ATI TEAS 7 Test Day: Rules, Timing & What to Bring

You can know the TEAS 7 content cold and still lose points on test day — to a late arrival, an ID that doesn’t match your account, or a timer you didn’t plan for. The good news is that the day itself is predictable. ATI runs every TEAS 7 on the same basic format, and once you’ve seen how check-in, the four sections, and the break fit together, there’s nothing left to surprise you. Here’s the whole day in order, plus the details you should confirm with your school or testing site before you go.

Know where you're testing — the rules depend on it

The TEAS 7 is given in a few different settings, and each one has its own check-in procedures:

• At a nursing school or college campus, proctored by school staff
• At a third-party testing center that ATI partners with
• Online with remote proctoring, where a proctor watches you through your webcam

Your registration confirmation is the authoritative source for your session. Read it the week before, not the morning of. It tells you the arrival time, the accepted ID, whether a calculator or scratch paper is provided, and the technical requirements for remote testing. Rules that are fine at one campus can get you turned away at another.

One more check: make sure you registered for the right test. Some schools require the exam be taken at their own site, or want results sent to them in a specific way. Confirm that with the admissions office early.

The TEAS 7 format and timing

The TEAS 7 has 170 questions in four timed sections. A portion of those (ATI states 20) are unscored pretest items mixed in with the rest, and you won’t know which ones they are — so treat every question as if it counts.

1. Reading — 45 questions, 55 minutes
2. Mathematics — 38 questions, 57 minutes
3. Science — 50 questions, 60 minutes
4. English and Language Usage — 37 questions, 37 minutes

That’s about three and a half hours of testing time. With check-in and the break, plan on roughly four hours from arrival to walking out.

Each section has its own clock, and unused time does not carry over. When a section ends, you can’t go back to it. The practical takeaway: pace each section on its own. English is the tightest at about one minute per question, so don’t let a hard grammar item eat three minutes. Mark it, guess, and move on — there’s no penalty for wrong answers, so never leave a question blank.

What to bring — and what to leave behind

Bring:

• A valid, unexpired, government-issued photo ID — driver’s license, state ID, passport, or military ID. The name must match your ATI account. If your name has changed, fix the account before test day.
• Your ATI username and password. You log into your ATI account to start the exam, and forgetting the password at the desk is a surprisingly common delay.
• Your registration confirmation, printed or on hand before you lock up your phone, if your site asks for it.
• Anything your site specifically lists, such as a student ID at some campuses. Some sites provide pencils; some want you to bring two sharpened #2 pencils. Check.
• A layer — a sweater without pockets or hood is usually fine, and testing rooms run cold.

Leave behind (or expect to lock up): phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, earbuds, bags, notes, books, food, and drinks. Most sites provide scratch paper and collect it at the end. Bringing your own paper or having a phone in your pocket is typically treated as misconduct, and the usual result is a dismissed test with no refund.

The calculator, scratch paper, and the break

Calculator: a basic four-function calculator is built into the exam software for the Math section. You generally cannot bring your own. Don’t count on a scientific calculator — practice your math with a basic one so the on-screen tool feels normal. Our TEAS 7 math guide covers the formulas and conversions worth knowing by heart.

Scratch paper: usually provided by the proctor, or a whiteboard for some remote setups. Use it for math setups, and for science questions where sketching a diagram helps.

The break: there’s a short scheduled break (typically about 10 minutes) after the Math section, before Science. Take it, even if you feel fine. Stand up, drink some water, eat a snack from your locker if allowed, and use the restroom. Science is the longest section, and you want to start it rested. Breaks at other times are generally not allowed, and the section clock keeps running if you leave.

If you're testing online at home

Remote proctoring adds a technical layer, and it’s where most test-day problems happen:

• Run the system check days ahead on the exact computer, browser, and network you’ll use. Work laptops with locked-down software often fail.
• Use a wired connection if you can, or sit close to the router.
• Clear the room. Expect a webcam scan of your desk and surroundings. No notes, papers, second monitors, or phones within reach.
• Be alone and stay in frame. Someone walking in, or you looking away from the screen often, can flag or end your session.
• Log in early. Check-in and ID verification take time before the clock starts.

Follow the remote-testing instructions in your registration exactly, since they change over time and differ from in-person rules.

When you finish: scores and next steps

On the computer-based TEAS 7, you typically see your scores shortly after you submit, and they appear in your ATI account. The report shows a total score, scores for each of the four sections, and sub-scores by topic. Those topic sub-scores are the most useful part if you need to retest.

A few things to know in advance:

• There’s no universal passing score. Each nursing program sets its own minimum, and some look at section scores too. See our TEAS 7 score requirements guide.
• Retake rules are set by your school — how many attempts, how long you must wait between them, and whether they average your scores or take the highest.
• Sending scores: results usually go to the school where you tested. If you apply elsewhere, you may need to buy a transcript through ATI.

And for the night before: don’t cram. Lay out your ID, confirm your ATI password, check the route or run the system check, and get a full night of sleep. If nerves are the bigger problem than content, our test anxiety tips are worth five minutes. The content work is already done — test day is about showing up prepared and pacing each section well.