The TEAS Math section consists of 36 questions and you will be given 54 minutes to complete. (15% of total TEAS exam.)
The TEAS math section is divided into 3 categories:
Number & Algebra – 23 questions
Measurement & Data – 9 questions
1. Number & Algebra
Remember algebra from high school? That one subject you hated? It’s back to haunt you again (ARGH!). About 63% of the questions inside of the TEAS math exam will be based on number and algebra topics. Buckle up, we’re going on a trip down memory lane.
Order of Operations mean things like add, subtract, multiply, divide, squaring, etc. Use PEMDAS to remember the order in which basic operations must be performed in an algebraic expression. PEMDAS (remembered by many by using the mnemonic “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”) stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and/or Division (in the order in which they first appear), and Addition and Subtraction (also in the order in which they first appear).
- Parentheses: Parentheses are used to indicate the operations that should be done first. For example, in 4 – (2 + 1) = 1; the parentheses show us that we must first add 2 and 1, before subtracting the sum from 4 (instead of subtracting 2 from 4 and then adding 1 (this would give us an incorrect answer of 3).
- Exponents: Exponents are superscript numbers placed at the top right of another number. They show how many times the base number is multiplied by itself. Exponentsprovide a shorter way of writing a longer mathematical expression. Example: 𝑎2 = 𝑎 × 𝑎; 24 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2.
- Multiplication and/or Division: both of these operations have the same priority and the way to know which one you’ll complete first, simply do the one that occurs first (going left to right).
- Addition and/or Subtraction: The same situation here as above. Both addition and subtraction have equal priority but which one you’ll perform first is based on which one comes first (left to right).
Rational Number Word Problems: Operations are presented in “word” problems using the following terms:
- “more than” = addition
- “of” = multiplication
- “by how much” and “increased” = going from smaller to larger amounts (can be found by subtracting)
- “decreased”: indicated the difference between two numbers, amounts, etc.
- “is” and “are” indicate = equivalence
So, if we look at the statement: 40% of doctors are emergency room doctors, we can translate “of” to multiplication and “are” to equals. If we know that 20 doctors work in the emergency room, we can determine the total number of doctors by writing the problem as this mathematical sentence:
40% X n = 20. Then convert 40% = .4 so: .4n = 20. Dividing each side by .4, we can determine that there are 50 doctors in total.
Remember: percentage means “per hundred.” Percentages are like fractions based on a whole of 100. The fraction that most easily converts to a percentage has 100 as the denominator.
Inequalities: the following symbols are used to express inequalities
- = means “equals”
- > means “is greater than” or “is more than”
- ≥ means ” is greater than is least or “no less than”
- < means ” is less than” or “is fewer than”
- ≤ means ” is less than or is at most or “no more than”
(x) Measurement Conversions – Key concepts
- Equivalent amount – When converting larger to smaller units, multiply the known amount by the equivalent amount. If the reverse is the case, divide.
- Conversion fractions: The conversion factor has the known amount; the other has the unknown amounts. Multiply the two to get the converted measurement.
- Conversion Units: U.S. and Metric Equivalents, Metric Conversions, Capacity Measurements, Weight Measurements, Nursing Measurements
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2. Measurement & Data
The math TEAS exam includes a total of 9 questions related to measurement and data (25% of entire math exam). Below are some examples of measurement and data questions you’ll encounter on the TEAS exam.
- You’ll be asked to organize and interpret data from tables, graphs and charts
- You’ll be asked to convert measurements
- You’ll need to understand how to convert figures from any given unit, including: inch, foot, yard and mile.
- You’ll need to understand metrics conversions (mg, g , kg and mL)
- You’ll need to understand capacity measurements (ounce, cup, pint, quart, gallon)
- You’ll need to understand weight measurements (ounce, pound, ton)
- You’ll need to understand nursing measurements (tsp, tbsp, glass)
- You’ll be asked to measure the dimensions, weight and volume of objects
Need help understanding this section? Our TEAS Exam Prep includes easy to follow guides on how to easily prepare for the measurement and data portion of the math exam. Learn more!
Some final notes from us..
- Calculators will be allowed during the TEAS exam. But be aware that you cannot use your cellphone as a calculator! You must bring an actual calculator to your testing center.
- If you weren’t that great in math when you were in high school, we recommend that you give yourself ample time to study for this exam.
- Practice, practice and more practice! That is the best advice anybody can give you. But along with that advice, we want to add a caveat. Make sure you’re practicing using a trusted source. There’s nothing worse than wasting time studying outdated and unimportant material.
Think you’re ready for the math portion of the exam? Try a free practice test!
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