TEAS math guide

The math section at a glance

Do the arithmetic on your time: 57 minutes for 38 questions is 90 seconds a question. Most arithmetic items should take far less, which leaves room for the multi-step word problems. Because you cannot tell which 4 questions are unscored, answer all 38 as if they count.

ATI reports your math score as a percent of the 34 scored questions. That is why each question is worth a little under 3 points of your math score: 1 out of 34 is about 2.9%.

Question formats you will see

• Multiple choice with four options, the most common format.
• Multiple select, where you pick every correct answer. Scoring is all or nothing; there is no partial credit.
• Fill in the blank, where you type a number. There are no choices to check against, so rounding and units matter.
• Ordered response, where you put steps or values in order.
• Hot spot, where you click a place on a graph or figure.

Roughly one question in seven uses one of the non-multiple-choice formats. If you only ever practice four-option questions, fill-in-the-blank is where careless rounding will cost you points.

Numbers and algebra: 18 questions

This half is arithmetic and equation solving, nearly always inside a short story about prices, doses, recipes or schedules.

• Fractions, decimals and percents. Convert between all three, add, subtract, multiply and divide them, and put a mixed list in order.
• Mixed numbers. Adding and multiplying them without errors from skipping the conversion to improper fractions.
• Percent problems. Percent of a number, discounts, tips, and percent increase or decrease (always measured from the starting amount).
• Ratios, rates and proportions. Scaling a recipe or a solution, rate in mL per hour, unit prices.
• Solving equations and inequalities. One variable, usually one to three steps, including negative numbers and flipping the sign.
• Translating words into equations. A fee plus a per-hour rate, two quantities with a known total.
• Estimating. Checking that an answer is the right size before you pick it.

Practice these on Lemma

• Fraction sums
• Fraction products
• Mixed numbers
• Percents
• Percent change
• Proportions
• Doses & rates
• One-step equations
• Two-step equations
• Both sides
• Inequalities

Measurement and data: 16 questions

Nearly half the scored questions sit here, which surprises people who studied mostly fractions and algebra. This half rewards units discipline and careful reading of charts.

• Unit conversion. Metric and US customary, pounds to kilograms, grams to milligrams, liters to milliliters, cups, ounces and teaspoons.
• Geometry. Perimeter and area of rectangles, triangles and circles, volume of boxes and cylinders, composite shapes.
• Statistics. Mean, median, mode and range, including the median of an even-sized list.
• Reading data. Tables, bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, and spotting a misleading axis or scale.
• Relationships between variables. Which quantity depends on which, and what a slope or a line on a graph says.

Practice these on Lemma

• Units
• Geometry measures
• Perimeter & circles
• Statistics
• Data shapes
• Charts
• Linear graphs
• Slope

Where to spend your study time

1. Take a full diagnostic first, ideally ATI's own practice assessment, and look at the score report by subarea. Your two subareas are the same size, so study the weaker one first.
2. Fix arithmetic habits before you add new topics. Missed fraction and percent questions are rarely gaps in understanding; they are skipped steps.
3. Practice units out loud: write the unit next to every number and cancel units like fractions. Most dosage and conversion misses come from a dropped unit.
4. Do some practice with the on-screen calculator and some without. Confirm with your testing site which tools you get on your day.
5. Finish with timed sets of 38 questions in 57 minutes, so 90 seconds a question becomes a feel and not a number.

Lemma is independent practice and is not affiliated with ATI. The topic lists above are our plain-language reading of the public blueprint, not ATI's own wording. Always check ATI's current exam details before you test.

What changes between your first and last practice test

People who move from the 60s into the 80s on math usually change three things: they stop doing arithmetic in their heads when a calculator or a written step would be safer, they read the question's last sentence before computing, and they check every answer against a quick estimate. None of that requires new content. It requires a place to practice where each wrong step gets named, which is the point of typing your work line by line on Lemma instead of only picking an answer.

Questions

More guides

• Practice test20 original questions with worked answers and the mistake each one invites.
• FormulasEvery formula and conversion on one page, with when to use each.
• Study planWhat to do each day if your TEAS is in 2, 4 or 7 days.

Sources

• ATI Testing: TEAS exam details: section counts and times, scored versus unscored items, question formats.
• Western Technical College: Nursing TEAS prep guide, math: math section of 38 questions in 57 minutes: 18 numbers and algebra, 16 measurement and data, 4 unscored.

Facts checked 2026-10-14. Independent practice, not affiliated with ATI or McGraw Hill.