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TEAS science practice questions
Science is the largest TEAS section: 50 questions in 60 minutes, and anatomy and physiology is a big share of it. Work each question, then read the explanation.
Question 1 · TEAS Biology & Chemistry
An arterial blood gas reveals a patient's blood pH is 7.25. Understanding that normal blood pH is 7.35-7.45, how should the nurse interpret this value?
Show answer and rationale
Answer: C. On the pH scale, values below 7 are acidic and each whole unit represents a tenfold change in acidity; a pH of 7.25 is below the normal blood range of 7.35-7.45, indicating the blood is more acidic than normal (acidosis). A value above 7.45 would indicate the blood is more basic (alkalosis), which is not the case here. Because 7.25 falls below the normal range, it is not within normal limits. Neutral pH is 7.0, which is different from blood's normal near-neutral but slightly basic range.
Checked against: OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 20.2; OpenStax Medical-Surgical Nursing, 10.4
Question 2 · TEAS A&P
A nurse is reviewing the axial skeleton with a nursing student. Which structures are part of the axial skeleton? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Show answer and rationale
Answer: A, C, D, E. The axial skeleton forms the body's central axis and includes the skull, vertebral column, rib cage, and sternum, totaling 80 bones in the adult. The femur is part of the appendicular skeleton because it is a bone of the lower limb, and the pelvic girdle is also appendicular since it attaches the limbs to the axial skeleton. Together the axial and appendicular skeletons make up the 206 bones of the adult skeleton.
Checked against: OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 23.1
Question 3 · TEAS A&P
A client with a temperature of 102.5°F (39.2°C) begins to shiver and states feeling cold despite the elevated temperature. The nurse recognizes the shivering as an example of which physiologic process?
Show answer and rationale
Answer: C. During a fever, the hypothalamus resets the body's temperature set point higher, and shivering generates heat through negative feedback to reach that new elevated target, which is why the client feels cold and shivers even though the temperature is already high. This is still negative feedback because the response works to correct the deviation from the current set point, not amplify it indefinitely, ruling out positive feedback. The shivering is raising, not lowering, temperature, so the option describing lowering temperature is incorrect. The response is part of the autonomic, homeostatic negative feedback loop, not something separate from it.
Checked against: OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 7.1; OpenStax Pharmacology for Nurses, 4.4
Question 4 · TEAS Biology & Chemistry
A nursing student is reviewing the four macromolecules of life. Which pairings of a macromolecule with its correct monomer are accurate? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Show answer and rationale
Answer: A, B, C, D. Carbohydrates are built from sugar monomers, lipids from fatty acids and glycerol, proteins from amino acids, and nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) from nucleotides; these are the four correct macromolecule-monomer pairs. Proteins are made of amino acids, not nucleotides, so that pairing is wrong. Lipids are made of fatty acids and glycerol, not amino acids, so that pairing is also incorrect.
Checked against: OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 21.1
Question 5 · TEAS A&P
A client asks the nurse to explain where an injection was given in relation to the elbow. The nurse identifies the injection site on the forearm, closer to the wrist than the elbow. Which term correctly describes this location relative to the elbow?
Show answer and rationale
Answer: B. Distal means farther from the trunk or point of reference; since the injection site is closer to the wrist than to the elbow, it is distal to the elbow. Proximal would describe a site closer to the elbow itself. Medial and lateral describe position relative to the body's midline, not distance from a joint, so they do not apply to this comparison.
Checked against: OpenStax Clinical Nursing Skills, 13.2
Question 6 · TEAS A&P
The nurse is reviewing the process of urine formation with a nursing student. Which processes occur in the nephron? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Show answer and rationale
Answer: B, C, E. The nephron filters blood at the glomerulus, reabsorbs needed substances back into the bloodstream, and secretes additional waste products into the forming urine. Insulin is produced by the pancreas, not the nephron, so this option is incorrect. Peristalsis moves contents through the digestive tract, and gas exchange occurs in the alveoli of the lungs, neither of which takes place in the nephron.
Checked against: OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 26.1
Question 7 · TEAS A&P
Which structures are part of the axial skeleton? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Show answer and rationale
Answer: A, B, F. The axial skeleton forms the body's central axis and includes the skull, vertebral column, and rib cage. The femur is a limb bone belonging to the appendicular skeleton, not the axial skeleton. The pelvic girdle and shoulder girdle attach the limbs to the axial skeleton but are themselves classified as part of the appendicular skeleton, so they are not correct answers.
Checked against: OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 23.1; OpenStax Clinical Nursing Skills, 25.3
Question 8 · TEAS A&P
Which of the following are examples of negative feedback mechanisms in the human body? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Show answer and rationale
Answer: B, D, E. Shivering generates heat to reverse a drop in temperature, insulin release lowers blood glucose back toward the set point, and an increased respiratory rate blows off excess carbon dioxide to correct rising levels — all are negative feedback examples that restore balance. Oxytocin release during labor is a classic positive feedback loop because contractions stimulate more oxytocin, amplifying the response rather than reversing it. The clotting cascade is also positive feedback, since each activated clotting factor accelerates further activation until the clot forms, rather than counteracting the original stimulus.
