HESI A2 Nursing Entrance Exam Preparation Guide - Exam Overview and Section Practice

Sep 28, 2026

Preparation guide for the HESI A2 Nursing Program entrance exam at Germanna Community College. It explains the exam’s six sections—Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Math, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and Critical Thinking—and summarizes what each section tests and how students will answer. The guide also covers key testing rules, time limit, scoring and retake limits, and lists targeted academic resources and free comprehensive practice exam links to support study across reading, math, science, and decision-making skills.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Exam Overview

Sections of the HESI A2 Exam

English

Math

Science

Critical Thinking

Free Comprehensive HESI A2 Practice Exams

HESI A2 Nursing Entrance Exam Preparation Guide The HESI A2 is an entrance exam for the Nursing Program at Germanna Community College. The exam has six sections: Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Math, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and Critical Thinking. This handout will discuss each section of the HESI A2 exam and provide resources students can use to prepare for it. You can navigate to specific sections of this handout by clicking the links below. Exam Overview: pg. 1 Sections of the HESI A2 Exam: pg. 2 English: pg. 2 Math: pg. 3 Science: pg. 4 Critical Thinking: pg. 5 Free Comprehensive HESI A2 Practice Exams: pg. 6 Exam Overview The HESI A2 exam is proctored by the Testing Center and information for scheduling an appointment can be found at [https://www.germanna.edu/testing/nursing-health-testing/](https://www.germanna.edu/testing/nursing-health-testing/) . Students will complete each section of the exam during one testing session. There is a four hour time limit to complete the exam. After completing a section, it will be scored before students can move on and start the next. While taking the exam, students cannot skip questions, nor will they be able to return to questions they have previously answered. However, students may use a basic on-screen calculator to complete the math portion of the test. Lastly, the exam can only be taken twice, with at least 14 days between the two attempts. Sections of the HESI A2 Exam English The English section of the HESI A2 contains two subsections: Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary. Each subsection contains 55 questions. Reading Comprehension This subsection presents reading passages where students will have to: • Identify the main idea and supporting details • Use context clues to determine word meanings • Decipher between fact and opinion • Summarize part of a passage • Make inferences based on the context of a passage Helpful Academic Resources - Mometrix – Reading Comprehension Practice - Lumen Learning – Main Ideas and Supporting Details - Khan Academy – Using context clues to figure out new words - St. Joseph’s College – Fact vs Opinion - McGraw Hill – Fact and Opinion Exercise - Lumen Learning – Making Inferences Vocabulary This subsection involves determining the meaning of general English and nursing vocabulary words. ACE Helpful Handouts - Guide to Common Medical Terminology - Helpful Resources for ESL Nursing Students Helpful Academic Resources - CLPNA – Medical Abbreviations Game - University of Kent – Vocabulary Test Math The Math section of the HESI A2 exam contains one section: Basic Math. There are 55 questions in this section. Basic Math This subsection checks for an understanding of the math needed to succeed in the nursing field. Students will be expected to: • Answer numerical or word problems that require the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals • Convert between decimals, fractions, and percents • Set up and solve proportions • Perform general unit conversion, such as milliliters to ounces • Convert between the 12-hour clock and military time as well as Roman numerals and numbers • Complete some basic algebra problems ACE Helpful Handouts - Order of Operations and Signed Numbers - Divisibility Rules - Squares, Cubes, and Their Roots - Radicals and Fractional Exponents - Exponents, Radicals, and Scientific Notation - Introduction to Fractions - Decimals, Fractions and Percents - Metric Conversion - Nursing Conversions and Formulas - Resources for Reviewing Basic Math Skills - Introduction to Word Problems Helpful Academic Resources - Pre-Algebra Tutorials - Khan Academy – Algebra Basics - The Academic Center for Excellence's Math Course Resources Webpage Science The Science section of the HESI A2 exam contains two subsections: Chemistry and Anatomy & P

FAQs

What sections are included in the HESI A2 nursing entrance exam?

The HESI A2 has six sections: Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Math, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and Critical Thinking.

What are the main testing rules and timing for the HESI A2?

Students complete all sections in one testing session with a four-hour time limit. A section is scored before moving to the next, questions cannot be skipped or revisited, a basic on-screen calculator can be used for math, and the exam can be taken twice with at least 14 days between attempts.

What does the English portion of the HESI A2 evaluate?

It includes Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary, with 55 questions per subsection. Reading Comprehension focuses on identifying main ideas and details, using context clues, distinguishing fact vs opinion, summarizing, and making inferences.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Alexandar