HESI Test

HESI Test: What to Expect

If you are hoping to be a nurse, the HESI test may be in your future. In fact, depending on which nursing school you attend, you may be required to take the exam more than once. It is usually given as an entrance exam, but some nursing schools also give the HESI again at the halfway point of your nursing education. Some schools even give it a third time as graduation nears to make sure that students are ready to take on the exam. So what is the HESI test like?

It is a computer-based test, as opposed to a pencil and paper test. It is also timed, with four hours given for completion. Because it is computer based, there are many different versions of the test. You may be taking a version that is very different from the one being taken by the person sitting next to you. This is done to help prevent cheating and to help improve the efficiency of the test. There are five main sections of the test; generally speaking, you will need to score at least 80 percent on each section in order to pass. Should you fail to do so, you will need to wait several weeks before taking the test again.

There are five sections on the HESI: math, grammar, reading, vocabulary & general knowledge, and science. The math section of the HESI test has 50 questions, the grammar and reading sections consist of 50 questions each, and the vocabulary & general knowledge section also has 50 questions. The fifth section is science, which covers anatomy and physiology, biology, and chemistry. Each of these three sub-sections will have 25 questions.

None of these sections require advanced knowledge. The math section, for example, will cover only those basic math skills you will use as a nurse. You will not be expected to know calculus, and you will be able to use a calculator that is provided by the test site. For most test takers, the hardest part will be the science section. Even though no advanced knowledge is required, it is quite common for people to fail the HESI test the first time they take it, which can postpone their entrance into nursing school. Candidates are strongly advised to make use of a good study guide before attempting the HESI test.

HESI Study Guide: Do not Take the HESI Without One

Here is why you need an HESI study guide. Nursing school is a real intellectual challenge, and one of the biggest hurdles to earning a nursing degree is the HESI test. Not all nursing schools use the HESI, but many do, and a student may be required to pass the test several times along their path to becoming a nurse. Many nursing schools use it as an entrance exam to weed out candidates for the limited number of slots in an upcoming class, while others will also require students to pass it again at a later date in their nursing education. Therefore, the HESI study guide can be a nursing student's best friend.

At first glance, the HESI test seems surprisingly simple. There are a few hundred questions on basic math, reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and general knowledge, as well as physiology, anatomy, biology, and chemistry. However, it is not as simple as it sounds. For one thing, unlike many high school tests, a passing grade is generally 80 percent, which does not leave much room for making mistakes. Adding to the pressure is the fact that the HESI is a timed test. Of course, knowing the importance of the HESI is the biggest cause of test day jitters.

Because failing the HESI can be so costly, one might think that nearly every test taker walks into the testing center fully prepared. Surprisingly, this is not the case. Many nursing students, and even more potential nursing students, fail the HESI every year. That is because they did not take the test seriously enough and failed to prepare properly. Taking this all-important test without consulting a good HESI study guide for adequate preparation is a huge mistake that can have devastating consequences on a person's nursing career. If the HESI test is in your future, do not make this mistake. Get a good HESI study guide and use it to make sure there are no detours on your path to a life of nursing.

Pass The HESI Exam on Your First Try

Are you taking the HESI exam soon? If so, you have probably heard some horror stories about how hard this test for nursing school can be. Covering a wide range of subjects, including math, reading comprehension, biology, physiology, chemistry, grammar, and more, it certainly can be intimidating. You are given four hours to complete the test, which might sound like a lot of time, but with hundreds of questions on the HESI, there is a lot of ground to cover in four hours. Every year, a large percentage of test takers fail the HESI exam.

There is no need for you to be one of those people, however. For most students who fail, their biggest downfalls are not taking the HESI seriously enough and not preparing adequately for the exam. No one should take the HESI lightly, as failing it can bring a potential nursing career to an end. Even so, many do take it lightly because they have read that the subject matter is not advanced, and they figure they can handle basic math, basic grammar, basic anatomy, etc. Well, much of the subject matter is basic, but it is also wide ranging. With a passing score being around 80 percent, it does not take many mistakes to fail the exam.

Of course, just the fact that you are reading this suggests that you are not taking the HESI exam lightly. Instead, you have decided to get all the facts and information you can about the test before you walk into the examination room. Congratulations! You are already well ahead of the average person who will be taking the HESI. Now all you need to do is overcome the second hurdle, which is a lack of preparation.

Thankfully, that is not going to be hard at all. There are some very good HESI study guides that can give you the edge you need to pass the exam on your first try. Another option is HESI flash cards. Both of these methods have been proven to raise the test scores of the average test taker, and they are both inexpensive. Just a few hours of study each week with flash cards or a study guide are all most people need to pass the HESI exam on their first try.

The HESI A2: Which Sections Are the Hardest?

The HESI A2 nursing school test can be a stumbling block for many aspiring nurses. Some nursing schools give it only as a preadmissions test, while others give it both before admission to nursing school and later on in a person's training. No matter what stage of nursing education you are in, passing the HESI A2 is a must if you are going to achieve your dream of becoming a nurse. Failure can delay reaching your goals, or, worse, force you to abandon them completely. Still, many people fail the HESI A2 every year. What parts of the test give individuals the most trouble?

Many people find the math portion of the test to be the most difficult. There are several reasons for this. In today's digital, high-tech age of computers, hardly anyone actually does math with a pencil and paper anymore. Instead, we simply push a few buttons on our calculators-or cell phone calculators-and get the answer we need. As a result, many people have forgotten how to do such basic math functions as converting fractions to decimals and dividing and multiplying fractions. You are allowed to use a calculator on the HESI A2, but it is no help if you do not know how to go about solving a problem. There are 50 math questions on the exam, and many of them are more difficult than anyone would expect.

One section that some people believe will be easy is vocabulary and general knowledge. Just as with math, the average person's vocabulary and store of common knowledge are lacking due to our increased reliance on computers. In the age of Twitter and text messaging, millions of people never have the need or desire to look up unfamiliar words.

While these might be the sections of the exam that give individuals the most trouble, the other sections of the test are not necessarily easy, either. The exam is quite inclusive and difficult, and no one should underestimate it. The best strategy is to acquire a good HESI A2 study guide well ahead of time in order to make sure you are prepared for all sections of the test.