The TEAS and the HESI A2 do the same job—screening applicants for nursing and allied health programs—but they’re different exams from different companies, and they are not interchangeable.
The only answer that matters comes from your schools. Here’s how to get it, and what to do if your list splits both ways.
The short answer: your program decides
Every program names its accepted entrance exam on its admissions page—usually under “admission requirements” or inside the application packet.
If a school lists both, pick one deliberately (usually whichever the rest of your list needs) rather than splitting your prep across two exams.
How the exams differ
- TEAS (ATI): one fixed exam—Reading, Math, Science, and English—170 questions over about three and a half hours.
- HESI A2 (Elsevier): modular. Schools choose which sections you take, which can include Anatomy & Physiology, Vocabulary, Grammar, and sometimes a learning-style or personality assessment.
- The practical consequence: two schools “requiring the HESI” may test different sections. Always confirm the exact list.
If your list needs both
Don’t panic, and don’t buy everything at once. The core content—reading comprehension, arithmetic and algebra, and life science—overlaps heavily, so preparing for one moves you most of the way on the other.
Sort your applications by deadline, prepare for the exam your earliest program requires, then layer on the second exam’s extra sections (usually A&P for the HESI) afterward.