HESI Admission Assessment Exam Review 4th Edition: Complete Study Guide for Nursing Entrance Exams

The Problem This Book Solves

The Admission Assessment Exam — often called the HESI or ATI TEAS — is the single most important gatekeeper between you and a career in nursing or allied health. Without a strong score, you simply do not get into your program of choice. The problem is that most applicants walk into the exam cold, having no idea what to study or how the test is structured. This Admission Assessment Exam Review, 4th Edition, is the definitive tool to close that gap. It eliminates guesswork, pinpoints exactly what the exam covers, and gives you a repeatable study system so you walk in prepared — not panicked.

What Is the Admission Assessment Exam Review? A Complete Overview

The Admission Assessment Exam Review, 4th Edition, is a comprehensive study guide published by Elsevier and authored by Tina Cuellar, PhD, RN. It is specifically designed to help students prepare for the HESI Admission Assessment Exam, a widely used entrance test for nursing and health sciences programs. The guide covers all core subject areas tested on the exam, including math, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and physics. It also provides practice questions with rationales, test-taking strategies, and a full-length practice exam to simulate the real testing experience.

This edition is the most current version available as of 2017, reflecting the latest exam content and question formats. The guide is written at a high school to early college reading level, ensuring accessibility for all applicants regardless of their academic background. It is an essential resource for anyone serious about gaining admission to a competitive healthcare program.

Who Should Read the Admission Assessment Exam Review?

This book is tailored for a specific audience: students who are about to take the HESI Admission Assessment Exam as part of their application to nursing, dental hygiene, physical therapy, or other allied health programs. It is equally valuable for students who feel underprepared for the math and science sections or who need a structured review after a gap in their education.

If you fit any of these profiles, this book is for you:

• Pre-nursing students applying to associate or bachelor’s degree programs
• Allied health applicants (dental, physical therapy, radiography)
• Career changers entering healthcare after a non-science background
• Students who previously took the HESI and want to improve their score
• Self-directed learners who prefer a systematic, chapter-by-chapter approach

5 Key Things You Will Learn

This guide is not a generic test-prep book — it zeroes in on the exact topics and question types you will encounter. Here are the five core areas it covers:

• Mathematics: Basic arithmetic, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, proportions, and basic algebra — all presented in the context of healthcare calculations.
• Reading Comprehension: Strategies for identifying main ideas, supporting details, and inferences in passages typical of health-science reading.
• Vocabulary and General Knowledge: High-frequency medical and academic terms, plus word roots and prefixes that help decode unfamiliar words.
• Grammar: Sentence structure, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and common usage errors tested on the exam.
• Science Review: Biology (cell structure, genetics), chemistry (atomic structure, bonding), anatomy and physiology (organ systems), and physics (basic mechanics and energy).

Each section includes practice questions with detailed answer rationales that explain why the correct answer is right — not just which answer is correct. This deepens your understanding and prevents you from repeating the same mistakes.

Why the Admission Assessment Exam Review Outperforms Every Alternative

Most test-prep books on the market are either too broad (they cover the entire TEAS or HESI without focus) or too narrow (they target only one subject). The Admission Assessment Exam Review, 4th Edition, strikes a perfect balance. It is published by Elsevier, a world leader in nursing education resources, and is authored by a nurse educator with a PhD — ensuring both accuracy and pedagogical soundness.

Unlike generic online practice tests, this book provides a structured, sequential review that builds foundational knowledge. Competitor guides often skip the physics or chemistry sections, assuming students already remember them from high school. This book does not make that assumption. It provides a full review of all science subjects, which is a distinct advantage for students who have been out of school for a few years.

Another key differentiator: the book includes a full-length practice exam that mimics the actual test format. Many competitors offer only 50–100 sample questions scattered throughout the book, which does not simulate the real testing experience. With this guide, you get a timed, realistic practice test that builds exam-day stamina and confidence.

Author Authority & Publisher Credibility

Tina Cuellar, PhD, RN, is the lead author and editor of this edition. She holds a doctorate in nursing and has years of experience in nursing education and curriculum development. Her academic credentials ensure that the content is not only correct but also aligned with the actual competencies tested on the HESI exam.

The publisher, Elsevier, is a globally recognized name in health sciences publishing. They produce the HESI exam itself, so this review guide is literally written by the same organization that designs the test. This gives you an insider-level advantage — the content reflects the exam’s structure, difficulty, and emphasis areas with a precision that no third-party publisher can match.

Is the Admission Assessment Exam Review Worth It? Our Verdict

Yes — unequivocally. For the price of a few coffee shop visits, you gain access to a systematic, 500+ page review that covers every subject on the HESI Admission Assessment Exam. The practice questions with rationales alone are worth the investment, as they help you identify your weak areas before test day.

The book is especially valuable for students who struggle with self-directed studying. Its clear chapter structure, review questions at the end of each section, and full-length practice test give you a ready-made study plan. You do not need to figure out what to study — the book tells you.

The only caveat is that this is the 2017 edition. While the core content remains highly relevant, students seeking the absolute latest test updates may also want to supplement with online resources. However, for the vast majority of applicants, this guide provides more than enough preparation to achieve a competitive score.

Get the Admission Assessment Exam Review — Secure Your Spot in Nursing School

Your nursing school application is too important to leave to chance. The Admission Assessment Exam Review, 4th Edition, gives you the focused, expert-led preparation you need to walk into the exam center with confidence. Whether you are a recent high school graduate or a career changer re-entering the classroom, this book meets you where you are and elevates you to where you need to be. Order your copy today from Elsevier — the same publisher that writes the test — and take the biggest single step toward your healthcare career.