This free HESI A2 practice test has 25 questions from the sections most nursing programs require: Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, and Anatomy and Physiology, plus Biology and Chemistry. Click an answer to see right away if you got it, plus a rationale for every option. Your score shows at the end.
Questions are grouped by section, and each section starts easier and gets harder. Have scratch paper ready for the math questions.
Question 1 of 25 Math
What is 2 3/8 + 1 5/6? Write the answer as a mixed number in simplest form.
- 3 5/24. Incorrect. This answer comes from finding 29/24 but forgetting to carry the extra whole number into the 3; 29/24 equals 1 5/24, so the total is 4 5/24.
- 3 8/14. Incorrect. This answer comes from adding the numerators (3 + 5) and the denominators (8 + 6), which is not a valid way to add fractions.
- 4 1/6. Incorrect. This answer comes from rewriting 3/8 as 8/24 instead of 9/24. Since 24 divided by 8 is 3, the numerator must be 3 × 3 = 9.
- 4 5/24. Correct. Add the whole numbers: 2 + 1 = 3. Using the common denominator 24, 3/8 = 9/24 and 5/6 = 20/24, so the fractions total 29/24 = 1 5/24. Then 3 + 1 5/24 = 4 5/24.
Question 2 of 25 Math
An infant weighs 8 lb 4 oz. What is the infant’s weight in kilograms, rounded to the nearest hundredth? (1 lb = 16 oz; 1 kg = 2.2 lb)
- 3.64 kg. Incorrect. This answer uses only the 8 pounds (8 / 2.2 = 3.64) and leaves out the 4 ounces.
- 3.75 kg. Correct. First change the ounces to pounds: 4 oz / 16 oz per lb = 0.25 lb, so the weight is 8.25 lb. Then divide by 2.2: 8.25 / 2.2 = 3.75 kg.
- 3.82 kg. Incorrect. This answer treats 4 oz as 0.4 lb (8.4 / 2.2 = 3.82). A pound has 16 ounces, not 10, so 4 oz is 0.25 lb.
- 18.15 kg. Incorrect. This answer multiplies 8.25 by 2.2 instead of dividing. A weight in kilograms is always a smaller number than the same weight in pounds.
Question 3 of 25 Math
A nurse spends 35% of a 12-hour shift on documentation. How much time is that?
- 4 hours 2 minutes. Incorrect. This answer reads 0.2 hour as 2 minutes. One hour has 60 minutes, so 0.2 hour is 0.2 × 60 = 12 minutes.
- 4 hours 12 minutes. Correct. Find 35% of 12 hours: 0.35 × 12 = 4.2 hours. The decimal part converts to minutes as 0.2 × 60 = 12 minutes, so the time is 4 hours 12 minutes.
- 4 hours 20 minutes. Incorrect. This answer reads 4.2 hours as 4 hours 20 minutes. Decimal hours are not minutes; 0.2 hour equals 12 minutes.
- 7 hours 48 minutes. Incorrect. This is the time left for other work (65% of the shift, or 7.8 hours), not the time spent on documentation.
Question 4 of 25 Math
Solve for x: 6(x + 2) = 2x − 8
- x = 5. Incorrect. This answer comes from a sign error when moving the constants: 4x = 8 + 12 = 20. Subtracting 12 from both sides gives 4x = −8 − 12 = −20.
- x = −2.5. Incorrect. This answer multiplies only the x by 6 and not the 2, giving 6x + 2 = 2x − 8 and 4x = −10.
- x = −5. Correct. Distribute: 6x + 12 = 2x − 8. Subtract 2x from both sides to get 4x + 12 = −8, then subtract 12 to get 4x = −20, so x = −5. Check: 6(−5 + 2) = −18 and 2(−5) − 8 = −18.
- x = −20. Incorrect. This answer stops at 4x = −20 and forgets the last step of dividing both sides by 4.
Question 5 of 25 Math
An IV bag containing 700 mL is started at 2140 and infuses at 125 mL per hour. At what time, in military time, will the bag finish?
- 0246. Incorrect. This answer treats 5.6 hours as 5 hours 6 minutes. The 0.6 hour equals 0.6 × 60 = 36 minutes.
- 0316. Correct. Infusion time is 700 / 125 = 5.6 hours, which is 5 hours plus 0.6 × 60 = 36 minutes. Adding 5 hours 36 minutes to 2140 gives 2716, and subtracting 2400 for the new day gives 0316.
