The TEAS test English section is the last section you’ll take on the TEAS. On the TEAS 7 English section, you’ll have 33 scored questions, and 4 questions that are not scored (but you won’t know which questions are which).
Generally speaking, the TEAS English section is one of the easier sections to cram for if you are taking the TEAS soon. In fact, students who study TEAS English in my TEAS prep program increase their average assessment English score by 19 points from when they begin the program to when they end.
Keep reading to find out how to study for the TEAS English section or watch the TEAS English study guide video.
You’ll be tested on your knowledge of English language skills and writing skills that you’re expected to know in your college classes. That’s the good news: you likely know a lot of the basics already.
The bad news is that this section definitely has some tricks up its sleeve.
First, it’s the last section, so you’ll likely be tired and fried by the time you reach it. It’s also the shortest section of the TEAS. You’ll have 37 minutes to finish the TEAS English section, which means you get exactly 1 minute per question.
Second, you’ll see questions on lots of English grammar rules that we break all the time, especially while speaking. This means that answers might “sound right” but still be wrong.
Read about what’s on the other sections in my TEAS study guide.
Keep reading for tips on how to put together your perfect TEAS English study guide.
What’s on the TEAS English section?
You’ll have questions covering grammar, spelling, punctuation, and medical terminology, and word usage. Let’s review some key areas needed for your TEAS English study guide.
Spelling and punctuation on the TEAS test
Conventions of Standard English – TEAS 7
- Spelling & Similar Sounding Words
- Sentence Parts & Terms
- Punctuation Rules
Spelling and punctuation rules will be on your TEAS test. You will have questions on spelling rules like “I before E except after C.”
You’ll also need to know the difference between words that sound alike but have different meanings or words that have different meanings depending on the part of speech. For example, hear and here, desert and dessert, and bat (noun vs. verb) are all fair game.
Want to understand this better? Enroll in the Prenursing Smarter TEAS Prep Program.
TEAS Test Grammar
Grammar and Knowledge of Language – TEAS 7
- Grammar & Clarity
- Formal & Informal Language
- Parts of Speech
- Irregular Plural Nouns
For TEAS test grammar questions, you’ll want to focus on rules for pronouns after prepositions, pronoun-antecedent agreement, irregular verbs, and subject verb agreement.
You’ll want to review punctuation rules for commas, semicolons, hyphens, and colons. You’ll also want to apply punctuation rules for different sentence types like simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.
Vocabulary Acquisition – TEAS 7
- Medical Terminology and Word Parts
- Word Meaning and Context Clues
- Jargon, Slang, and Word Choice (formal vs. informal)
Lots of students worry about slang in this section. It’s difficult to study this, so try not to worry too much (easier said than done, right?!). Other areas are more important to become confident in first. Generally speaking, the slang on the TEAS will focus on the 1920s, the 1940s, and the 1970s.
You’ll also need to recognize business and medical jargon and regional colloquialisms. For these questions, the process of elimination and making your best guess is a great strategy for TEAS test grammar.
Try some TEAS English Language and Usage test practice questions.
TEAS English Study Guide FAQ
Nope! The entire ATI TEAS test is multiple choice, so you don’t need to write an essay. Some nursing programs and allied health schools do require a supplemental essay in your application, but you will not take this as part of the TEAS.
A good score for this section is above 70% of the total questions correct. This will put you slightly above average nationwide. Because this section is so short (only 24 total scored questions), maximizing your number of correct answers can make a big difference in your overall score. Read more about how to pass the TEAS test.
You’ll get 37 minutes on the TEAS 7 English section, which means you have exactly one minute to answer each of the 37 questions.
Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on the context of the sentence. Common collective nouns on the TEAS include class, army, audience, council, and jury. Be sure to add these to your English TEAS test study guide and check out our TEAS test English practice questions.
These nouns can be singular or plural depending on the context. For these nouns, you’ll want to look at the preposition phrase after and determine if the noun within the phrase is singular or plural. For example, in some of the cats, some is plural because cats is plural. In some of the cake, some is singular because cake is singular. Include these rules in your English TEAS study guide because they will definitely be on the exam. If these terms sound confusing, you are not alone. Review them in the Prenursing Smarter Prep Program.
TEAS English practice questions cover sentence structure, parts of speech, word usage, conventions of spelling, medical terminology, and the writing process.
How to study for the TEAS Test English section
Let’s review the most important topics to study for the TEAS test English section in 2023. In the premium online TEAS Prep program, you’ll get a TEAS English study guide and tons of practice questions to help you master some of the trickiest topics.
Quotation marks (Conventions of Standard English question type)
- How to use single quotation marks and double quotations marks
- How to use quotations with a signal verb (like said)
- How to punctuate a sentence when the quoted material is a complete sentence and when it is a fragment
Medical terminology and word parts (Vocabulary Acquisition question type)
- Prefixes – these are additions that start a word like pre-
- Suffixes are word endings like -ful
- Roots are the base of the words. For the TEAS, you’ll want to be familiar with medical terminology roots that indicate body parts (or-, pecto- etc.) and body processes (-pep)
Read more tips about the TEAS 7 test English section.
Pronouns (Knowledge of Language question type)
- Objective pronouns – me, him, her, their, it, us
- Subjective pronouns – I, She, He, They, It, We
- Possessive pronouns – my/mine, her, his, theirs, its, our
Clauses (Conventions of Standard English question type)
- Independent clause = a complete sentence. Contains a subject, verb, and complete thought
- Dependent clause = an incomplete sentence. Often does not have a complete thought and frequently begins with a subordinating conjunction (since, while, because, etc.)
Sentence structures (Conventions of Standard English question type)
- Simple sentence = 1 independent clause
- Compound sentence = 2+ independent clauses. Can be connected with a semicolon or a comma with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
- Complex sentence = 1+ independent clause and 1+ dependent clause. Always includes a subordinating conjunction. Sometimes, it has a comma.
- Compound-complex sentence: contains at least one compound sentence joined to at least one complex sentence.
For your English TEAS test study guide, be sure to include punctuation rules for clauses and the types of conjunctions used with each clause.
You’ll also want to know how a clause is different from a phrase (hint: a phrase often does not have a verb). One of the best tips for working with sentences on the TEAS test English section? Find the verb in the sentence first.
Try lots of TEAS test English practice test questions to get used to these tricky grammar rules. Many of the topics are TEAS “sound right” or are rules we break frequently. Flashcards are your friends while you prep.
ATI TEAS English and Language Usage Study Guide – Online Prep
Isn’t this a lot for only 37 questions?! In the premium TEAS prep course, we cover all the TEAS test grammar you need to know. You’ll get targeted quizzes, practice questions, and lessons. It’s like having the best ATI TEAS English and Language usages study guide, online and at your fingertips.
I show you exactly which words to know how to spell, how to analyze tricky sentences, and give you tons of examples and practice for TEAS test grammar.
Join the thousands of students who have already studied smarter to score higher on the TEAS. Yesina, a Prenursing Smarter student, said this about the Prep Program: “After reviewing the English portion of your program like crazy, my score went from a 54% to an 83%!!“
Stop feeling overwhelmed with your TEAS prep. Enroll today and prep with confidence.
