What's on TEAS 7 Reading
You will see 45 reading questions in 55 minutes. Six are unscored pretest items mixed in; you will not know which six, so work every question carefully.
The 39 scored questions come from three areas:
- Key Ideas and Details (15): finding the main point, locating details, following directions, reading visuals, and putting events in order
- Craft and Structure (9): word meaning in context, fact versus opinion, and the author's purpose or point of view
- Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (15): using evidence, comparing ideas, evaluating an argument, and combining information from more than one source
Reading is the first section of the exam. Leftover time does not move to Math.
You may see short passages, sets of directions, and charts, graphs, or other visuals. Some questions ask you to use more than one source. Answer from the information on the screen, not from what you already know about the topic.
Key Ideas and Details
This is one of the two largest reading areas, with 15 scored questions. These items ask you to find what the text says, or what it clearly points to.
Question types you may see:
- Summarizing a multi-paragraph passage
- Drawing a conclusion about the text's meaning
- Following written directions
- Locating a specific detail in the text
- Reading a chart, graph, or other visual
- Putting events or steps in the correct order
Tips:
- Read the question first: then go back to the passage or graphic for the answer
- Summaries: keep the main point and leave out extra examples
- Details: scan for names, numbers, and keywords, then read that sentence in context
- Visuals: check the title, labels, and units before you pick a value
- Directions and sequence: follow the steps in the order given; don't skip or rearrange them
Common traps:
- Choosing a detail that appears in the passage but does not answer the question
- Using outside knowledge instead of the text
- Picking a summary that is too narrow (one example) or too broad
- Misreading a graph label or skipping a step in a set of directions
Go back to the words or numbers on the screen before you choose.
Craft and Structure
This area has 9 scored questions. These items look at how the writer built the text: word choice, purpose, point of view, and whether a statement is fact or opinion.
Question types you may see:
- Telling fact from opinion, and spotting bias or a misconception
- Using context to figure out a word or phrase
- Identifying the author's purpose
- Identifying the author's point of view or perspective
Tips:
- Context clues: read the sentences around the word; don't stop at a meaning you already know
- Purpose: ask whether the writer is informing, persuading, entertaining, or explaining how to do something
- Point of view: notice pronouns, tone, and whose side is presented
- Fact versus opinion: a fact can be checked; an opinion uses judgment words such as best, should, or amazing
Common traps:
- Choosing a familiar meaning of a word that does not fit this sentence
- Mixing up the author's purpose (to inform) with the topic (what the passage is about)
- Treating a strongly worded opinion as a fact because it sounds confident
- Assuming the author's view is the same as a person quoted in the text
Look at how the text is written, not just what it is about.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
This area also has 15 scored questions. These items ask you to use evidence, compare ideas, judge an argument, or pull information from more than one source.
Question types you may see:
- Using evidence from the text to make a prediction, an inference, or a conclusion
- Comparing themes or ideas in one or more texts
- Evaluating an argument
- Combining information from more than one source or format, including media
Tips:
- Evidence: the right inference is supported by the text, even if it is not stated word for word
- Arguments: find the claim, then check which reasons or data actually support it
- Compare and contrast: look for what the sources share and where they differ; don't invent a theme that only fits one
- Multiple sources: use only the information given, and notice if two sources disagree
Common traps:
- An inference that sounds reasonable but is not backed by the passage
- Choosing a detail that is true but does not support the claim in the question
- Treating two similar topics as the same idea
- Ignoring a chart, table, or second passage that the question also refers to
If the question points to more than one source, check each one before you answer.
How to study TEAS 7 Reading
Reading improves with focused practice, not with rereading the same notes. These habits help, along with enough practice questions to see the same skills in different passages.
- Practice one skill at a time: for example, work on summaries one day, then charts, then arguments
- Then test yourself with practice questions: after a skill feels clearer, do a short set and review every miss
- Read the question, then the text: this keeps you from getting lost in extra details
- Write why the right answer is right: especially when two choices looked close
- Know your target: what counts as a good TEAS 7 score depends on your nursing program, so check that number as you plan
If you want a week-by-week schedule for all four sections, see How to Study for the TEAS 7.
Test-day pacing
You have 55 minutes for 45 questions, which is a little more than a minute per question. Some items include a passage or a graphic, so you will need to keep a steady pace.
- Keep moving: if one passage is taking too long, flag it, choose your best answer, and come back if time remains
- You can go back inside Reading until you submit the section. Once you move on to Math, you cannot return.
- Leftover time does not carry over to Math, so use the minutes you have
- Don't leave a question blank. There is no penalty for guessing; an unanswered question is scored as incorrect
- Answer from the text, and watch words such as except, not, best, and most likely
For a fuller test-day checklist, see TEAS 7 Test Day Tips.