10 Integrated Practice and Exam Review

Review the skills, sample problems, reasoning strategies, and exam-planning guidance used in nursing-school entrance-test preparation.

Know what the exam measures

assess academic readiness, not clinical nursing judgment. The tested subjects and exam length depend on the school and test. ATI, for example, lists Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage; its TEAS Version 7 is listed as having 170 questions and 209 minutes of testing time.

Practice questions can help review skills, but they are not official test questions. Check your program’s current testing requirements before using a practice test to predict timing. Do not assume all programs use the same test, question counts, timing, or format.

Practice with a deliberate routine

A useful practice sequence is to begin untimed, work through one subject set, and explain why each answer is correct. Keep an error log that records the subject, type of error, correct method, and one step to help avoid repeating it. Then retest under the time limits and question counts for the specific exam you plan to take.

Review the reasoning behind answers, not only the score. A correct guess may conceal a knowledge gap, while a wrong answer may point to a process error that can be corrected. For missed or uncertain questions, write a brief correction in the form: “I chose ___ because ___. The better method is ___.” Redo the problem without looking at the answer key.

For each subject, use a fitting review method: explain the underlying process in science, point to textual evidence in reading, show units and operations in mathematics, and identify the grammar rule in English. To practice test pacing, mark a difficult item, move on, and return if time permits. Follow the actual exam’s rules about calculators, breaks, and returning to earlier sections.

Read evidence without overclaiming

A community clinic tested appointment text-message reminders. In the first month, 90 of 120 patients who received reminders attended; in the previous month, 80 of 120 patients attended. The attendance rate in the reminder month was $\frac{90}{120}=0.75=75\%$ . This is higher than the previous month’s rate, but the comparison did not account for weather, appointment type, or other possible influences. These are potential confounders: the observed difference does not establish that reminders alone caused it. The clinic planned a longer study before deciding whether to continue the system.

The supported interpretation is that attendance was higher during the month reminders were used. The evidence does not show that reminders caused the entire increase, that weather had no effect, that text messages prevent all missed appointments, or that all clinics should use them. A longer study was planned because other factors could influence the comparison.

A separate campus health-center survey asked 200 students about a new walk-in hour. Of the respondents, 130 said it made seeking help easier. The voluntary survey went to students who had visited the center during the prior year, so its respondents may not represent all students. The center planned to compare appointment data over the next semester before making a permanent schedule change. The evidence supports that many respondents valued the hour, not that every student prefers walk-in care or that a permanent change had already been made.

In another study, one group learned to identify reliable health information with a checklist and another received a short lecture. Both groups improved on a follow-up quiz, and the checklist group improved more on that measured quiz. The study involved one school and did not measure how students evaluated information months later. Thus, the result does not establish that checklists work better in every school, that lectures never help, or that the difference persists long term.

Use ratios, percentages, and conversions

These examples review proportional reasoning, percentages, conversions, and one-step or multi-step equations. Keep track of which quantity is the part and which is the whole, and include units when converting.

A solution has 18 grams of powder in 600 mL. At the same concentration, 200 mL is one-third of 600 mL, so it contains $18\div3=6$ grams.
For 42 correct answers out of 50, $42\div50=0.84$ , or $84\%$ .
Since $1\text{ L}=1{,}000\text{ mL}$ , $2.4\text{ L}=2{,}400\text{ mL}$ .
Solve $3x+7=25$ by subtracting $7$ from both sides and dividing by $3$ : $3x=18$ , so $x=6$ .
Solve $5x-4=21$ : adding $4$ gives $5x=25$ , so $x=5$ .
A $\$48$ item discounted by $25\%$ is reduced by $\$12$ , leaving a sale price of $\$36$ .
Convert $0.75$ to a fraction: $0.75=\frac{75}{100}=\frac{3}{4}$ in simplest form.
Since $1\text{ L}=1{,}000\text{ mL}$ , $1.5\text{ L}=1{,}500\text{ mL}$ .
Solve $4(x+2)=28$ by dividing by $4$ and then subtracting $2$ : $x=5$ .
For 36 correct answers out of 45, $36\div45=0.8=80\%$ .
A recipe uses 3 cups for 12 servings. The rate is $\frac{3}{12}=\frac{1}{4}$ cup per serving, so 20 servings require $20\times\frac{1}{4}=5$ cups.
Since $1\text{ kg}=1{,}000\text{ g}$ , $3.2\text{ kg}=3{,}200\text{ g}$ .

Common errors include moving too quickly between units, reversing a , and forgetting to convert a decimal to a percentage.

Review core science concepts

The practice questions review cell structures, body functions, experimental design, and basic biological concepts.

The lungs primarily exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide between air and blood, especially across alveolar surfaces.
Most DNA in a human cell is housed in the . A ribosome, cell membrane, or Golgi apparatus is not the answer to that question.
A provides a comparison without the tested intervention. It helps researchers assess the effect of the variable being tested; it does not guarantee a hypothesis is correct, permit several variables to be changed at once, or remove the need to record data.
Carbohydrates, such as glucose, are commonly used by cells as a source of quick energy; nucleic acids, mineral salts, and antibodies are not the answer to that question.
Red blood cells primarily transport oxygen. Platelets, plasma proteins, and white blood cells were the contrasting options in the practice item.
describes water moving across a selectively permeable membrane. Respiration, translation, and mitosis describe different processes.
The endocrine system produces hormones that regulate body functions; the skeletal, integumentary, and lymphatic systems were the alternatives in the question.
If an experiment changes the amount of light and measures plant growth, the amount of light is the because it is deliberately changed. Plant growth, number of leaves measured, and final plant height are not the changed variable in that example.
The kidneys filter blood and produce urine. The liver, lungs, and spleen were the other options in the item.
Most nutrient absorption in the digestive tract occurs in the small intestine, rather than the esophagus, stomach, or large intestine.
DNA carries hereditary instructions in most living organisms; glucose, hemoglobin, and water were the alternatives.
A solution with a below $7$ is generally described as acidic.

