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

In this post we’ll go over an outline of all the topics you will see on the TEAS math section of the ATI TEAS exam as well as provide you with a free timed TEAS Math 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 ATI TEAS math 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

Table of Contents

So how do you study for the Math section of the ATI TEAS 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 for another attempt, the first thing to do is take a free timed TEAS math practice test here

By taking this TEAS math practice test, you have access to a full-length timed 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

TEAS Math Practice Test

Step 2: Evaluate your diagnostic report from the ATI TEAS math practice test section of the practice test. 

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

TEAS Math Practice Test

Step 3: Make a study schedule or a study plan. For example begin by making a list of subjects within the math 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 5 hours a week to reviewing two categories within the Math section: fractions and word problems.

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 TEAS math 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 Math Practice Test

The math section of the TEAS exam is difficult for a lot of students and you might be in the same boat. 

Nursing and allied health schools want to make sure you can handle the course load during your program. There is no doubt, you will have a lot of math between med dosage and converting to the metric system doing well on this section demonstrates that you have the ability to do well in the program.

The TEAS math is 36 questions in 54 minutes. 

This section can be hard to complete in the timeframe that they allot you. 

Being able to set up equations and solve them or create equations from word problems and solve them are examples of the types of problems you need to become better at solving quickly.

The key for beating the clock is to practice with timed practice tests as much as you can. 

The timed aspect of a TEAS math practice test will help you become more comfortable working within the time constraints. 

Our free teas math practice test has a scored report that breaks down every question you answered by the time you took to answer it. 

With this information you can start to get an idea of where you took too long and got hung up, once you know the types of questions that slowed you down you can figure out how to get faster. 

A calculator will be provided to you on the test and this video goes over what you need to know about using it on the test:

So let’s go ahead and just get right into the topics that you will see in this section. 

Numbers and Basic Operations TEAS Math

Multiplication and Division

We don’t have to get into this one too much, you should know from elementary and middle school the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. 

However sometimes  it can get a little tricky with the signed multiplication and division. So watch out for that because it does trip some people up.

Within this topic you will also need to know the order of operations like the back of your hand, that is the PEMDAS which stands for parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction. You will see a lot of questions on the order of operations. 

One way people remember it is with the mnemonic Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.

You will see a lot of questions on this so make sure you know it really well, this is one of the biggest tips we can give you on how to get a great score on the TEAS math section.

Decimals and Fractions

The TEAS online course lesson for this topic will introduce the basics of decimals and fractions. It also demonstrates:

  • changing decimals to fractions 
  • changing fractions to decimals 
  • converting between fractions decimals, and percentages

A really good tip and strategy for you to use while you’re taking the test is to use the calculator that you will have available on your screen. 

For a lot of fractions, you can just turn that into a decimal on the calculator.

So if you have something like 5/8 + 2/9 , you can divide 5 by 8 to get the decimal, and then also divide 2 by 9 to get that decimal and then you can add those two decimals together. This approach might make a lot more sense for you. 

It’s a great way to double check yourself as well. The only thing to be careful of is the test is timed so it might take a little more time to punch it into the calculator, but if you have a certain question you really want to double check yourself on this is a good option. 

You can also use this same tip for ordering fractions from least to greatest. 

Addition and Subtraction of Fractions

You will see questions on addition and subtraction of fractions which includes:

  • subtracting a fraction from a fraction
  • adding fractions with like denominators 
  • subtracting fractions without like denominators

Multiplication and Division of Fractions

This topic will require you to be familiar with:

  • multiplying a fraction by a fraction
  • multiplying a fraction by a whole or a mixed number
  • dividing fraction by a fraction
  • dividing a fraction by a whole or mixed number

Ratios, Proportions, and Percentages

The TEAS online course lesson for this topic reviews percentages and ratios and their application to real-world problems. It also examines proportions and rates of change.

You’ll be asked to convert numbers to percentages and vice versa. For instance, 0.67 is equal to 0.67 × 100 = 67%, meaning 67 out of 100.

You will also see ratio questions which express the relationship between two numbers and is expressed using a colon or fraction notation. 

