Nursing Program Admissions Testing

What should I do to prepare for the TEAS?
We recommend that students have the following preparation (and associated competencies) prior to taking the test:

• Completion of  MTH 20
• Placing at or above WR 121 and RD 117, or have successfully completed the prerequisite courses.
• Completion of one chemistry course, at least two terms of anatomy and physiology, and microbiology

The company that produces the test also sells a study manual which is available in the COCC Bookstore or by direct order ($34.95 plus $8 shipping, see http://www.atitesting.com/ for ordering information). COCC has purchased several copies of the study guide which are on reserve at the COCC Library.

There are many good resources for maximizing your test performance; one such resource is http://www.campusblues.com/test.asp.

More information about how COCC administers the test and the rules of the test are located on the TEAS Exam Rules handout that is provided at the time of your reservation and on the day of the test.

Can I take the TEAS more than once?
COCC allows students to take the test up to two times in a student's lifetime, and the nursing selection process will use the highest score. There must be 90 days between tests. Only test scores from tests given at COCC will be considered.

Students who take the test for the second time need to be able to log in to their ATI testing account prior to arriving at the test.

When can I take the TEAS exam?

TEAS test days 2010:
Date	Time	Day	Can test again on or after….
February 21, 2010	1-5 pm	Sunday	May 22, 2010
March 6, 2010	1-5 pm	Saturday	June 4, 2010
March 14, 2010	4-8 pm	Sunday	June 12, 2010
May 9, 2010	1-5 pm	Sunday	2011
June 4, 2010	1-5 pm	Friday	2011
June 5, 2010	1-5 pm	Saturday	2011
June 11, 2010	4-8 pm	Friday	2011
June 13, 2010	1-5 pm	Sunday	2011

How do I sign up to take the TEAS?
Admitted, continuing COCC students can make reservations in person in Admissions and Records at the Boyle Education Center or by phone (383-7229). Payment of the non-refundable $30 test fee is required at the time of reservation.  Students with special testing needs must contact the CAP Center prior to making a reservation (see below).

Students who are taking the test for the second time need to be able to log in to the same ATI account that they used the first time. Students should log into the testing site http://www.atitesting.com/ several days prior to arriving at the second test.

What if I have special testing needs?
Students who are eligible for special test accommodations through the COCC Office of Disabilities may not test on the dates listed above, and may need a unique test date. Students who will use special test accomodations must initiate their test appointment by contacting the CAP Center and providing copies of the documented accomodation at least one month prior to the date they wish to test, but no later than May 1, 2010.  We will not be able to accomodate any special test accomodations requested after that date.

What if I am not admitted to COCC but would like to use the test for another school?

COCC administers the TEAS exam to support applicants to COCC's nursing program. Students must be admitted to COCC to take the test, so you may use our test but do need to complete the Admissions step. COCC does not provide TEAS test results to other institutions.

What do I need to know about the day of the test?
Students must bring a picture ID to the test session, will need to provide their social security number, and will need to be able to log in to their COCC network account (help is available on the web). Please note: absolutely no other items will be allowed in the test room. This includes handbags, backpacks, cell phones, or other items. The test does not allow nor require calculators. A copy of the testing rules that are handed out the day of the test is available.

You should arrive 15 minutes early for the test. Students arriving late to the test will not be allowed to test on this day and will not be refunded their test fee.

Test details
The test consists of four parts, listed below with the number of test questions and the time allowed for each section.

Content Area	Time allowed	Number of questions
Reading	50 minutes	40
Mathematics	56 minutes	45
Science	38 minutes	30
English	65 minutes	55
TOTAL	209 minutes	170

Total test time is 3 hours, 29 minutes. COCC will use the adjusted composite score (also called "your score" on earlier test versions, which uses a scale of 1-99). Here is ATI's explanation of the score:

The Adjusted Composite Score is a function of the number of questions answered correctly divided by the number of questions on the assessment. This percentage-correct score is then adjusted to account for differences in the difficulty of the form taken, producing the Adjusted Composite Score. For example:

Number of questions answered correctly/Total number of questions on the assessment =

136/170 = 80 % (adjusted for form difficulty) = Adjusted Composite Score 

The following information is located at http://www.atitesting.com/productinfo/TEAS.aspx

The Math subtest covers whole numbers, metric conversion, fractions and decimals, algebraic equations, percentages, and ratio/proportion.

Reading covers paragraph comprehension, passage comprehension, and inferences/conclusions.

The English subtest measures knowledge of punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, contextual words, and spelling.

The Science portion of the exam covers science reasoning, science knowledge, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, basic physical principles, and general science.