This HESI A2 vocabulary study guide gives you words to learn, practice questions to try and a method that helps the words stick. Vocabulary questions are often quick to answer, so this section can be a good place to pick up points if you prepare well.
Elsevier does not publish its question pool, so no list can promise that you will see these exact words. This one focuses on words you will meet in healthcare settings as well as on tests.
What to Expect From the Vocabulary Section
Your nursing program chooses which HESI A2 sections you take, so first confirm that vocabulary is on your list. Published guides usually report about 50 to 55 vocabulary questions with a limit of around 50 minutes. The exact details can vary, so ask your program.
The questions usually show a word in a short sentence and ask for its meaning. There is also no national passing score. Each school sets its own requirement.
30 HESI A2 Vocabulary Words to Learn
Describing a Patient's Condition
- Acute: sudden and often severe
- Chronic: lasting a long time or returning often
- Lethargic: unusually drowsy or low in energy
- Lucid: clear in thinking
- Dilate: to become wider
- Distended: swollen or stretched from inside
- Edema: swelling caused by excess fluid
- Flaccid: limp, lacking firmness
- Malaise: a general feeling of being unwell
- Latent: present but not yet active or visible
Describing Care and Treatment
- Adhere: to stick to, or to follow closely
- Contraindication: a reason not to use a treatment
- Exacerbate: to make worse
- Alleviate: to make less severe
- Prophylactic: intended to prevent disease
- Palliative: relieving symptoms without curing the cause
- Topical: applied to the skin or another surface
- Void: to empty, especially the bladder
- Concise: brief and clear
- Comply: to follow a request or rule
General Words to Know
- Adverse: harmful or unfavorable
- Ambiguous: having more than one possible meaning
- Benign: not harmful
- Deleterious: causing harm
- Discrete: separate and distinct
- Impending: about to happen
- Inevitable: certain to happen
- Potent: strong or powerful
- Rationale: the reason behind a decision
- Transient: lasting only a short time
Use Word Parts to Decode New Words
You will not know every word, but word parts can help you figure out many of them.
- Hyper- means above or excessive, as in hypertension.
- Hypo- means below or too little, as in hypoglycemia.
- Brady- means slow, as in bradycardia.
- Tachy- means fast, as in tachycardia.
- Dys- means difficult or abnormal, as in dyspnea.
- -itis means inflammation, as in arthritis.
- -ectomy means surgical removal, as in appendectomy.
HESI A2 Vocabulary Practice Questions
These are original practice questions, not real HESI items.
Question 1
The pain was transient and went away within minutes. What does transient mean?
- A. Severe
- B. Short-lasting
- C. Spreading
- D. Dull
Answer: B. The clue is that the pain went away within minutes.
Question 2
Cold weather may exacerbate the patient's asthma. What does exacerbate mean?
- A. Cure
- B. Prevent
- C. Worsen
- D. Hide
Answer: C. To exacerbate something is to make it worse.
Question 3
The tumor was found to be benign. What does benign mean?
- A. Not harmful
- B. Very large
- C. Fast-growing
- D. Hard to find
Answer: A. A benign growth is not cancerous.
Question 4
The nurse gave palliative care. Which description fits?
- A. Care that prevents an infection
- B. Care that relieves symptoms
- C. Care that replaces surgery
- D. Care given only at home
Answer: B. Palliative care focuses on comfort and relief of symptoms.
Question 5
The nurse recorded the time the patient voided. What did the patient do?
- A. Refused a medication
- B. Fell asleep
- C. Emptied the bladder
- D. Left the unit
Answer: C. In healthcare, to void means to urinate.
Question 6
A contraindication to a medication is:
- A. Its usual dose
- B. A reason not to give it
- C. A brand name
- D. A way to give it
Answer: B. A contraindication is a reason to avoid a treatment.
A Two-Week Vocabulary Study Method
- Learn in small sets. Study 10 new words a day rather than a long list at once.
- Write your own sentence. A sentence you write yourself is easier to remember than a definition.
- Say the word aloud. Hearing it helps you recognize it, and it prepares you to use it on the job.
- Use spaced review. Review new words the next day, again after three days and again after a week.
- Sort your flashcards. Move the words you miss to a separate pile and review that pile more often.
- Test yourself under time. In the last few days, practice with a timer so you do not overthink.
On Test Day
Read the whole sentence, since it often contains a clue. Try to define the word yourself before reading the options. If you are unsure, remove the choices you know are wrong and use word parts to choose between the rest.
Next Steps
Vocabulary is only one part of the exam. If your program tests science, try our HESI A2 A&P practice test next. Our HESI A2 prep focuses on the sections your program requires, and our HESI A2 tutoring guide explains how sessions work. You can compare options on the pricing page.
You take the real exam yourself, under the official rules. To begin, order HESI A2 prep online or call or WhatsApp +1 (217) 426-5403.