TEAS Scoring
Scoring and evaluation is an integral part of academics. Some students take the evaluation system as a standard to measure their achievements, and some take it as a burden. However, hardly anyone is spared from being judged. Hence, instead of looking at the system of evaluation as a necessary evil, it should be looked upon as an opportunity that provides a stepping-stone for students to go to a higher level.
TEAS plays an elementary role in the process of admissions into nursing schools. Most of the nursing programs consider the scores of this test to determine the eligibility of students for their programs. Understanding the scoring process helps to make the right aims during preparation, which helps to approach the best nursing programs offered to students.
How Helpful are TEAS Scores?
Any candidate who wants to get into a nursing school cannot do so without a good TEAS score. Almost all nursing schools require this criteria for granting admissions to candidates. While there are other standardized tests like the NET that also help in getting admission into specific post graduate programs, most of the nursing programs prefer the score of TEAS instead of other tests.
This test is an accurate measure of the level of preparedness required by nursing schools. Hence, the score obtained in it reflects the skills of students that are required for successfully carrying out the nursing coursework.
The scores are also helpful in approaching nursing schools since a good score makes your application impressive. Good performance in TEAS shows your potential even if you have a considerably average GPA of about 3 or 3.5. Hence, it can be compensated and you still avail the chance of securing yourself a seat if you have an exceptional score to your side.
Receiving TEAS Score Report
The scores of the test administered on a computer are received faster than those administered as a paper and pencil test.
For the computer administered test, the scores can be viewed immediately after the test is completed. However, it depends upon the school where you have tested to show the result to the candidates immediately. For the paper and pencil test, the scores are received after one day of receiving the test material by ATI.
The scores are generally posted on the official website. A duplicate score report can be obtained after placing a request to ATI and paying $ 20 for the same.
Sending TEAS Score Report
The ATI sends the scores of TEAS to the nursing schools electronically. Students can request ATI to send their scores to any of the nursing schools. For this they are required to pay an additional fee.
Details of the Score Report
The TEAS score report does not mention if a candidate has passed or failed the exam. That means there is no passing score determined by ATI. However, nursing schools can have their individual cutoff scores in order to maintain their standards. You will have to check from the nursing school that you want to apply to in order to know their cutoff score.
The score report gives a detailed description of your performance in the test. The following scores are mentioned in the score report.
- Adjusted Individual Score
- National mean
- Program mean
- Percentile rank – National
- Percentile rank – Program
Along with this information, a list of sub scores is also mentioned. This list contains all the 5 scores mentioned above as received in all the content areas of the four test sections.
Hence, the score report of TEAS is extremely descriptive. It gives a chance to the nursing schools to view your overall performance. On the other hand, with a consistently good score in all subsections, students get an opportunity to exhibit a wide range of skills.
Good TEAS Scores
The concept of good scores is variable. It varies from one nursing school to another. The nursing schools set their cutoff scores on the basis of which they approve a candidate for admission. Most of the good schools have their cutoffs set around 70% for English, Math and Science and around 80% for Reading. However, the importance given to each subject score can vary for each nursing school.
Sometimes some nursing schools lay more emphasis on the national percentile and sometimes they look into your scores in the Science and Math sections. Th score report makes it possible to judge the applicant from various such angles. Hence, it is essential to score well and put up an impressive score report so that there are no reasons for a nursing school to think twice about your eligibility status.
Moreover, even if you qualify for minimum score requirement, you might not get admission into the desired nursing school since most schools pick top scoring students. Hence, it is not only essential to secure above the cutoff score but also important to remain amongst the top scorers to sail through the admission process.
How to Improve Scores
Scoring well in TEAS the first time around becomes very important since the number of times that you can take the test depends upon the policies of nursing colleges. While some colleges allow you to take it 2 or 3 times, others may not allow you to retake the test. Moreover, colleges also decide how long the scores will remain valid. This puts added pressure on the candidates to do well. However, this pressure can be eased off while towards the goal.
It is possible to polish your skills and increase your level of preparedness with constant and quality preparation. Preparation required is specific since it has to be focused on the content asked in the test. It should also be directed towards handling the structure of the test by understanding it in advance. The scores can be elevated with the help of practice materials like sample questions and simulated practice tests and with constant feedback.
There are official study materials available for preparation. TEAS Study Manual and TEAS Online Practice Assessment can be purchased from the official website of ATI. Apart from these materials, there are other resources that assist preparation very effectively. Whichever preparation material and method of study a student selects, he must exploit it to the fullest. It is only with such preparation that you gain confidence in your capabilities and have a chance of performing to the best of your abilities in this exam.
Making the Most of your Abilities
You must remember that the scoring system provided by TEAS is not just to facilitate the nursing schools with admission process, but it is of a great advantage for students as well. It gives you an opportunity to display your skills and your competitiveness to the world. Hence, instead of considering it as a burden, you must hold the reins and take control in such a way that you emerge a winner in the end.