Checked against: OpenStax Medical-Surgical Nursing, 8.6
Question 9 · TEAS A&P
A client with type 1 diabetes has not eaten for several hours and reports feeling shaky and sweaty. The nurse checks the client's blood glucose and finds it low. The nurse understands that in a person without diabetes, which hormone would normally be released to raise blood glucose in this situation?
Show answer and rationale
Answer: B. Glucagon is released by the pancreas during fasting states to raise blood glucose by stimulating the liver to release stored glucose, which is the appropriate response to hypoglycemia. Insulin has the opposite effect, lowering blood glucose by promoting cellular uptake, so it would not be the hormone released in this low-glucose situation. Thyroxine regulates overall metabolic rate rather than short-term glucose levels, and aldosterone regulates sodium and potassium balance, not blood glucose.
Checked against: OpenStax Pharmacology for Nurses, 28.1
Question 10 · TEAS Biology & Chemistry
Two parents who are both heterozygous for a dominant trait (Bb x Bb) are counseled about the possible genotypes and phenotypes of their offspring. Which statements accurately reflect the expected Punnett square outcomes? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Show answer and rationale
Answer: A, B, D, E. A Bb x Bb cross produces a classic 3:1 ratio: 1 BB, 2 Bb, and 1 bb, meaning about 3 of 4 offspring show the dominant phenotype and 1 of 4 is homozygous recessive; about 1 of 4 is also homozygous dominant. Both BB and Bb genotypes display the same dominant phenotype, illustrating that genotype and phenotype are not always one-to-one. It is incorrect that all offspring share the same genotype, since three different genotype combinations (BB, Bb, bb) are possible from this cross.
Checked against: OpenStax Medical-Surgical Nursing, 30.2
Question 11 · TEAS A&P
A nursing student is describing nephron function. Which processes occur within the nephron? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Show answer and rationale
Answer: B, C, D. The nephron is the kidney's functional unit; it filters blood at the glomerulus, reabsorbs needed substances such as water, glucose, and electrolytes back into the blood, and secretes additional waste products into the tubule to form urine. Red blood cell production occurs in bone marrow, not the nephron, although the kidney does release erythropoietin to stimulate that process elsewhere. Urine storage occurs in the bladder, not within the nephron itself, so this option does not describe a nephron function.
Checked against: OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 26.4; OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 26.1
Question 12 · TEAS A&P
A client becomes acutely frightened during a painful procedure. The nurse notes an increased heart rate, dilated pupils, and rapid breathing. Which division of the nervous system is responsible for these findings?
Show answer and rationale
Answer: B. The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system produces the fight-or-flight response, which explains the increased heart rate, pupil dilation, and rapid breathing seen in this frightened client. The parasympathetic division promotes rest-and-digest effects, such as slowing the heart rate, which is the opposite of what is observed here. While the CNS integrates signals, the coordinated stress response described is specifically driven through the autonomic sympathetic pathway. The somatic nervous system controls voluntary skeletal muscle movement, not involuntary responses like these.
Checked against: OpenStax Clinical Nursing Skills, 26.1
Question 13 · TEAS Biology & Chemistry
Which cellular process requires ATP to move sodium and potassium ions against their concentration gradients?
Show answer and rationale
Answer: B. Active transport uses energy from ATP to move substances against their concentration gradient, as seen in the sodium-potassium pump, which moves 3 Na+ out and 2 K+ into the cell per ATP used. Diffusion and osmosis are passive processes that move substances from high to low concentration and require no energy. Facilitated diffusion is also passive; it uses a carrier protein but does not require ATP or move substances against their gradient.
Checked against: OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 20.1; OpenStax Pharmacology for Nurses, 33.1
Question 14 · TEAS A&P
Which of the following are classified as connective tissue? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Show answer and rationale
Answer: A, B, D, F. Connective tissue supports, binds, and protects the body and includes blood, adipose tissue, tendons, cartilage, bone, and ligaments; blood counts because it consists of cells suspended in a liquid matrix (plasma). The skin surface epidermis and stomach lining are examples of epithelial tissue, which covers surfaces and lines cavities, is avascular, and regenerates quickly, making them incorrect choices for connective tissue.
Checked against: OpenStax Clinical Nursing Skills, 25.1; OpenStax Fundamentals of Nursing, 24.3
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Get NurseLingo freeHow the TEAS is laid out
| Section | Questions | Unscored pretest | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 | 6 | 55 min |
| Mathematics | 38 | 4 | 57 min |
| Science | 50 | 6 | 60 min |
| English and Language Usage | 37 | 4 | 37 min |
| Total | 170 | 20 | 209 min |
Source: ATI TEAS exam details, checked Oct 2026.
About these questions
Every question on this page was approved by a licensed RN, and its answer was checked against open nursing references (mostly OpenStax nursing textbooks) before publishing. They are TEAS-style practice, not real TEAS items. NurseLingo is not affiliated with ATI. Spot a problem? Tell us.
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What science is on TEAS?
The science section has 50 questions in 60 minutes covering human anatomy and physiology (a large share), biology, chemistry and scientific reasoning.