This ATI TEAS 7 science study guide tells you what to study first, based on how many questions each topic gets. Science is where many nursing applicants lose the most points because it covers so much. Studying in the right order makes it far more manageable.
How the TEAS 7 Science Section Is Built
The section has 50 questions, and 44 of them are scored. ATI's content outline divides the scored questions like this:
- Human anatomy and physiology: 18 questions
- Biology: 9 questions
- Scientific reasoning: 9 questions
- Chemistry: 8 questions
Anatomy and physiology makes up about 40% of your science score. That is why it should come first. Published guides usually list about 60 minutes for the section, so check the current time in your ATI materials.
Step 1: Anatomy and Physiology
Learn each body system by asking three questions: what are its parts, what does it do and how does it connect to the other systems? Start with the systems below:
- Cardiovascular: the heart's four chambers and valves, arteries versus veins, and the path of blood through the heart and lungs.
- Respiratory: the airway, alveoli and gas exchange.
- Nervous: central versus peripheral, neurons, and the main brain regions.
- Digestive: the path of food, where absorption happens, and the role of the liver and pancreas.
- Urinary: kidneys, nephrons, and how the body filters blood and balances fluid.
- Endocrine: major glands and the hormones they make, such as insulin.
- Musculoskeletal: bones, joints, muscle types, tendons and ligaments.
- Immune and integumentary: the body's defenses, and the structure and functions of skin.
- Reproductive: the main organs and hormones.
Also learn directional terms such as anterior, posterior, superior, inferior, medial and lateral. They appear across many topics. Drawing the path of blood from memory is one of the best tests of whether you truly know it.
Step 2: Biology
Focus on the ideas that explain how living things work:
- Cell structure and what each organelle does
- Mitosis and meiosis, and how they differ
- DNA, RNA and protein synthesis
- Genetics, including Punnett squares and dominant and recessive traits
- Microorganisms and how they differ
Practice Punnett squares by hand until you can do them quickly, because they follow the same steps every time.
Step 3: Chemistry
Chemistry has the fewest questions, but students often find it the most intimidating. Stick to the fundamentals:
- Atomic structure: protons, neutrons and electrons
- Reading the periodic table
- Ionic and covalent bonds
- Solutions, acids, bases and the pH scale
- Balancing simple chemical equations
- Physical properties and states of matter
Step 4: Scientific Reasoning
These questions test how you think, so you can improve quickly without much memorizing. Practice:
- Telling independent and dependent variables apart
- Spotting the control in an experiment
- Reading graphs and data tables
- Using evidence to reach a conclusion
- Converting between metric units
Try this example. A student gives one group of plants fertilizer and gives another group none. She then measures their height after a month. The independent variable is whether the plant receives fertilizer, and the dependent variable is plant height. The group with no fertilizer is the control.
A Simple 4-Week TEAS Science Plan
Adjust this plan to fit your test date and your starting point.
- Week 1: Take a timed diagnostic. Review the cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems.
- Week 2: Finish the remaining body systems. Do a short mixed quiz every other day.
- Week 3: Study biology and chemistry. Keep reviewing anatomy for 15 minutes each day.
- Week 4: Study scientific reasoning, take timed section tests and fix your most frequent errors.
Short daily sessions are better than one long weekend session because you remember more when you keep returning to a topic. Keep an error log that records the topic of each missed question and why you got it wrong.
Common TEAS Science Mistakes
- Spending weeks on chemistry. It is worth 8 scored questions. Anatomy is worth 18.
- Only rereading notes. Rereading feels productive, but quizzing yourself shows what you really know.
- Ignoring time. Always do part of your practice under timed conditions.
- Studying without a target. Find your program's cutoff, because it decides how much science you really need.
Next Steps
Science is only one of the four sections, so balance your time. If reading is also on your list, try our ATI TEAS 7 reading practice test. Our TEAS prep starts with a diagnostic and builds a plan around your weakest section, and you can add a question bank for more practice. Plans and prices are on the pricing page.
You take the real exam yourself, under ATI's rules. When you are ready, order TEAS prep online or call or WhatsApp +1 (217) 426-5403.