Apply English usage rules

The English items test agreement, punctuation, word forms, concision, pronoun use, and transitions.

Agreement and word forms

In “The list of supplies is on the desk,” the subject is the singular noun list, so the singular verb is is correct. The nearby plural noun supplies does not control the verb. This is an example of .
In “Each of the applicants has an appointment,” each is singular and takes has.
In “The instructor asked students to verify their calculations,” the base-form verb verify follows “to”; verified, verification, and verifying do not fit that construction.
In “The results were consistent with the original prediction,” the adjective consistent follows “were.”
In “The nurse spoke clearly so everyone could hear,” the adverb clearly modifies spoke; clear, clearness, and clearer do not fit the sentence in the same way.
“The students submitted their forms” has matching plural nouns and pronouns. In the practice choices, “The students submitted his forms” and “The students submitted its forms” do not match; “Each student submitted their forms” was not the keyed answer.

Punctuation and concise wording

An introductory phrase takes a comma in “Before the exam, we reviewed fractions.”
Commas separate items in the series “The sample was labeled, stored, and tested.”
A semicolon can join two closely related independent clauses: “The test ended; the students reviewed their answers.” It is not used between a subject and verb, inside a clause, or before “because” in “The test ended; because time was called.”
“Because the room was full, we waited outside” conveys the same reason as “Due to the fact that the room was full, we waited outside” with fewer unnecessary words.
“The two plans are equally effective” removes the redundancy in “The two plans are both equally effective”; both and equally are redundant together in that sentence.
In “The first trial showed improvement. Therefore, the researchers repeated the test,” therefore signals a logical result. The other offered transitions—however, instead, and meanwhile—do not express that relationship in the same way.

Common English errors include matching a verb to a nearby noun instead of the subject, using commas by sound alone, and selecting a word form that does not fit the sentence.

Connect skills across practice sets

The mixed practice examples combine the four subject areas. Use the answer and rationale together to check both the result and the reasoning.

Reading

In the clinic reminder passage, the main idea is that attendance was higher after reminders were introduced, but the clinic planned further study. The reminder-month rate was $75\%$ . A longer study was planned because weather, appointment type, and other factors might affect the comparison. The supported claim is that attendance was higher in the month reminders were used, not that the reminders caused the entire increase.
In the campus walk-in-hour survey, the central point is that many respondents valued the new hour, while the center planned to review more evidence. One limitation was that only students who had previously visited the center were surveyed. The number who said the hour helped was 130, and the additional evidence planned was appointment data.
In the teaching-method study, the best summary is that the checklist group outperformed the lecture group on a short follow-up quiz in one study, while longer-term effects remained unknown. Its stated limitations were that it involved one school and lacked long-term measurement. Both groups improved, and the best-supported conclusion is limited to the checklist group improving more on the measured quiz.

Mathematics

The mixed-set equation $3x+7=25$ has solution $x=6$ . The mock exam equations $5x-4=21$ and $4(x+2)=28$ have solutions $x=5$ and $x=5$ , respectively.
The discount on a $\$48$ item is $25\%$ , or $\$12$ ; the sale price is $\$36$ . The decimal $0.75$ is $\frac{3}{4}$ in simplest form.
The conversions are $2.4\text{ L}=2{,}400\text{ mL}$ , $1.5\text{ L}=1{,}500\text{ mL}$ , and $3.2\text{ kg}=3{,}200\text{ g}$ .
Correct-answer rates are $\frac{42}{50}=84\%$ and $\frac{36}{45}=80\%$ . Scaling a recipe from 12 to 20 servings requires $5$ cups when the original recipe uses 3 cups.

Science

The lungs exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide; most human-cell DNA is in the ; carbohydrates such as glucose are a common cellular energy source; and a provides a comparison without the intervention.
Red blood cells primarily transport oxygen. is water movement across a selectively permeable membrane. The endocrine system produces hormones, and the amount of light is the when it is deliberately changed to measure plant growth.
Kidneys filter blood and produce urine. Most nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine. DNA carries hereditary instructions in most living organisms. A below $7$ is generally acidic.

English and language usage

“The list of supplies is on the desk,” “Each of the applicants has an appointment,” “The results were consistent with the original prediction,” and “The nurse spoke clearly” use the appropriate agreement or word form.
“Before the exam, we reviewed fractions” uses a comma after an introductory phrase. “The sample was labeled, stored, and tested” punctuates a series. “The test ended; the students reviewed their answers” correctly joins two closely related independent clauses.
“Because the room was full, we waited outside” is the concise revision. “The two plans are equally effective” removes unnecessary repetition. “The students submitted their forms” has pronoun agreement, and “Therefore” correctly signals the result between the trial and repeated test.

Plan for the specific test

The two compact mock forms provide practice across Reading, Mathematics, Science, and English and Language Usage, but they are not full-length simulations of the ATI TEAS or any other specific entrance test. Tests differ in length, timing, and format. For a full-length simulation, match the exact exam and accommodations required by your program.

As an example, ATI lists TEAS Version 7 as having 45 Reading questions, 38 Mathematics questions, 50 Science questions, and 37 English and Language Usage questions, with 209 minutes total. Check the school or test provider’s current requirements and practice resources for the format and timing that apply to you.