- 0340. Incorrect. This answer rounds the infusion time up to a full 6 hours. The actual time is 5 hours 36 minutes.
- 2716. Incorrect. Military time runs only from 0000 to 2359. After passing midnight, 2400 must be subtracted, so 2716 becomes 0316.
Read the passage, then answer the questions that follow.
For thousands of years, people have spread honey on cuts and burns. Modern medicine set the practice aside once antibiotics became widely available, but growing concern about drug-resistant bacteria has renewed interest in this old remedy. Today, some wound care clinics use medical-grade honey, which is filtered and sterilized so that it does not carry new microorganisms into a wound.
Several properties seem to explain how honey works. Because it contains so much sugar and so little water, honey pulls fluid out of bacterial cells, leaving them unable to multiply. Honey is also mildly acidic, and when it is diluted by wound fluid, an enzyme in honey slowly releases small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. In addition, a honey dressing keeps the wound bed moist, which supports the growth of new tissue.
Honey is not a cure-all, however. Results from clinical studies have been mixed, and honey sold in grocery stores is not appropriate for open wounds because it may contain bacterial spores. Some patients also report stinging when a honey dressing is first applied. For these reasons, clinicians reserve medical-grade honey for selected wounds and continue to watch healing closely.
Question 6 of 25 Reading Comprehension
According to the passage, how does the high sugar content of honey help fight bacteria?
- It draws water out of bacterial cells so they cannot multiply.. Correct. The second paragraph states that because honey has so much sugar and so little water, it pulls fluid out of bacterial cells, leaving them unable to multiply. This is the effect the passage links directly to the sugar content.
- It releases hydrogen peroxide as soon as it is exposed to air.. Incorrect. The passage says hydrogen peroxide is released slowly by an enzyme when honey is diluted by wound fluid, not by sugar on contact with air.
- It makes the wound too alkaline for bacteria to survive.. Incorrect. The passage describes honey as mildly acidic, not alkaline, and it presents acidity as a property separate from the sugar content.
- It dries out the wound bed so bacteria lose their food source.. Incorrect. The passage says a honey dressing keeps the wound bed moist, which is the opposite of drying it out.
Use the passage above.
Question 7 of 25 Reading Comprehension
Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage?
- Honey should replace antibiotics as the first treatment for infected wounds.. Incorrect. The passage never says honey should replace antibiotics; it says clinicians use honey only for selected wounds.
- Grocery store honey is a safe, low-cost choice for treating minor wounds.. Incorrect. The passage directly warns that grocery store honey is not appropriate for open wounds because it may contain bacterial spores.
- Ancient healers understood wound infection better than modern clinicians.. Incorrect. The passage mentions the long history of honey use but does not compare ancient and modern knowledge of infection.
- Medical-grade honey has properties that aid healing, but it has limits.. Correct. The passage explains several ways honey can help a wound heal and then describes its limits, such as mixed study results and stinging. This statement covers both halves of the passage, so it is the main idea.
Use the passage above.
Question 8 of 25 Reading Comprehension
What is the main purpose of the final paragraph?
- To explain how medical-grade honey is filtered and sterilized. Incorrect. Filtering and sterilizing are mentioned briefly in the first paragraph, not explained in the final paragraph.
- To describe the enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide in honey. Incorrect. The enzyme is described in the second paragraph, which focuses on how honey works.
- To present drawbacks and cautions about using honey on wounds. Correct. The final paragraph opens with the transition “however” and then lists mixed study results, the risk of spores in grocery store honey, and stinging. Its purpose is to balance the benefits with limitations.
- To argue that wound care clinics should stop using honey dressings. Incorrect. The final paragraph says clinicians reserve honey for selected wounds, which means they still use it; it does not call for stopping its use.
Use the passage above.
Question 9 of 25 Reading Comprehension
Based on the passage, which statement would the author most likely agree with?
- Rising antibiotic resistance makes options such as honey worth studying.. Correct. The passage says growing concern about drug-resistant bacteria has renewed interest in honey, and it describes clinics using medical-grade honey while watching healing closely. The author would therefore agree that resistance makes honey worth a closer look.
- Studies have proven that honey heals wounds faster than other dressings.. Incorrect. The author states that clinical study results have been mixed, so the author would not claim that studies have proven honey superior.
