TEAS 7 Anatomy and Physiology: What to Know and How to Study It

What's on TEAS 7 Anatomy and Physiology

You will see 50 science questions in 60 minutes. Six are unscored pretest items mixed in; you will not know which six, so work every question carefully.

Of the scored science questions, 18 are Human Anatomy and Physiology. The others come from Biology (9), Chemistry (8), and Scientific Reasoning (9).

The A&P questions cover general orientation of the body, plus the respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, muscular, male and female reproductive, integumentary, endocrine, urinary, immune, and skeletal systems. ATI does not publish how many of the 18 questions come from each system, so do not skip a section because it looks small.

General Orientation Tips

Start with the map of the body. These terms show up across A&P.

• Directional terms: superior and inferior, anterior and posterior, medial and lateral, proximal and distal, superficial and deep
• Planes: sagittal divides left from right, frontal (coronal) divides front from back, and transverse divides top from bottom
• Cavities and organization: cranial, spinal, thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities; then cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems
• Common trap: proximal and distal describe positions on the limbs, relative to the trunk. Use the patient's left and right, not yours.

Sketch a location before you look at the choices.

Respiratory System Tips

Follow the path of air, then focus on gas exchange.

• Pathway: nose or mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, then alveoli
• Gas exchange and breathing: gases cross the alveolar walls by diffusion; the diaphragm contracts and flattens for inspiration and relaxes for quiet expiration
• High-yield fact: the right lung has three lobes, and the left lung has two
• Common trap: pulmonary arteries carry deoxygenated blood to the lungs; pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood back to the heart.

Trace the breath and the lung vessels first.

Cardiovascular System Tips

Know the path of blood through the heart, and the two circuits.

• Path of blood: body to right atrium, right ventricle, lungs, left atrium, left ventricle, then back to the body
• Valves, in order: tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral (bicuspid), then aortic
• High-yield fact: pulmonary circulation goes to the lungs and back; systemic circulation serves the rest of the body. The SA node in the right atrium is the pacemaker.
• Common trap: arteries carry blood away from the heart, and veins carry it toward the heart. That is about direction, not oxygen level.

Write the four chambers on scratch paper if needed.

Digestive System Tips

Follow the food, then match each accessory organ to its job.

• Pathway: mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, then anus
• Absorption: the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum) absorbs nutrients; the large intestine absorbs most of the water
• Accessory organs: the liver makes bile, the gallbladder stores bile, and the pancreas releases digestive enzymes and bicarbonate
• Common trap: the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum are parts of the small intestine, not the large intestine.

Decide whether food passes through the organ or it only adds bile, enzymes, or hormones.

Nervous System Tips

Separate the major divisions, then sort the signals.

• Main divisions: the central nervous system is the brain and spinal cord; the peripheral nervous system is the nerves that branch out
• Signals: sensory (afferent) pathways go toward the CNS; motor (efferent) pathways carry commands away from it. Myelin speeds the signal.
• Autonomic system: sympathetic is "fight or flight," and parasympathetic is "rest and digest."
• Common trap: afferent and efferent are easy to swap. Remember: afferent arrives, efferent exits.

Sort each function into CNS or PNS, then into sensory or motor.

Muscular System Tips

Start by telling the three muscle types apart.

• Skeletal muscle: voluntary and striated; it moves the skeleton
• Cardiac muscle: involuntary and striated, with intercalated discs; found only in the heart
• Smooth muscle: involuntary and not striated; found in organ and vessel walls. Contraction uses actin, myosin, and ATP.
• Common trap: tendons attach muscle to bone; ligaments attach bone to bone.

Start with the three types, not every muscle name.

Reproductive System Tips

Focus on where gametes are made, and where fertilization and implantation occur.

• Female organs: ovaries produce eggs, estrogen, and progesterone; fertilization usually happens in a fallopian tube; implantation happens in the uterus
• Male organs: testes produce sperm and testosterone; the vas deferens transports sperm
• High-yield fact: the ovary and testis are both reproductive organs and endocrine glands
• Common trap: fertilization and implantation are not the same event, and they do not happen in the same place.

Follow the path from gonad to fertilization or implantation.

Integumentary System Tips

Think of the skin in layers, then match each layer to its job.

• Epidermis: the outer layer; it is avascular and includes keratin and melanin
• Dermis: blood vessels, nerves, sweat glands, and sebaceous glands
• Functions: protection, temperature regulation, sensation, and vitamin D production. The hypodermis stores fat.
• Common trap: the epidermis does not have its own blood supply. Nutrients reach it from the dermis below.

Bleeding, sensation, or glands usually point to the dermis.

Endocrine System Tips

Hormones travel in the blood, so their effects are slower than nerve signals, but they last longer.

• Pancreas: insulin lowers blood glucose; glucagon raises it
• Thyroid and parathyroid: thyroid hormones set metabolic rate; calcitonin lowers blood calcium, and parathyroid hormone raises it
• Other glands: the pituitary releases tropic hormones that control other glands; the adrenals release cortisol, aldosterone, and adrenaline
• Common trap: insulin and glucagon do opposite jobs, and so do calcitonin and parathyroid hormone.

Ask which way the blood value moves, then pick that hormone.

Urinary System Tips

Trace urine from the kidney out of the body, then review the nephron.

• Pathway: kidneys, ureters, bladder, then urethra
• Nephron: the glomerulus filters blood, and the tubules handle reabsorption and secretion
• Functions: waste removal, fluid and electrolyte balance, blood pressure control (renin), and erythropoietin for red blood cell production
• Common trap: ureters carry urine to the bladder; the urethra carries it out of the body. The bladder stores urine; it does not filter blood.

If filtration is the question, stay at the nephron.

Immune System Tips

Sort defenses into barriers you already have and responses you build after exposure.

• Innate immunity: nonspecific defenses such as skin, mucus, inflammation, and fever
• Adaptive immunity: B cells make antibodies, and T cells handle cell-mediated responses
• Key organs: bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes, and spleen; T cells mature in the thymus
• Common trap: innate immunity is fast and general; adaptive immunity is specific and can form memory, which is why vaccines work.

First decide whether the defense is general or specific.

Skeletal System Tips

Know what bone does, how it is built, and how it is grouped.

• Functions: support, protection, movement, mineral storage, and blood cell production in the marrow
• Cells: osteoblasts build bone, and osteoclasts break it down
• Divisions: the axial skeleton includes the skull, vertebral column, and rib cage; the appendicular skeleton includes the limbs and their girdles. Ligaments connect bone to bone.
• Common trap: osteoblasts and osteoclasts sound alike but do opposite jobs. "Blast" builds.

Know the functions, the two divisions, and which cell builds or breaks down bone.

How to study TEAS 7 anatomy and physiology

A&P rewards steady review. Finish one system, quiz yourself, then move on.

• One system at a time: learn the organs, the main functions, and one or two traps, then do a short quiz
• Flashcards in short bursts: about 15 minutes at a time. Say answers out loud, and review the cards you miss first
• Connections, not just lists: notice where systems meet, such as the lungs and heart, or the pancreas in digestion and endocrine control
• Practice questions: once a few systems are down, test your knowledge with practice questions

For biology, chemistry, scientific reasoning, and science pacing, see TEAS 7 Science Section Tips. Before test day, check what counts as a good TEAS 7 score.