Nursing (ADN)/Nursing Transition (LVN to ADN)
HESI A2 Exam
Preparation Resources and Exam Information
HESI-A2 TEST INFORMATION
• Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) is a company that produces tests which evaluate
whether nursing applicants have the knowledge and skills to be successful in nursing
school.
• Alvin Community College nursing programs require applicants to make a high enough
score on the HESI Admission Assessment Exam (HESI-A2 test) in order to be considered
for admission. An acceptable HESI-A2 test score is mandatory for all nursing applicants
regardless of educational background, no exceptions. You may not substitute any other
test scores for HESI test scores.
HESI-A2 DATES & REGISTRATION
• Register for HESI-A2 at ACC - go to www.alvincollege.edu, click on "Marketplace" at the top of the screen, click on "Testing Center'' near
the bottom of the screen, then click on the "HESI" icon for open test dates and instructions
for registering for HESI-A2. The test date you select MUST BE ON OR BEFORE THE NURSING
APPLICATION DEADLINE.
• HESI-A2 test dates at ACC - If you don't see a test date in the time range that
you want at the above web page, either those dates are already full, or dates in that
time range have not yet opened. Test dates are released the last week of the month
for the following month. Tests are generally scheduled weekly each month. Check back
later to see if desired dates show up on the web page or call the Testing Center to
find out whether they will offer the HESI on desired dates 281-756-3526.
• HESI-A2 at other locations - Applicants who are unable to take the HESI A2 exam
at ACC may test at another location. Prometric exams are acceptable but must be arranged
through another school that offers that option. Be sure to take all five sections
required by ACC.
HESI-A2 DEADLINE
• If you take the HESI-A2 at ACC, the deadline to take the exam is the nursing application
deadline. The nursing office automatically gets your scores within two days after
you take the test. If you take the test at ACC on the deadline or close to the deadline,
it is OK if your scores come back after the deadline.
• If you take the HESI-A2 elsewhere, the score report must reach the nursing office
by the nursing application deadline. It could take the HESI company a week or longer
to send the report, so make sure you take the HESI early enough that the report has
time to reach the nursing office by the deadline. HESI tests taken at locations other
than ACC arriving after the nursing application deadline will not be accepted.
HESI-A2 TEST SCORE CRITERIA
• You must take all these five sections of the HESI-A2 test:
Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary & General Knowledge, Grammar, and Anatomy
& Physiology.
• Minimum required scores:
(1) at least 78 on the Reading Comprehension section; and
(2) at least 78 for the Cumulative score, which is the average of the above section
scores.
These minimums are ABSOLUTE CUTOFFS - we do NOT round up scores to meet these minimums.
• The nursing department does not count any other sections and does not count the
Critical Thinking test.
• Section scores may be combined from two or more tests subject to the waiting period
for any re-takes of individual sections described under "Re-Taking the HESI-A2".
• Scores must be from HESI-A2 tests taken no more than 5 years ago as of the nursing
application deadline; otherwise the scores are expired and you will have to re-take
the sections.
RE-TAKING THE HESI-A2
• You may re-take sections you want to improve. For exams taken January 1, 2022 and
after, two exams from a twelve-month period may be submitted. Each exam submitted
must be at least 90 days from any prior HESI exam section attempt for the new section
scores to be considered.
• HESI sections retaken 90 or more days apart: the highest score of all retakes of
that section will be used when we calculate your cumulative score.
• HESI sections retaken less than 90 days apart: the earlier section score will be
used regardless of which score is the highest.
• All retakes must comply with the "HESI-A2 deadline" and "HESI-A2 test score" paragraphs.
COST OF THE HESI-A2 TEST
• It costs $74 (price subject to change without notice} to take the HESI-A2 at Alvin
Community College regardless of how many sections of the test you take.
• The cost is set by each testing location, so it may cost more or less to take the
HESI-A2 elsewhere. But if you take the HESI elsewhere, you will have to pay the Evolve
company a fee to email an official score report to the ACC nursing department.
GETTING YOUR HESI SCORES TO THE ACC NURSING DEPARTMENT
• If you take the HESI-A2 at ACC, the nursing department automatically gets your scores
2 days later. DO NOT PAY TO HAVE ACC SCORE REPORTS SENT because we will automatically
get those.
• If you take the HESI A2 elsewhere, you must pay a fee to have the company email
the official score report (called a "HESI transcript") to the nursing office at nursing@alvincollege.edu
• Click here for instructions.
• It could take a week or longer for the company to email the score report, so be sure
you request the report in time for it to get to the nursing office by the nursing
application deadline. Score reports arriving after the nursing deadline will not be
accepted.
• WE DO NOT ACCEPT HESI SCORE REPORTS DIRECTLY FROM NURSING APPLICANTS.
PREPARING FOR THE HESI-A2 TEST
• A good way to prepare for the HESI-A2 is to buy a study guide specifically for this
exam. One such guide is HESI Admission Assessment Exam Review, 5th edition. You can
buy this from the ACC book store (http://www.alvinccstore.com) or online at sites such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble by searching on "HESI-A2".
• The study guide will include samples of test questions as well as information regarding
test question formats. It will highlight important concepts and provide tips for studying
and test-taking.
• There are online tools available through Apple's iTunes App Store that some people
have found beneficial (such as pocketprep ™)
Click Handout and Presentation for information on the format of the test and tips on testing.
OTHER HESI INFORMATION
• To find out if there are additional HESI-A2 test dates at ACC. or whether a test
date is still open, or details about HESI testing procedures, or payment/cancellation/refund
procedures, call the Testing Center 281-756-3526.
• If you have a documented disability and may need accommodations for testing, contact
the Office of Student Accessibility Services 281-756-3533 or SAS@alvincollege.edu BEFORE registering for or taking the HESI-A2.
• IF YOU INTEND TO USE YOUR HESI SCORES TO APPLY TO MORE THAN ONE NURSING SCHOOL,
o You need to find out whether the other nursing school requires the HESI to be taken
on their campus (some schools will not accept HESI scores taken off-campus}.
o If they do require HESI to be taken at their campus, you should take the HESI there
and then pay to have an official score report emailed to the ACC nursing office. Then
you can use your HESI scores to apply to both ACC and to the other nursing school.
o Note - if the HESI you take at the other college does not include some of the sections
we require, you will have to take those sections either at ACC or another school that
offers those sections.
COLLEGE & CAREER PATHWAYS
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