- Stinging after a honey dressing is applied is a sign that it has failed.. Incorrect. The author reports that some patients feel stinging when the dressing is first applied but never says that stinging means the dressing has failed.
- Honey stopped being useful for wounds once antibiotics were discovered.. Incorrect. The author says medicine set honey aside after antibiotics became available, not that honey lost its usefulness; in fact, interest has been renewed.
Question 10 of 25 Vocabulary
Read the sentence: “After climbing four flights of stairs, the visitor was flushed and diaphoretic.” What is the best meaning of the word “diaphoretic” as it is used in the sentence?
- short of breath. Incorrect. Difficulty breathing is called dyspnea; it may occur after exertion, but it is not the meaning of “diaphoretic.”
- confused about the surroundings. Incorrect. Confusion about time or place is described as disorientation, not diaphoresis.
- coughing repeatedly. Incorrect. Coughing is not related to the meaning of “diaphoretic,” which describes the skin rather than the airway.
- sweating heavily. Correct. “Diaphoretic” means sweating profusely. Heavy sweating after hard exertion, such as climbing several flights of stairs, fits the sentence.
Question 11 of 25 Vocabulary
Read the sentence: “The nurse flushed the IV line with saline to confirm that it was still patent.” What is the best meaning of the word “patent” as it is used in the sentence?
- open and unblocked. Correct. In health care, “patent” describes a tube, vessel, or airway that is open and allows flow. Flushing an IV line checks that fluid can pass through it without resistance.
- free of all germs. Incorrect. Being free of microorganisms is described as “sterile,” which is a different quality from being open.
- firmly taped down. Incorrect. A line that is securely taped is described as secured or anchored, not patent.
- officially registered. Incorrect. A patent can be a legal right to an invention, but that meaning does not fit an IV line being flushed with saline.
Question 12 of 25 Vocabulary
Read the sentence: “Following the nerve injury, the patient’s left arm was flaccid and offered no resistance when it was moved.” What is the best meaning of the word “flaccid” as it is used in the sentence?
- stiff and difficult to bend. Incorrect. A stiff limb that resists movement is described as rigid or spastic, which is the opposite of flaccid.
- swollen with excess fluid. Incorrect. Swelling from excess fluid is called edema and does not describe muscle tone.
- limp and lacking muscle tone. Correct. “Flaccid” means soft, limp, and without normal muscle tone. The sentence supports this meaning because the arm offered no resistance when moved.
- twitching without control. Incorrect. Uncontrolled twitching involves extra muscle activity, while a flaccid limb shows too little activity.
Question 13 of 25 Vocabulary
Read the sentence: “Aspirin is contraindicated for children and teenagers who have a viral illness such as the flu or chickenpox.” What is the best meaning of the word “contraindicated” as it is used in the sentence?
- available without a prescription. Incorrect. Being sold over the counter describes how a drug is obtained, not whether it is safe for a certain patient.
- not advised because it may cause harm. Correct. A treatment that is “contraindicated” should not be used in a particular situation because it could cause harm. Aspirin is avoided in children and teenagers with viral illnesses such as the flu or chickenpox because it is linked to Reye syndrome, a rare but serious condition that affects the liver and brain.
- most effective when given with food. Incorrect. Taking a drug with food is an administration instruction and is unrelated to the meaning of “contraindicated.”
- recommended as the first choice. Incorrect. A recommended first choice would be described as “indicated” or preferred, which is the opposite of contraindicated.
Question 14 of 25 Grammar
Which word correctly completes the sentence? Of the two dressing types, the foam dressing is the ___ choice for this wound.
- better. Correct. When exactly two things are compared, the comparative form is used. “Better” is the comparative form of “good,” so it fits a comparison between two dressing types.
- best. Incorrect. “Best” is the superlative form, which is used when comparing three or more things.
- more better. Incorrect. “More better” is a double comparative; “better” already means “more good,” so adding “more” is nonstandard.
- most good. Incorrect. “Most good” is not the standard superlative of “good,” and a superlative is not used when only two things are compared.
Question 15 of 25 Grammar
Which word correctly completes the sentence? During range-of-motion exercises, the patient should slowly ___ each arm above the head.
- rise. Incorrect. “Rise” means to go up on its own and does not take a direct object. Here the patient must lift something, each arm.
- rose. Incorrect. “Rose” is the past tense of “rise,” and it cannot follow the helping verb “should.”
