for this section, you can get plenty of practice in with our free TEAS science practice test.

Integumentary System

This lesson in the TEAS online course introduces the anatomy of the integumentary system, including the system’s function.

This lesson also describes the effects of aging and cancer on the integumentary system.

The integumentary system is composed of your skin, hair and nails. You want to know the layers that encompass this system.

Next you’ll need to study the hypodermis and glands.

The glands include:

sweat glands
sebaceous glands

Beyond that you’ll need to become familiar with the details of hair and nails.

A&P Integration and Control

Nervous System

This lesson in the TEAS online course introduces the anatomy of the nervous system, including its functions and divisions.

It also explores the parts of the neuron, neural conduction, and synaptic transmission.

The nervous system is something you will definitely see questions on, you need to know this system at a detailed level.

There are two parts of the nervous system:

CNS central nervous system
PNS peripheral nervous system

The anatomy of the brain is broken into three regions:

cerebellum
brainstem
cerebrum

You’re going to need to know the lobes of the brain:

frontal
parietal
temporal
occipital

Included in the nervous system is the thalamus and the limbic system.

Neurons are a crucial part of the nervous system and being familiar with the anatomy of neurons which consists of:

cell body
dendrites
axon

Another major part of the system is knowing the synaptic transmission and nerve impulses.

Endocrine System

This lesson in the Smart Edition TEAS course introduces the endocrine system and the role it plays in the maintenance of homeostasis.

Students generally say that the endocrine system is one of the hardest systems and the most in-depth system. So know the hormones really well and know where they are and what they release and how they release them. For extra help download these TEAS endocrine notes.

Here are just a few of the functions of the endocrine system:

water balance
ion regulation
growth metabolism
blood glucose control

The endocrine system releases chemical signals and there are several different types you will need to know.

It’s common to see questions about receptor molecules and how they interact within the system to produce responses.

Lastly hormones and their secretions as well as endocrine glands and their secretions are going to be a must know for the TEAS test.

Amongst all the A&P systems you’ll want to know this one extremely well.

Check out this review of the endocrine system which is a compilation of material from the Smart Edition TEAS online course.

Lymphatic System

There’s a couple of key players in the lymphatic system to know which are the:

spleen
tonsils
adenoids
appendix
thymus gland

You have two types of lymphocytes which are the B cells and T cells. When it comes to T cells know about killer T-cells killing host cells.

There are four types of immunity to know which are the:

Natural/passive
natural/active
artificial/passive
artificial/active

There are several common diseases and disorders associated with the lymphatic system like:

lupus
type one diabetes
rheumatoid arthritis

Biology: Life and Physical Sciences

Scientific Method and Designing an Experiment

This lesson in the Smart Edition Academy TEAS online course introduces the idea of experimental design and the factors one must consider to build a successful experiment.

When conducting scientific research the two types of reasoning to become familiar with are:

inductive reasoning
deductive reasoning

According to the scientific method, the following steps are followed after making an observation or asking a question:

conduct background research on the topic
formulate a hypothesis
test the hypothesis with an experiment
analyze results
report conclusions that explain whether the results support the hypothesis

When it comes to data analysis and interpretation you’ll need to be familiar with the differences between positive and negative correlation or no correlation.

This topic will also cover scientific tools and measurement so you’ll need to know units of measurement like length, mass, volume, and the metric system.

Foundations of Biology

This lesson in the TEAS online course introduces the basics of biology, including the process researchers use to study science. It also examines the classes of biomolecules and how substances are broken down for energy.

To understand the foundation of biology among other things you need to understand the taxonomy system which is:

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

You should become familiar with water and biomolecule basics and the various biomolecules:

Protein
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Nucleic acid

The metabolic process is also a part of this topic so you should be familiar with

Glycolysis citric
Acid cycle
Electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation

Take a minute to review some TEAS science questions with our science editor Keilani.

Cell Structure, Function, Type

This lesson describes the cell structure and two different types of cells. The lesson also explores the functions of various cell parts so you’ll want to know things like:

Cellular respiration
Cell structure
Cell function

There are different types of cells, you will want to learn about the two general types:

Prokaryote
Eukaryotic

You should know the components of these two types of cells and be able to label them in a diagram.

When it comes to animal cells the main components are:

Membrane
Nucleus
Mitochondria
Ribosomes
Vacuoles
Endoplasmic reticulum
Lysosomes
Golgi Apparatus

Plant cells are similar but different so know the difference between plant and animal cells.

