Fifty questions in sixty minutes. That’s the TEAS science section, and for a lot of nursing applicants it’s the part that worries them most. If your A&P class was a while ago, or chemistry was never your favorite, you may not know where to start. What’s on the TEAS science section, and how should you study for it?
The TEAS science section covers four areas: human anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and scientific reasoning. According to ATI, the section has 50 questions (6 of them unscored pretest items) with a 60-minute time limit. Anatomy and physiology makes up the largest share of the scored questions, while biology, chemistry and scientific reasoning each take a smaller slice. The chemistry is introductory: atoms, the periodic table, bonding, reactions, solutions and acids and bases. ATI updates the test from time to time, so confirm the current version and breakdown on ATI’s site before you build your study plan.
How Many Questions Are on the TEAS Science Section?
The TEAS science section has 50 questions (44 scored) in 60 minutes, and it’s one of four sections on the ATI TEAS, along with Reading, Math, and English and Language Usage. ATI’s TEAS exam details page lists the current format:
| Section | Questions | Unscored | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 | 6 | 55 minutes |
| Math | 38 | 4 | 57 minutes |
| Science | 50 | 6 | 60 minutes |
| English and Language Usage | 37 | 4 | 37 minutes |
| Total | 170 | 20 | 209 minutes |
Science has the most questions of any section. You won’t know which six questions are unscored, so treat every question as if it counts.
The math works out to a little over a minute per question. That’s enough time if you know the content, but not enough to work everything out from scratch. Speed comes from familiarity.
What Topics Are on the TEAS Science Section?
The four content areas build on the same science you take as nursing prerequisites. Here’s what each one tends to include.
Human Anatomy and Physiology
This is the biggest area. Expect questions on the major body systems: cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, nervous, muscular, skeletal, endocrine, immune, reproductive, urinary and integumentary. You should know basic structures, what each system does, and how systems work together. Anatomical terms for direction and position (like anterior, distal and superior) also show up.
Biology
Biology questions cover cell structure and function, cell division, DNA and RNA, protein synthesis, basic genetics, and microorganisms. Think of a first-semester college biology course, focused on the parts that matter for the human body.
Chemistry
The chemistry is basic, but it trips up a lot of test takers who haven’t seen it in a while. Topics commonly include:
- Atomic structure: protons, neutrons, electrons and isotopes
- The periodic table and how it’s organized
- Ionic and covalent bonds
- States of matter and changes of state
- Chemical reactions and balancing simple equations
- Solutions and concentration
- Acids, bases and the pH scale
Scientific Reasoning
These questions test how you think like a scientist. You may need to identify the independent and dependent variables in an experiment, read a graph, choose the best tool for a measurement, or decide whether a conclusion follows from the data. Reading carefully matters more than memorizing here.
How Much Chemistry Do You Need for the TEAS?
You need the basics, done well. A typical intro chemistry or GOB course covers more than enough, as long as you remember it.
One skill worth practicing is balancing a simple equation. Take hydrogen reacting with oxygen to make water.
Unbalanced: H2 + O2 → H2O
There are two oxygen atoms on the left and only one on the right. Put a 2 in front of the water: H2 + O2 → 2 H2O. Now there are four hydrogen atoms on the right but only two on the left, so put a 2 in front of the hydrogen: 2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O. Count again. Four hydrogens and two oxygens on each side. Balanced. Notice that you only change the numbers in front (coefficients), never the small numbers inside a formula.
Other quick checks worth knowing cold: a pH below 7 is acidic, above 7 is basic, and 7 is neutral. An atom’s atomic number equals its number of protons. Ionic bonds transfer electrons, while covalent bonds share them. If those feel shaky, our article on chemistry for nursing students explains the core ideas and why they matter in patient care.
A 4-Week Study Plan for the TEAS Science Section
Four weeks is a reasonable window if you’ve taken the prerequisite courses. If it’s been years since A&P or chemistry, give yourself more time.
| Week | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find your gaps | Take a timed practice test. Sort topics into strong, shaky and weak. |
| 2 | Anatomy and physiology | Review one or two body systems a day. Quiz yourself from memory, not by rereading. |
| 3 | Biology and chemistry | Work through cells, genetics, atoms, bonding, reactions and pH. Do practice problems daily. |
| 4 | Reasoning and timed practice | Practice experiment and graph questions. Take a second full timed test and review every miss. |
A few habits make this plan work better:
- Study in short daily sessions instead of a few long ones.
- Test yourself with practice questions and flashcards. Retrieval beats rereading.
- Mix topics in your later sessions so you practice switching between A&P, biology and chemistry, the way the real test does.
- Keep a list of every question you miss and why.
- Use ATI’s official practice materials, since they come from the company that writes the test.
How Do Your Prerequisite Courses Help?
Your A&P, biology and chemistry classes are the best TEAS prep you’ll get. The test covers the same content, just in a faster, multiple-choice format.
If you’re taking those courses now, study them for understanding, not just for the next quiz. Learning the cardiovascular system well in A&P means you won’t have to relearn it for the TEAS. The same goes for chemistry. Understanding why a buffer resists pH change is more useful than memorizing one example.
If you finished your prerequisites a while ago, pull out your old notes and textbooks as a starting point. Many programs also want recent science coursework, so check whether your classes still count.
What Trips People Up on Test Day?
Most lost points come from a handful of habits, not from content nobody could know. Watch for these:
- Spending three minutes on one hard question and rushing the last ten. Pick your best answer, flag it if the testing software allows, and move on.
- Skipping the A&P review because the class “went fine.” It’s the biggest area, so even small gaps add up.
- Misreading what a reasoning question asks. Underline the key words in your head, like “most likely” or “best supports.”
- Second-guessing correct answers. Change an answer only when you find a clear reason.
Practicing with a timer before test day fixes most of these. You learn your pace while the stakes are still low.
What Score Do You Need on the TEAS?
There’s no single passing score. ATI doesn’t set one. Each nursing program decides its own minimum, and some look at section scores as well as the overall score.
Some programs also limit how many times you can take the TEAS or how long you must wait between attempts. Look up your target programs’ rules before test day, not after.
Turn the Science Section Into Your Strong Section
The TEAS science section asks 50 questions across anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry and scientific reasoning, with A&P carrying the most weight. Your prerequisite courses already teach all of it.
Start with a timed practice test so you know your gaps. Spend most of your time on A&P, keep your chemistry basics sharp, and practice under time pressure before test day. Then check your programs’ score requirements, schedule your test with room for a retake, and go in prepared.