There is no single TEAS passing score
ATI does not set one passing threshold for every nursing program. Your school sets its admissions requirements. An ATI Academic Preparedness Level is not an admission offer, and meeting a minimum should not be treated as a guarantee of selection.
Look for the policy for your exact program, campus and application cycle. Record whether it requires a total score, individual section scores or both. If selection points or a competitive range are published, keep those separate from the minimum eligibility requirement. Do not substitute a prep website’s “good score” for your program’s rules.
Source: ATI, required TEAS score.
Read each part of your score report for a different purpose
Open your Individual Performance Profile in the RESULTS area of your ATI account. Keep the official report available while you read your school’s policy; a remembered total alone may not answer a section-score requirement.
- Total score: ATI equates this score to account for differences across test forms. Do not recreate it by averaging the four content scores.
- Content-area scores: Reading, Math, Science and English scores are also equated. Use them when your program specifically names section requirements.
- Sub-content scores: these are percentages correct within narrower areas and are not equated across forms. They can help locate material to review, but are not interchangeable with content-area scores.
- Topics to review: turn the report’s learning areas into specific study tasks rather than treating the lowest number as a complete diagnosis of your preparation.
Source: ATI, how TEAS scores are calculated.
Source: ATI, Individual Performance Profile and topics to review.
Worked policy example: suppose a hypothetical program asks for both a total minimum and a Reading minimum. A total above its minimum does not answer whether the Reading requirement was met. Compare each requested field with its own rule. This example illustrates reading a policy; it supplies no real school’s cutoff.
How soon can you retake the TEAS?
ATI’s current guidance says ATI itself does not require a waiting period between attempts. Your school or program can impose a waiting period, attempt limit or other conditions. Check its policy before registering—even when another test date is available.
Also ask which result is used. A higher new score is not automatically useful if the program considers a different attempt or does not accept retesting for that purpose. Each attempt appears in ATI’s transcript history; do not assume that withholding a transcript erases an attempt.
Source: ATI, how soon you can retake the TEAS.
A real example of why this matters: Long Beach City College’s published guidance does not permit retesting simply to improve a passing score for selection. That is an example from one program, not a national rule. Read its current policy and your own school’s current application instructions before acting.
Source: Long Beach City College, TEAS information.
Do not rely on an older article’s universal “14-day” rule or a generic annual attempt count. Confirm the testing arrangement and the program’s policy together. If they appear inconsistent, ask admissions and the testing provider to resolve the discrepancy before paying.
Choose the next step from the policy, not just the number
- You do not yet know the requirements: complete the worksheet below before booking. A new attempt cannot resolve an unknown admissions rule.
- A required score is missing: check eligibility for another attempt, any remediation requirements and the results deadline. Then make a targeted preparation plan.
- You meet the minimum: establish whether another score would actually affect selection and whether the program accepts it. A retake is not automatically the right next step.
- You are applying to several programs: keep separate records. One school’s accepted exam format, score age or attempt policy may not answer another’s requirements.
- The policy is unclear: ask a specific written question, such as “For this application cycle, which attempt is used if I retest after meeting the minimum?” Keep the response with its date.
This is a decision checklist, not an automated eligibility determination. Your admissions office is the authority on how its rules apply to your application.
Your program policy worksheet
Use the official program page or current application packet as the starting source. Leave an unanswered field marked “confirm with admissions” rather than filling it with a rule from another college. The worksheet is editable and printable; it does not calculate a passing score or collect your results.
Complete one worksheet per program. Your notes stay in this page while it is open; CARE does not save or submit them. Print or save as PDF before leaving.
Leave time for results and transcript delivery
A test appointment before an application deadline is not necessarily enough. Confirm when the program must receive the official result and which transcript destination to select.
For TEAS at ATI exams, ATI says preliminary scores remain preliminary for four business days, excluding weekends and major holidays. Check the guidance for your actual testing arrangement; do not promise a same-day final transcript based on this page.
Source: ATI, preliminary scores and report availability.
Work backward: application receipt deadline → transcript/result processing requirements → permitted test date → preparation time. Record the actual dates rather than using a generic countdown. If a school requires a wait or remediation, include that before choosing the next appointment.
Make the next study session specific
Use the report to name the problem you will work on. “Science” is broad; “explain the blood-flow route” is a task. “Math” is broad; “identify the original amount in reverse-percentage problems” gives you a method to practice.
- For body-system relationships, use the A&P learning guide, then the free Science sample.
- For setting up calculations, use the word-problem guide, then the free Math sample.
- For other sections, try the Reading and English samples and review feedback after submission.
Do not treat repeating familiar sample items as proof of a future official score. Choose further practice based on the skills you need, and explore CARE TEAS preparation when you need broader coverage.
Continue your TEAS preparation
- Anatomy and physiology — Learn body systems and explain how their structures support their functions.
- Math word problems — Translate a word problem into a calculation and check the result.
- 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.