A proportion is an equation of two ratios and you’ll see this on the test as well. 

Rates of change is another type of question you might encounter on the test.

A rate of change example would be: If an automobile increases its speed from 50 mph to 100 mph in 10 seconds, the rate of change of its speed (its acceleration) is?

Check out the Smart Edition Academy group tutoring session with Ashlee for fractions, ratios, and percentages:

Algebra

Algebra will be a good portion of the TEAS math section but don’t worry it’s going to be mostly high school level algebra. So you should have seen a lot of this type of math already. 

Equations with one variable

These are going to be your linear equations and linear inequalities, so you need to be very comfortable with them. There’s a couple different types of linear equations.

  • One-step linear equation
  • Two-step linear equation
  • Multi-step linear equation

Word Problems

You’re going to have real world mathematical problems that you’ll have to solve. 

What you need to be able to do quickly is to turn that real-world math problem into an equation.

So you need to be able to pull out the numbers and you need to know whether you need to be multiplying or dividing or something else, and then turn it into an equation and be able to solve. 

You will need to use estimation for some of these problems, while others will include real word applications involving integers, fractions, and decimals. 

Check out the Smart Edition Academy group tutoring session with Ashlee for word problems:

 

Powers & Exponents, Roots & Radicals, with Polynomials

The TEAS online course lesson for this topic examines exponents and how they relate to square roots and cube roots. It also discusses powers of 10 and polynomials.

A few key points for this topic are:

  • Powers represent repeated multiplication and radicals are the inverse operation of exponents.
  • Numbers expressed in scientific notation are useful to compare large or small numbers.
  • Polynomials are expressions that include exponents, as well as variables, constants, and operations.
  • Polynomials can be added, subtracted, and even squared.
  • Squared polynomials are binomial expressions that can be written in different forms.

TEAS Test Math: Measurement and Data

Standards of Measure

The TEAS online course lesson for this topic discusses the conversion within and between the standard system and the metric system and between 12-hour clock time and military time.

When it comes to standards of measure, this is something that you need to know for nursing school regardless of the TEAS, so it really makes sense for you to spend time on this because it will help you now and in the future.

The different conversions you’ll need to know are:

  • Length conversions
  • Volume and weight conversions
  • Conversions between standard and metric system
  • Time conversions
  • Temperature conversions
Check out the Smart Edition Academy group tutoring session with Ashlee for conversions:

Interpreting Graphics

The TEAS online course lesson for this topic discusses how to create a bar, line, and circle graph and how to interpret data from these graphs. 

It also explores how to calculate and interpret the measures of central tendency.

A few different types of graphics that you should be familiar with are:

  • line graph
  • bar graph
  • circle graphs

You’ll be expected to know what they are and how to pull out the data in those graphs to answer the question being asked.

This topic also includes being able find the following within a dataset: 

  • Mean 
  • Median 
  • Mode 
  • Range

Similarity, Right Triangles, and Trigonometry

The TEAS online course lesson for this topic defines and applies terminology associated with coordinate planes. 

It also demonstrates how to find the area of two-dimensional shapes and the surface area and volume of three-dimensional cubes and right prisms.

You’ll have less questions on the TEAS test on this topic than other topics but there is a good chance you will see at least one so make sure you are familiar with solving questions on these topics. 

For these questions formulas will be provided to you in most cases, but you still need to be familiar with them and have practiced them before.  

You’ll need to practice finding the area of two-dimensional objects including:

  • Rectangle
  • Parallelogram
  • Square
  • Triangle
  • Trapezoid
  • Regular polygon

Circles

The TEAS online course lesson for this topic introduces concepts of circles, including finding the circumference and the area of the circle.

When it comes to circles be familiar with the terminology:

  • Center
  • Chord
  • Diameter
  • Radius
  • Arcs

You’ll also need to be able to find the circumference and the area of a circle.

Conclusion

These are all the topics that you will see on the TEAS math section of the test.

It is a lot to know and a lot to master, however with math it’s really about doing as many practice problems as you can and getting the repetition of working through those practice questions over and over again. 

The Smart Edition Academy online course or math free practice test will be your best friend for having a ton of practice problems.