ATI TEAS 7 Math Study Guide: Formulas & Practice

The math section is the one applicants most often tell us surprised them — not because the content is advanced, but because the pace is tight and the questions are worded as real-world problems rather than bare equations. There is no trigonometry, no calculus, and very little algebra beyond solving for a single variable. What the section does demand is that you move quickly and accurately through fractions, percentages, ratios, unit conversions, and data displays, which is exactly the arithmetic you will use every shift once you are on the floor. This guide covers what the section actually tests, the short list of formulas worth memorizing cold, how the on-screen calculator works, and a study plan that fits the time you have.

How the math section is built

The TEAS 7 mathematics section is 38 questions in 57 minutes. Only 34 of those are scored — the other four are unscored pretest items ATI is trialling for future versions of the exam, and they are not identified on screen. You cannot tell which is which, so treat every question as if it counts.

The scored items split into two sub-content areas:

• Numbers and Algebra — 18 questions. Fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and proportions, order of operations, estimation, and solving equations and word problems.
• Measurement and Data — 16 questions. Unit conversions (within and between the metric and household systems), geometric measurement, reading tables and graphs, basic descriptive statistics, and interpreting relationships between variables.

Two things follow from that blueprint. First, Numbers and Algebra is the bigger half, so if your study time is limited, fractions-decimals-percentages-ratios is where it belongs. Second, 57 minutes across 38 questions is about 90 seconds per question — comfortable for a one-step conversion, genuinely tight if you stall. Exam specifications can change, so confirm the current breakdown against ATI’s published content outline before test day.

Fractions, decimals, percentages, and ratios

This cluster is the largest source of points on the entire section, and it is almost entirely about fluency rather than knowledge. Make sure you can do all of the following without hesitating:

• Convert freely among the three forms. A fraction becomes a decimal by dividing (3/4 = 0.75); a decimal becomes a percentage by moving the point two places right (0.75 = 75%); a percentage becomes a fraction over 100 and then reduces (75% = 75/100 = 3/4).
• Add and subtract fractions by finding a common denominator; multiply straight across; divide by multiplying by the reciprocal.
• Move between improper fractions and mixed numbers in both directions.
• Set up and solve a proportion — two equal ratios, cross-multiply, solve for the unknown. This single skill answers a surprising share of the word problems.

Three percentage relationships cover nearly every percentage question you will see:

1. Part = percent × whole. Rearranged: percent = part ÷ whole, and whole = part ÷ percent.
2. Percent change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100. The original value always goes in the denominator — using the new value is the single most common error here.
3. Increase by a percentage by multiplying by (1 + the decimal): a 20% increase is × 1.20, and a 20% decrease is × 0.80.

Keep order of operations (PEMDAS) sharp, and be careful with negative numbers — subtracting a negative adds, and a negative times a negative is positive. Expect at least one question that is pure order-of-operations bookkeeping.

Unit conversions and measurement

Conversion questions are the most memorization-dependent part of the section, and they are the most worth front-loading because the facts are finite. The metric system is just decimal place-shifting once you know the prefixes: kilo- = 1,000, centi- = 1/100, milli- = 1/1,000. So 1 kg = 1,000 g, 1 g = 1,000 mg, 1 L = 1,000 mL, and 1 m = 100 cm = 1,000 mm.

The cross-system equivalents worth knowing are a short list:

• 1 kg ≈ 2.2 lb (and 1 lb = 16 oz)
• 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 foot = 12 inches; 1 yard = 3 feet; 1 mile = 5,280 feet
• 1 L ≈ 1.06 quarts; 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups; 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces; 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
• °F = (9/5)°C + 32 and °C = (5/9)(°F − 32)

The method that makes all of these mechanical is dimensional analysis: write each conversion as a fraction, arrange them so the unwanted units cancel diagonally, and multiply. If your units cancel down to the unit the question asked for, your setup is right before you touch the calculator. This is the same technique you will use for dosage calculations throughout nursing school, so the practice pays off twice.

For geometry, the exam stays practical: perimeter as the distance around, area of a rectangle = length × width, area of a triangle = ½ × base × height, circumference = 2πr, area of a circle = πr², and volume of a box = length × width × height. Watch the units in the answer choices — area is squared, volume is cubed, and that detail alone often eliminates two options.

Data, graphs, and basic statistics

Measurement and Data questions frequently hand you a table, bar chart, line graph, or scatterplot and ask you to read or compare values. These are reading-comprehension questions wearing a math costume, and the points are cheap if you slow down for the labels. Read the axis titles, the units, and the legend before you look at the data; a graph scaled in thousands or starting at a value other than zero is a standard trap.

The statistics vocabulary you need is short but must be exact:

• Mean — the average: add the values, divide by how many there are.
• Median — the middle value once the data is sorted. With an even count, average the two middle values. Sorting first is not optional.
• Mode — the most frequent value. There can be more than one, or none.
• Range — the largest value minus the smallest.

You may also be asked to describe a relationship between two variables: a positive correlation means both rise together, a negative correlation means one rises as the other falls, and no discernible pattern means no correlation. A useful habit is to remember that correlation is not causation — if an answer choice claims one variable causes another based only on a graph, be skeptical of it.

The calculator and how to use your 57 minutes

A basic four-function calculator is built into the exam and opens on screen from an icon near the timer. It handles addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, plus percent, square root, a decimal point, backspace, and memory keys. It is not a scientific or graphing calculator, and the questions are written with that limitation in mind. Personal calculators, phone calculators, and calculator watches are not permitted at any TEAS administration, in person or online. Policies and on-screen tools can vary by version and testing arrangement, so confirm the details with your testing site when you register.

The practical point: an on-screen calculator you click with a mouse is slower than the handheld one you are used to. Practice with an on-screen or computer calculator before test day so the clicking is not new, and do the small arithmetic in your head — opening the calculator to divide by ten costs more time than it saves.

For pacing, three habits protect the score:

1. Read the question stem last-line first. Find out what is being asked before you absorb the setup, so you know which numbers matter.
2. Estimate before you compute. If you expect roughly 40 and the calculator says 400, you mistyped or misplaced a decimal. Estimation catches the errors that cost the most.
3. Cap your time per question at about two minutes. If you are over, pick your best option, flag it, and move on. Check whether your test version allows returning to flagged items — either way, never trade three easy questions for one stubborn one.

A study plan that fits the time you have

Most applicants are working with a couple of weeks, not a semester. Spend that time in this order:

1. Take a timed diagnostic set first, not last. It tells you whether your problem is content, speed, or careless errors — and those three call for completely different study. Most people assume it is content and discover it is speed.
2. Rebuild fraction, decimal, and percentage fluency before anything else. It is the largest question block and it underlies the word problems in every other topic.
3. Memorize the conversion list above on flashcards, then drill dimensional analysis until you write units out automatically.
4. Do a dedicated graph-and-statistics session. It is a small amount of material for a meaningful number of questions, which makes it the best return per hour on the section.
5. Finish with full-length timed sections so 90-second pacing feels normal rather than alarming.

Two more things worth doing. Keep an error log — a running list of every question you miss and one line on why (did not know it, misread it, arithmetic slip, ran out of time). After thirty entries the pattern is obvious, and it is usually narrower than you feared. And read the rationale on every question, including the ones you got right, because a lucky guess and a solid answer look identical on a score report and only one of them will hold up on test day.

Finally, check with your program about which composite or section scores they require and whether retakes are allowed, so you know what you are actually aiming at before you start.