What belongs in TEAS anatomy and physiology?
ATI’s Version 7 outline includes anatomical orientation and the respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, muscular, reproductive, integumentary, endocrine, urinary, immune and skeletal systems. This guide organizes those topics by function and pathway. Biology, chemistry and scientific reasoning are separate parts of TEAS Science; reviewing A&P does not replace them.
For each system, build a small explanation with four parts: the main structures, what moves or changes, how that supports the body, and one connection to another system. If you can name an organ but cannot explain its contribution, that is a useful review target.
Source: ATI TEAS Version 7 content outline, Science objectives S.1.1–S.1.12.
Start with direction, then add function
Anatomy describes structure; physiology explains function. A location statement and a process statement answer different questions. “Where is it?” should not be answered with what it does.
Directional terms use standard anatomical position: standing upright, facing forward, arms at the sides and palms facing forward. The terms keep that reference even when the person changes posture; an illustration’s orientation does not redefine the body’s left and right.
Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, Anatomical Terminology.
- Superior/inferior: toward the head/toward the feet. The chest is superior to the pelvis.
- Anterior/posterior: toward the front/toward the back. The sternum is anterior to the heart.
- Medial/lateral: toward/away from the body’s midline. A relationship must name the structure being compared.
- Proximal/distal: nearer/farther from the attachment or origin. The elbow is proximal to the wrist; this is not the same comparison as “above” on a page.
A sagittal plane separates right from left; a frontal plane separates front from back; a transverse plane separates upper from lower portions. A midsagittal plane passes through the midline. When viewing a labeled image, identify the plane before deciding what the cut reveals.
Source: NCI SEER, Anatomical Terminology.
Homeostasis means maintaining a relatively stable internal environment through ongoing activity—not keeping every variable motionless. Learn a process by identifying the changing condition and the response rather than assuming “stable” means “inactive.”
Heart and lungs: two pathways working together
Cardiovascular: follow a complete circuit
The atria receive blood and the ventricles pump it out. The right side sends blood toward the lungs; the left side sends blood into systemic circulation. Valves help maintain one-way flow. The following diagram simplifies the adult circuit by leaving out individual valves and smaller vessels.
- Body tissues
- Systemic veins
- Right atrium
- Right ventricle
- Pulmonary arteries
- Lungs
- Pulmonary veins
- Left atrium
- Left ventricle
- Aorta → body tissues
Common misconception: an artery is not defined by its oxygen content. It carries blood away from the heart. Pulmonary arteries therefore belong in the outward path from the right ventricle even though that blood has not yet picked up oxygen in the lungs.
Source: NCI SEER, Structure of the Heart.
Source: NCI SEER, Circulatory Pathways.
Respiratory: movement of air is not exchange of gases
During inhalation, contraction of the diaphragm helps increase chest volume. Pressure in the lungs falls relative to atmospheric pressure, drawing air inward. Quiet exhalation involves relaxation and elastic recoil. Gas exchange occurs across the thin walls of alveoli and adjacent capillaries; it is a different process from moving air through conducting passages.
- Diaphragm contracts
- Chest volume increases
- Pressure in lungs falls
- Air flows inward
Worked connection: the lungs exchange gases, while the cardiovascular system transports blood between lungs and tissues. Explaining only how air enters the nose leaves out the transport step. Explaining only the heartbeat leaves out the exchange surface. A complete explanation uses both systems.
Source: NCI SEER, Mechanics of Ventilation.
Digestion and urinary function: distinguish the material
Digestive: breaking down and absorbing are different steps
Digestion breaks food down; absorption moves the resulting substances across a surface. Most digestion and absorption take place in the small intestine, whose surface has villi and microvilli. The large intestine absorbs water and electrolytes and forms feces. The word “large” describes its diameter, not a larger share of nutrient absorption.
Worked connection: a structure with more absorptive surface can support transfer of nutrients. Villi therefore connect a structural feature to a function. Listing the small intestine as “part of digestion” is less useful than explaining why its surface matters.
Source: NCI SEER, Small and Large Intestine.
Urinary: urine travels through a different route
The kidneys filter blood and remove wastes in urine. Nephrons are their functional units. Urine leaves through the ureters, is stored in the bladder and exits through the urethra. Distinguish a structure that forms urine from one that stores or carries it.
- Kidneys
- Ureters
- Bladder
- Urethra
- Outside the body
Common misconception: the bladder does not perform the kidney’s blood-filtering job. In a pathway prompt, identify the starting material first: blood, urine and food do not follow the same route.
Source: NCI SEER, Kidneys.
Connect the remaining body systems to their jobs
Nervous: detect, integrate, respond
Sensory input carries information about a change. Integration organizes that information. Motor output directs an effector, such as a muscle or gland. Keep the direction of the signal separate from the name of the structure: a nerve can carry information toward or away from the central nervous system.
