Nursing Entrance Exam Practice Test - claymation artwork

Nursing Entrance Exam Practice Test Quiz

19 Questions 13 min
This nursing entrance exam practice quiz targets ATI TEAS and HESI A2 skill areas that drive admissions scores, including dosage math, metric conversions, reading comprehension, grammar mechanics, and basic biology. You will practice setting up proportion-based calculations, interpreting short passages and simple tables, and choosing anatomy and physiology terms used in pre-nursing screening for future RNs and LPNs.
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1A medication label lists the dose in milligrams, but your notes are in grams. How many milligrams are in 1 gram?
2Arteries carry blood away from the heart.

True / False

3Choose the sentence with correct subject verb agreement.
4You are giving an oral liquid medication. The order is 250 mg. The bottle is labeled 125 mg per 5 mL. How many mL will you administer?
5Read the passage and answer the question. Passage: A group of pre nursing students tried two study plans for math. One plan was 10 minutes of practice problems every day. The other was a single 70 minute session once a week. After four weeks, the daily practice group improved more, even though their total weekly study time was the same. What idea is best supported by the passage?
6In the sentence "The list of symptoms are long," the verb "are" is correct because "symptoms" is plural.

True / False

7A patient sprains an ankle and is told they injured a structure that connects bone to bone. What structure is that?
8A medication is ordered as 500 mg every 8 hours. What is the total dose given in 24 hours?
91 tablespoon is approximately 15 mL.

True / False

10On nursing entrance exams, a good inference is something that must be true based on the passage, even if it is not stated word for word.

True / False

11An IV order reads: Infuse 1000 mL over 8 hours using a tubing drop factor of 15 gtt/mL. What is the drip rate in gtt/min (round to the nearest whole drop)?
12A vial contains 250 mcg of medication. Which amount is equivalent to 0.25 mg?
13Use the mini chart to answer the question. Average math score (out of 100) - Daily 10 minute drills: 62 to 78 - Weekly 70 minute session: 63 to 70 - No structured plan: 61 to 64 Which plan produced the largest score increase?
14Choose the option that fixes the parallel structure problem. Original: "The workshop helps applicants calculate dosages, converting units, and interpreting graphs."
15During respiration, where does oxygen move into the bloodstream and carbon dioxide move out?
16In the sentence "The results of the lab test are pending," the verb "are" agrees with the subject "results," not with "test."

True / False

17A child weighs 22 lb. The order is 5 mg/kg/day divided every 12 hours. The medication is 50 mg per 5 mL. How many mL will you give per dose?
181 mL is equivalent to 1 cc.

True / False

19A 0.9% NaCl IV solution contains 0.9 g of NaCl per 100 mL. How many grams of NaCl are in a 500 mL bag?
20An IV bag contains 1000 mL. It infuses from 0900 to 1300 at 125 mL/hr, then the rate is changed to 75 mL/hr. At what time will the infusion finish?
21Read the passage and answer the question. Passage: Nursing entrance exams often feel like content tests, but they are also instruction following tests. A student may know that most veins carry deoxygenated blood, yet still miss a question that asks which vessel carries blood away from the heart. Successful test takers slow down, notice words like "except" and "best supported," and choose only what the question actually asks. What is the main idea of the passage?
22Choose the best revision that fixes the dangling modifier. Original: "After reviewing the MAR, the medication was administered."
23A red blood cell is placed in a hypotonic solution (lower solute concentration outside the cell). What will most likely happen?
24A 70 kg patient is ordered dopamine 5 mcg/kg/min. The IV bag contains 400 mg dopamine in 250 mL. What pump rate should you set in mL/hr (round to the nearest tenth)?
25Choose the sentence with consistent pronouns and clear meaning.

Disclaimer

This quiz is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute professional advice. Consult a qualified professional for specific guidance.

High-Impact Nursing Entrance Exam Errors and How to Prevent Them

Dosage math and conversions

  • Dropping units mid-problem. Keep mg, mL, g, mcg, and gtt on every line. Your final unit must match the question, such as mL to administer or tablets to give.
  • Mixing up mg, mcg, and g. Many misses are 10× or 1000× errors. Convert first, then substitute numbers into the formula.
  • Rounding too early. Round only at the end unless the question requests a specific intermediate rounding rule. Carry 2 to 3 decimals during setup.
  • Forgetting dose frequency. “Every 8 hours” equals 3 doses per day. Write a one-day schedule before calculating per-dose or per-day totals.

Reading comprehension and language mechanics

  • Answering from background knowledge. Admission exams reward what the passage supports. Point to the sentence that proves your choice before selecting it.
  • Missing qualifiers in the stem. Words like except, least, and best supported change what “correct” means. Restate the stem in your own words.
  • Grammar choices that sound right. Check subject verb agreement after long prepositional phrases and ignore distractors that “sound formal” but break tense consistency.

Basic biology and anatomy

  • Swapping paired terms. Anchor each term to one function. Example: arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins return blood to the heart.
  • Overgeneralizing body systems. Identify the primary site or role asked. Example: most nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine, not the stomach.