Cellular Reproduction

This lesson introduces basic processes of cellular reproduction and the division of cells. These processes provide ways for cells to make new cells.

You’ll want to know about the types of reproduction:

Asexual reproduction
Binary fission
Sexual reproduction

The cell cycle includes two phases

Interphase
Mitotic stage

When it comes to Mitosis there are four phases:

Prophase
Metaphase
Anaphase
Telophase

For meiosis there are two rounds to be familiar with

Meiosis one
Meiosis two

Cell Respiration and Photosynthesis

Cell respiration includes things like:

Glycolysis
Oxidation of pyruvate
Citric acid cycle AKA the Krebs cycle
Electron transport chain

Photosynthesis is something you will be very likely to see questions on so be familiar with that process and how it works.

Check out this review of this topic which is a compilation of material from the Smart Edition TEAS online course.

Genetics and DNA

The Smart Edition TEAS online course lesson introduces genetics, which is the study of heredity. Heredity is the characteristics offspring inherit from their parents.

This lesson also examines Gregor Mendel’s theories of heredity and how they have affected the field of genetics.

For this topic it’s important to know:

Mendel’s theory of heredity
Punnett squares
Chromosomes

Other things you’ll want to be familiar with are the four nitrogen bases and DNA replication and messenger RNA, it’s important to know the differences between them.

Chemistry

The last part that we’re going to cover is chemistry.

While you will have chemistry on your test, you’re only going to have maybe a few questions, so you don’t need to focus on this area as much, you will see a lot more questions on A&P than you will on chemistry.

With that said, if you are going to see any chemistry on the test the most likely type of question you will see is balancing equations, so at a minimum, be able to solve those types of problems.

Understand the basics of:

atoms
protons
neutrons
electrons

Be familiar with the periodic table of elements. You don’t need to memorize the whole periodic table of elements, but you need to know how to read it and pull out any needed information to answer the question being asked.

So you need to know things about the atomic number, atomic mass, and what chemical symbols are.

States of Matter

This lesson in the Smart Edition TEAS online course explains the differences between solids, liquids, gases, and plasmas. It also describes how a sample can change from one state of matter to another.

States of matter are something you need to know as well as the phase changes of those states of matter:

Solid
Liquids
Gases
Plasma

In addition to the states of matter you’ll want to have an understanding of the heating and cooling curves.

You can also check out the official states of matter video from the Smart Edition Online course with our science editor Keilani.

Properties of Matter

This lesson in the ATI TEAS online course introduces the properties of matter, which are fundamental to the understanding of chemistry.

Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass. The properties are broken down into physical and chemical properties so be familiar with them. You’ll also want to know about intensive properties versus extensive properties.

Matter can change and goes thorough six phase changes:

Condensation
Evaporation
Freezing
Melting
Sublimation
Deposition

Other things to know are around molecular traits, adhesiveness and cohesiveness as well as diffusion and osmosis.

Chemical Bonds

This lesson in the Smart Edition Academy online course for the ATI TEAS test introduces bonding and explains the three ways in which atoms can become stable.

The rest of the lesson examines different types of bonds in more detail.

Reviewing the different types of bonds like ionic bonds and covalent bonds will help you gain a better understanding of this topic.

Check out this video reviewing chemical bonds with our Science editor Keilani, this video is from the Smart Edition TEAS online course.

Chemical Solutions

This lesson in our ATI TEAS online course discusses the properties of different types of mixtures, focusing on solutions.

Then, it examines aspects of chemical reactions, including the components of the reactions and the types of changes that occur.

Different types of solutions include:

Homogeneous
Heterogeneous

Other concepts you’ll want be familiar with are:

Chemical reactions
Types of reactions
Energy diagrams

Acids and Bases

This lesson introduces the properties of acids and bases, including the various theories that define them. It also covers acid-base reactions and the pH scale.

The test will at a minimum require you to have an understanding of the nature of acids and bases, the classification of acid and bases, acid-base reactions, and acid base strength and pH.

Conclusion

If you can’t tell by now, the TEAS science section has the largest amount of material that you need to know of all the sections on the test.

While it can be overwhelming the biggest thing you need to know is that the majority of the questions will be for A&P, this is your high value area to study.

Once you have A&P mastered, you can then move on to the life sciences and chemistry sections of the test.

TEAS Science Practice Test

Continue to work through your free TEAS science practice test to help identify your weak areas and keep working on them until you are getting the required scores you need for your program.