Use the idea: In a simple pathway diagram, start at the receptor and follow the arrows toward processing, then toward the response. Do not label the muscle as the detector just because movement is the most visible event.
Source: NCI SEER reference for this system.
Endocrine: a signal needs a target
Endocrine glands release hormones into the blood. A hormone affects cells with the appropriate receptors; circulation alone does not make every cell a target. Exocrine glands instead deliver secretions through ducts. The pancreas illustrates both roles: digestive secretions travel through a duct, while its islets release hormones.
Use the idea: Pancreatic beta cells release insulin in response to elevated blood glucose; alpha cells release glucagon in response to low glucose. In a diagram, distinguish the stimulus, the gland and the hormone instead of treating all three as interchangeable labels.
Source: NCI SEER reference for this system.
Skeletal: living support, not just a frame
Bones protect organs and work with muscles to produce movement. Bone also stores mineral and contains marrow; red marrow forms blood cells. That connects the skeletal system to circulation and defense, not just posture.
Use the idea: When a prompt describes blood-cell formation, think of red marrow rather than assuming every bone question is about movement. Match the function to the tissue being discussed, not merely to the largest structure in a picture.
Source: NCI SEER reference for this system.
Muscular: compare tissue type with location
Skeletal muscle moves the skeleton and is generally under voluntary control. Smooth muscle occurs in walls of hollow organs and acts involuntarily. Cardiac muscle forms the heart wall and also contracts involuntarily. Skeletal and cardiac tissue are striated; smooth muscle is not.
Use the idea: “Striated” does not automatically mean “voluntary.” Use both location and control: striated tissue in the heart is cardiac muscle. This two-feature comparison is more reliable than memorizing one clue.
Source: NCI SEER reference for this system.
Immune and lymphatic: defense plus fluid return
Lymphatic vessels return excess tissue fluid to the bloodstream. Lymphatic structures also participate in defense, and intestinal lacteals absorb dietary fats. These are connected functions, but fluid transport and immune defense are not synonyms.
Use the idea: Follow the material named in a prompt. Excess tissue fluid points toward lymphatic return; dietary fat absorption points toward lacteals. A response about oxygen transport would not explain either pathway.
Source: NCI SEER reference for this system.
Integumentary: relate a layer to its job
The epidermis is the outer protective layer. The deeper dermis contains supporting tissue and specialized structures, including vessels and sensory structures. Skin protection and sensation connect the body surface with other systems.
Use the idea: A label identifying a surface barrier and a label identifying a deeper blood vessel describe different structures. Read the depth and function together. Do not assume every structure associated with skin sits in its outermost layer.
Source: NCI SEER reference for this system.
Reproductive: distinguish production and development
The testes and ovaries produce gametes and hormones. Other reproductive structures transport or support gametes and development. Fertilization usually occurs in a uterine tube; the uterus supports development after implantation. The site of gamete production is not the same as the usual site of fertilization.
Use the idea: Keep three locations distinct in your notes: ovary, uterine tube and uterus. Attach a different process to each. A sequence is easier to check than an unordered list of organ names.
Source: NCI SEER reference for this system.
Three comparisons worth explaining aloud
- Signal versus transport: endocrine hormones are signals; blood carries them. A carrier and a message are different parts of the relationship.
- Movement versus exchange: breathing moves air; alveolar surfaces allow gas exchange. A change in one process is not a definition of the other.
- Production versus storage: kidneys form urine; the bladder stores it. Similar material does not mean identical function.
These comparisons draw on the system sources above. They are study prompts, not recalled exam items. Make your own two-column notes: “often confused” and “the difference that resolves it.” Write an explanation short enough to say without reading it.
Turn a system list into a review session
- Choose one pathway above. Cover the labels and redraw it from memory.
- Add a verb to each connection: receives, pumps, exchanges, absorbs, carries or signals.
- Compare your drawing with the cited reference. Record the exact missing step rather than writing “review science.”
- Explain one misconception, such as confusing urine storage with formation.
- Use the free Science sample to practice applying science reasoning. It samples Science broadly; it is not an A&P-only examination or a complete coverage check.
If terminology is slowing you down, return to the orientation section. If you recognize the structures but miss relationships, spend the next session on pathways and comparisons. For exam-wide practice options, visit CARE TEAS preparation.
Continue your TEAS preparation
- Math word problems — Translate a word problem into a calculation and check the result.
- Scores and retakes — Read a score report and verify the program rules that govern the next attempt.
- Try the free TEAS sample or explore CARE TEAS preparation.
CARE is independent of ATI. These lessons and worked examples are original CARE-created educational material, not official ATI questions or a prediction of your exam score.