Prevention habit: For any missed item, write a one-line rule you can reuse, such as “convert units before calculating” or “underline the proof sentence.”

Printable Nursing Entrance Exam Quick Sheet: Math Setups, English Rules, and Biology Anchors

Print or save as PDF and use this as a one-page check before practice sessions.

Metric conversions you must recall

  • 1 g = 1000 mg
  • 1 mg = 1000 mcg
  • 1 L = 1000 mL
  • Common household (if tested): 1 tsp ≈ 5 mL, 1 tbsp ≈ 15 mL

Core dosage calculation templates (keep units)

  • Tablets: tablets = (dose ordered ÷ dose on hand) × tablets on hand
  • Liquids: mL to give = (dose ordered ÷ dose on hand) × mL on hand
  • IV drip rate: gtt/min = (mL to infuse × drop factor) ÷ minutes
  • Percent: part = whole × percent (as a decimal)

Sanity checks that catch most math mistakes

  • Ask, “Should the answer be bigger or smaller than what I started with?” before finalizing.
  • If you convert mg to mcg, the number must get larger.
  • Do not round until the last step unless the prompt forces it.

Reading comprehension decision rules

  • Find the exact sentence that supports your answer. If you cannot point to it, do not pick it.
  • For “main idea,” choose the option that covers most paragraphs without adding new claims.
  • For “inference,” pick what must be true from the text, not what could be true.

Grammar mechanics checklist

  • Subject verb agreement: ignore prepositional phrases and match the true subject.
  • Pronouns: each pronoun must have one clear antecedent.
  • Tense: keep time consistent unless the meaning changes.

Biology anchors that show up often

  • Artery vs vein: away from heart vs toward heart
  • Tendon vs ligament: muscle to bone vs bone to bone
  • Endocrine vs exocrine: hormones into blood vs secretions through ducts

Worked Nursing Entrance Exam Items: Dosage Setup, Metric Conversion, and Passage Logic

Example 1: Liquid medication dose (dimensional setup)

Prompt: Order: 250 mg. Supply: 125 mg per 5 mL. How many mL will you administer?

  1. Write what you need: mL to give.
  2. Set up the ratio with units: 125 mg / 5 mL.
  3. Use the liquid template: mL = (dose ordered ÷ dose on hand) × mL on hand.
  4. Substitute: mL = (250 mg ÷ 125 mg) × 5 mL.
  5. Cancel units and compute: (2) × 5 mL = 10 mL.
  6. Sanity check: Ordered dose is double the on-hand mg, so the volume should be double 5 mL. That matches 10 mL.

Example 2: Metric conversion before calculation

Prompt: A label lists 0.5 g. Convert to mg.

  1. Use the ladder: 1 g = 1000 mg.
  2. Multiply: 0.5 g × 1000 mg/g = 500 mg.
  3. Magnitude check: grams to milligrams increases the number. 0.5 becomes 500, which fits.

Example 3: Reading comprehension with qualifiers

Prompt: A passage states that a student improved after using spaced practice. The question asks, “Which claim is best supported?”

  1. Underline best supported. You need direct textual support, not a new theory.
  2. Eliminate options that add details the passage never states, such as study duration or instructor feedback.
  3. Choose the option that restates the passage’s evidence, such as “spacing review sessions improved recall compared with cramming.”

Nursing Entrance Exam Practice Test FAQ: TEAS and HESI A2 Focus Areas

What math topics tend to have the highest payoff for TEAS and HESI-style questions?

Prioritize dosage setup (tablets and liquids), metric conversions (g, mg, mcg, L, mL), fractions to decimals, and percent problems. Most misses come from unit mistakes and early rounding, not from complex algebra. Write units on every line and convert before you calculate.

How do I avoid 10× and 1000× conversion errors with mg and mcg?

Write the relationship as a sentence first, such as “1 mg equals 1000 mcg.” If you convert mg to mcg, the number must get larger. If it gets smaller, you flipped the direction. Keep the unit you want in the final answer in mind before you start multiplying or dividing.

What is the fastest way to handle reading comprehension questions under time pressure?

Read the question stem first, then read the passage with a purpose. For detail questions, point to the proof sentence before selecting an option. For “except” or “least” stems, mark the choices that are supported, then pick the one that is not supported.

Which grammar errors show up most often in nursing entrance exams?

Common traps include subject verb agreement when the subject is separated from the verb by extra phrases, unclear pronoun reference, and tense shifts inside a sentence. Read each option as a complete sentence and confirm there is one clear subject, one consistent time frame, and pronouns that refer to a specific noun.

How should I study basic biology for admission tests without memorizing entire textbooks?

Use function-first recall. Pair each term with a one-line job statement, then test yourself both directions. Example: “tendon connects muscle to bone” and “structure that connects muscle to bone equals tendon.” For extra nursing-focused practice, pair this quiz with the Weekly Nursing Knowledge Check for Nurses.

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