- raise. Correct. “Raise” means to lift something and takes a direct object, which in this sentence is “each arm.” The base form is needed after the helping verb “should.”
- risen. Incorrect. “Risen” is the past participle of “rise” and is used after “has” or “have,” not after “should.”
Question 16 of 25 Grammar
Which word correctly completes the sentence? The surgeon’s hands moved ___ throughout the delicate procedure.
- steady. Incorrect. “Steady” is an adjective, but the blank describes how the hands moved, which calls for an adverb.
- steadier. Incorrect. “Steadier” is a comparative adjective, and the sentence neither compares anything nor needs an adjective.
- steadiness. Incorrect. “Steadiness” is a noun and cannot describe the action of moving.
- steadily. Correct. “Steadily” is an adverb, and adverbs modify verbs. It tells how the hands “moved,” so the adverb form is required.
Question 17 of 25 Grammar
Which word correctly completes the sentence? The visitor ___ car is parked in the ambulance bay needs to move it right away.
- who’s. Incorrect. “Who’s” is a contraction of “who is” or “who has,” and “the visitor who is car” makes no sense.
- whose. Correct. “Whose” is the possessive form of “who” and shows that the car belongs to the visitor. It introduces the clause that identifies which visitor must move the car.
- who. Incorrect. “Who” is a subject pronoun and cannot show ownership of the car.
- whom. Incorrect. “Whom” is an object pronoun and cannot show ownership of the car.
Question 18 of 25 Anatomy and Physiology
Which bone is the larger, weight-bearing bone of the lower leg?
- Fibula. Incorrect. The fibula is the thinner lateral bone of the lower leg; it mainly anchors muscles and helps stabilize the ankle but carries little body weight.
- Femur. Incorrect. The femur is the thigh bone of the upper leg, not a bone of the lower leg.
- Tibia. Correct. The tibia, or shinbone, is the larger medial bone of the lower leg. It transfers body weight from the knee to the ankle.
- Ulna. Incorrect. The ulna is a bone of the forearm, not the leg.
Question 19 of 25 Anatomy and Physiology
Which heart valve prevents blood from flowing backward from the right ventricle into the right atrium?
- Pulmonary valve. Incorrect. The pulmonary valve lies between the right ventricle and the pulmonary trunk, so it prevents backflow from the pulmonary trunk into the right ventricle.
- Mitral valve. Incorrect. The mitral valve is on the left side of the heart, between the left atrium and the left ventricle.
- Aortic valve. Incorrect. The aortic valve lies between the left ventricle and the aorta.
- Tricuspid valve. Correct. The tricuspid valve is the atrioventricular valve on the right side of the heart. It closes when the right ventricle contracts so that blood moves into the pulmonary trunk instead of back into the right atrium.
Question 20 of 25 Anatomy and Physiology
The lining of the small intestine is covered with tiny finger-like projections called villi. What is the main function of the villi?
- Increasing surface area for nutrient absorption. Correct. Villi, along with the microvilli on their cells, greatly increase the surface area of the small intestine. More surface area allows more nutrients to be absorbed into the blood and lymph.
- Secreting acid that breaks down proteins. Incorrect. Hydrochloric acid that aids protein digestion is secreted in the stomach, not by intestinal villi.
- Mixing food by rhythmic muscle contractions. Incorrect. Mixing and propelling food is done by smooth muscle layers in the intestinal wall, not by the villi.
- Storing bile until it is needed for digestion. Incorrect. Bile is made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, not in the villi.
Question 21 of 25 Anatomy and Physiology
Which cranial nerve carries most of the parasympathetic signals that slow the heart rate and stimulate digestion?
- Trigeminal nerve (V). Incorrect. The trigeminal nerve carries sensation from the face and controls the chewing muscles; it does not supply the heart or digestive organs.
- Facial nerve (VII). Incorrect. The facial nerve controls facial expression and some salivary and tear glands, but it does not reach the heart or abdominal organs.
- Hypoglossal nerve (XII). Incorrect. The hypoglossal nerve controls movement of the tongue and carries no parasympathetic fibers.
- Vagus nerve (X). Correct. The vagus nerve wanders from the brainstem into the chest and abdomen and carries more parasympathetic fibers than any other cranial nerve. These fibers supply the heart, lungs, and most of the digestive tract, slowing the heart rate and increasing digestive activity.
