👤 By the CinnaEntry Content Team🕐 Updated 2026-09-06🏷️ HESI Chemistry🔖 Free to read, print, and share
Also known as: solute · solvent · solution · dilute · concentrated · saturated
💡
Use this one-page guide to lock in Solutions Cheat Sheet for the ATI TEAS 7 and HESI A2. Keep it handy during review and on exam day.
🩺
📒 The 1-minute cheat sheet
📌 Name The Parts
SOLUTE = what dissolves (the salt)
SOLVENT = what does the dissolving (the water)
SOLUTION = the even mixture of both
📌 Concentration
Add solute → more CONCENTRATED
Add solvent → more DILUTE
Saturated = holds all it can at that temperature
Heating usually lets a liquid dissolve MORE solid
⚠️ Why Water
Water is the 'universal solvent' because it is polar
Like dissolves like — it will not dissolve non-polar oils
📚 Solutions Cheat Sheet — full study notes
The cheat sheet above is your quick recall card. These notes go deeper — what it is, what to do first, what must be reported, and what to teach.
A solution is a uniform mixture of one substance dissolved in another. Nearly every question here checks whether you can name the parts correctly and reason about what happens when you add more of one of them.
🔑
Key points
Understand these first
The SOLUTE is what dissolves; the SOLVENT does the dissolving. In salt water, salt is the solute and water is the solvent.
Water is called the universal solvent because its polarity dissolves so many substances.
More solute in the same solvent = more CONCENTRATED. Adding solvent = more DILUTE.
A SATURATED solution holds all the solute it can at that temperature; more solute just settles out.
Heating usually increases how much solid solute a liquid can dissolve — which is why sugar dissolves faster in hot tea.
✅
Study first
Where to start
Dissolve 5 g of salt in 100 mL of water, then add another 100 mL of water. The amount of salt is unchanged, but the solution is now half as concentrated — that is dilution.
Keep adding sugar to iced tea until it stops disappearing: you have reached saturation at that temperature.
🚩
Red flags — report now
Escalate immediately
Reversing solute and solvent. The solvent is the one present in the greater amount and does the dissolving.
Thinking dilution removes solute — it does not; it adds solvent and spreads the same solute further.
Assuming a saturated solution is 'full' at every temperature; raising the temperature usually lets it hold more.
🗣️
Commonly tested
What comes up most
Say the sentence 'salt is the solute, water is the solvent' aloud. One concrete example fixes both terms permanently.
For concentration questions, ask only: did the amount of SOLUTE change, or the amount of SOLVENT? That determines the direction every time.
❓ Solutions Cheat Sheet: TEAS & HESI FAQs
What should I focus on first when studying Solutions Cheat Sheet?
Dissolve 5 g of salt in 100 mL of water, then add another 100 mL of water. The amount of salt is unchanged, but the solution is now half as concentrated — that is dilution. Keep adding sugar to iced tea until it stops disappearing: you have reached saturation at that temperature.
What are the warning signs of Solutions Cheat Sheet a nurse must report?
Reversing solute and solvent. The solvent is the one present in the greater amount and does the dissolving. Thinking dilution removes solute — it does not; it adds solvent and spreads the same solute further. Assuming a saturated solution is 'full' at every temperature; raising the temperature usually lets it hold more.
What do I need to know about Solutions Cheat Sheet for the TEAS or HESI?
The SOLUTE is what dissolves; the SOLVENT does the dissolving. In salt water, salt is the solute and water is the solvent. Water is called the universal solvent because its polarity dissolves so many substances. More solute in the same solvent = more CONCENTRATED. Adding solvent = more DILUTE. A SATURATED solution holds all the solute it can at that temperature; more solute just settles out.
What are the most commonly tested points on Solutions Cheat Sheet?
Say the sentence 'salt is the solute, water is the solvent' aloud. One concrete example fixes both terms permanently. For concentration questions, ask only: did the amount of SOLUTE change, or the amount of SOLVENT? That determines the direction every time.
✨
Quick Tip
The SOLUTE is what dissolves; the SOLVENT does the dissolving. In salt water, salt is the solute and water is the solvent.