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The TEAS is scored differently from most exams you have sat, and the differences matter when you are deciding where to spend your last two weeks.
The structure
170 questions, 209 minutes, four timed sections taken in a fixed order: Reading (45 items / 55 min), Mathematics (38 / 57), Science (50 / 60), English & Language Usage (37 / 37). Once a section's timer ends you cannot return to it.
Only 150 questions count
Twenty items are unscored pretest questions that ATI is trialling for future forms. They are distributed through the sections and are indistinguishable from scored ones. The practical consequence: if a question feels bizarre or unlike anything you studied, it may simply not count — answer it and move on rather than losing three minutes to it.
How the percentage is built
Your Total Score is the percentage of scored items you answered correctly. There is no penalty for guessing, so never leave anything blank — a blank is a guaranteed zero and a guess on four options is 25%.
You also get a percentage for each of the four sections, plus sub-scores within them. And you get two comparison figures: your Programme Mean and National Mean, showing how you did against other people applying to similar programmes.
What the sub-scores tell you
Under each section your report breaks down further — for example Science splits into human anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, and scientific reasoning. If you are retaking, this is the most valuable part of the report: it tells you precisely which topics cost you the marks, so your second attempt isn't a re-run of the first.
Adjusted vs unadjusted
The TEAS is not adaptive. Everyone taking a given form answers the same number of questions, and the exam does not get harder or easier as you go. Your score does not depend on how many questions you answered before it ended, because the length is fixed.
Getting your results
Computer-based TEAS results are typically available almost immediately after you finish. Sending them to programmes is a separate step through your ATI account — and some schools accept only scores sent directly, not a PDF you forward. Check that before test day.