Question 22 of 25 Anatomy and Physiology
Which change would most directly increase the glomerular filtration rate in a kidney?
- Constriction of the afferent arteriole. Incorrect. Narrowing the afferent arteriole lets less blood into the glomerulus, which lowers glomerular pressure and decreases filtration.
- Dilation of the afferent arteriole. Correct. The afferent arteriole carries blood into the glomerulus. Widening it lets more blood enter, which raises glomerular hydrostatic pressure and pushes more fluid into the glomerular capsule.
- A sharp drop in systemic blood pressure. Incorrect. A large fall in blood pressure lowers the pressure that drives filtration, so the filtration rate would drop.
- A rise in plasma protein levels in glomerular blood. Incorrect. More protein in glomerular blood raises its colloid osmotic pressure, which holds fluid in the capillaries and opposes filtration, so the filtration rate falls.
Question 23 of 25 Biology
Glucose enters many body cells by moving down its concentration gradient through a carrier protein, without using ATP. What is this process called?
- Primary active transport. Incorrect. Primary active transport uses ATP directly to move substances against their concentration gradient, but this movement is down the gradient and uses no ATP.
- Osmosis. Incorrect. Osmosis is the movement of water across a membrane, not the movement of glucose.
- Facilitated diffusion. Correct. Facilitated diffusion is passive transport in which a carrier or channel protein helps a molecule cross the membrane from higher to lower concentration. No ATP is needed because the molecule is moving down its gradient.
- Endocytosis. Incorrect. Endocytosis takes in material by folding the membrane around it to form a vesicle, which requires energy and does not use a single carrier protein.
Question 24 of 25 Biology
Which level of protein structure is determined by the specific sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain?
- Primary structure. Correct. The primary structure of a protein is its linear sequence of amino acids joined by peptide bonds. This sequence is set by the gene that codes for the protein and determines how the chain will later fold.
- Secondary structure. Incorrect. Secondary structure refers to local folding patterns, such as alpha helices and beta-pleated sheets, held together by hydrogen bonds along the backbone.
- Tertiary structure. Incorrect. Tertiary structure is the overall three-dimensional shape of a single polypeptide, produced by interactions among the side chains.
- Quaternary structure. Incorrect. Quaternary structure exists only in proteins made of two or more polypeptide chains and describes how those chains fit together.
Question 25 of 25 Chemistry
How many molecules are in 0.50 mol of water? (Avogadro’s number = 6.02 × 10²³ particles per mole)
- 3.01 × 10²². Incorrect. This value is ten times too small; it results from misplacing the decimal point when halving Avogadro’s number.
- 3.01 × 10²³. Correct. Multiply the number of moles by Avogadro’s number: 0.50 mol × 6.02 × 10²³ molecules per mol = 3.01 × 10²³ molecules.
- 6.02 × 10²³. Incorrect. This is the number of molecules in one full mole, but the sample is only half a mole.
- 1.20 × 10²⁴. Incorrect. This answer multiplies Avogadro’s number by 2 instead of by 0.50, which gives the number of molecules in 2 moles.
Your score
Want more practice? HESI A2 Prep has timed practice exams for every section.
What is on the HESI A2?
The HESI A2 (HESI Admission Assessment) is an entrance exam made by Elsevier. Each nursing program chooses which sections you take and sets its own passing score, so check your school’s requirements first.
- Math: fractions, decimals, ratios and proportions, percentages, conversions between household and metric units, military time, and basic algebra.
- Reading Comprehension: main idea, details, inferences, and the meaning of words in context.
- Vocabulary: words used in health care settings.
- Grammar: parts of speech, agreement, commonly confused words, and sentence structure.
- Anatomy and Physiology: body systems, structures, and how they work.
- Biology, Chemistry, and Physics: required by some programs.
Tips for passing the HESI A2
- Find out exactly which sections your program requires and focus your study there.
- Learn the health care vocabulary words that show up often, like the ones in this test.
- Know your conversions cold: pounds to kilograms, ounces to milliliters, and standard to military time.
- For reading, choose the answer the passage supports, not what you already know about the topic.
- Take timed practice so you can pace yourself across several sections in one sitting.
Want the full HESI A2 practice?
HESI A2 Prep on NurseStudy Prep has practice questions for every section plus 8 timed section practice exams, with a study guide for each section. Start with a 2-day free trial.
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