HESI A2 Grammar Practice Test: Free Timed Drill

What is on the HESI A2 Grammar section?

About 55 questions in 50 minutes, 50 or so scored, on 6 topics: subject-verb agreement, pronouns, verb forms and tense, commonly confused words, adjectives and adverbs, sentence structure and punctuation.

HESI A2 Grammar, as schools describe it, with where each fact comes from
Questions	55 shown, about 50 scored; the unscored pilot questions look the sameReportedGateway Technical College, HESI A2 testing (questions and minutes per section)
Time	50 minutes on this section's own clockReportedGateway Technical College, HESI A2 testing (questions and minutes per section)
Even pace	About 55 seconds a question (50 × 60 ÷ 55)LifeScore
Scoring	Percent correct for the section, shown on your score report with a cumulative scoreReportedCentral Texas College, HESI A2 information sheet (on-screen calculator, score report)
Required?	Only if your program lists it: each program picks the sections and sets the minimumReportedChamberlain University, HESI Admission Assessment (A2) exam FAQs
In our full mock	10 questions in 10 minutes, the same pace on a shorter sectionLifeScore

Elsevier does not publish one public spec sheet for the HESI A2, so the question counts and times here are the ones schools publish for their own candidates, labelled Reported. On 20 October 2026 our build environment could not open Elsevier's or most schools' pages directly, so each was read through search-result text from the named page. Your program's own testing page always wins.

What does each HESI Grammar topic ask?

Six rule families account for most questions; learn the rule and the question types repeat.

The topics follow the chapters of Elsevier's Admission Assessment Exam Review. "What it covers" is the content; "how it reads" is our description of the questions you will meet, from writing and checking hundreds of them.

Subject-verb agreement
What it covers: Singular and plural subjects, "each", "neither...nor", collective nouns and phrases between subject and verb.
How it reads: "The list of supplies ___ on the counter." The noun nearest the blank is often not the subject.
Pronouns
What it covers: Subject and object case (I/me, who/whom), possessives (its, their) and agreement.
How it reads: "Between you and I" is the classic wrong-word question.
Verb forms and tense
What it covers: Irregular past forms (lay, lain, drank, drunk), perfect tenses and the subjunctive.
How it reads: "The patient has ___ two glasses of water."
Commonly confused words
What it covers: Affect and effect, than and then, accept and except, their, there and they're, fewer and less.
How it reads: A blank with four look-alike options.
Adjectives and adverbs
What it covers: Good and well, quick and quickly, comparatives and superlatives.
How it reads: "The surgeon worked quick" is wrong; "felt good" is right.
Sentence structure and punctuation
What it covers: Fragments, run-ons, commas with clauses, semicolons, colons and apostrophes.
How it reads: "Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?"

What do HESI A2 Grammar questions look like?

Three original questions: an agreement blank, a wrong-word question and a correct-sentence question, each with the rule.

Try each one before you open the answer. They are original, written by us in the HESI A2 style, and are not real HESI items or questions from our mocks. The first is worked open.

HESI A2-style question 1 · Agreement
Select the word or phrase that best completes the sentence. Neither of the charts _____ been signed.
1. Ahave
2. Bhas
3. Care
4. Dwere
Worked answer
B: has. "Neither" on its own is singular, so it takes "has". The plural "charts" sits inside the phrase "of the charts" and does not change the verb.
1. Find the subject: "Neither", not "charts".
2. Neither, either, each and everyone are singular.
3. Singular + present perfect = has been.
The trap: Matching the verb to "charts", the noun right before the blank.
HESI A2-style question 2 · Wrong word
Which word is used incorrectly in the following sentence? The nurse could of called the pharmacy before noon.
1. Abefore
2. Bof
3. Ccould
4. Dcalled
Show the worked answer
B: of. "Could of" is a mishearing of "could have" (could've). The verb needs "have".
1. Read the sentence aloud: "could of" sounds right because it echoes could've.
2. After could, would and should comes have.
3. The incorrect word is "of".
The trap: Trusting the sound of the sentence instead of the rule.
HESI A2-style question 3 · Correct sentence
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
1. AThe clinic changed its' hours in May.
2. BThe clinic changed it is hours in May.
3. CThe clinic changed its hours in May.
4. DThe clinic changed it's hours in May.
Show the worked answer
C: The clinic changed its hours in May.. "Its" is the possessive; "it's" means "it is". "Its'" is never a word.
1. Test each with "it is": "changed it is hours" makes no sense.
2. So the possessive is needed: its, with no apostrophe.
3. Possessive pronouns (its, his, hers, theirs) never take an apostrophe.
The trap: Adding an apostrophe because possessive nouns have one.

Make Grammar a section you bank

Twelve questions show the gap. 4 more Grammar drills and 8 full seven-section mocks close it.

The HESI A2 Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 28 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The HESI A2 Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the HESI A2 Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 28
topic drills: 1
score predictor

Which grammar rules come up most on the HESI A2?

These twelve, each with a test that takes seconds to apply.

Our quick tests for the rules HESI-style grammar questions use most
Rule	Quick test	Example
Subject-verb agreement	Cross out phrases between subject and verb	The box of gloves is empty.
Each, neither, everyone	Always singular	Each of the nurses wears a badge.
Neither...nor	Verb agrees with the nearer subject	Neither the doctor nor the nurses are free.
I or me	Drop the other person	Give it to Jordan and me.
Who or whom	He means who; him means whom	To whom should I send it?
Its or it's	Try "it is"	The cat licked its paw.
Affect or effect	Affect is usually the verb	The drug may affect sleep; one effect is drowsiness.
Fewer or less	Fewer for things you count	Fewer beds; less coffee.
Than or then	Than compares; then is time	Higher than expected.
Lie or lay	Lay needs an object	Lay the tray down; he lay down yesterday.
Good or well	Well describes an action	She did well; she felt good.
Semicolon	A full sentence on each side	The shift ended; the next team arrived.

How should I pace the HESI Grammar section?

Aim for about 55 seconds a question on average: faster on the questions you know, so the hard ones get the time they need. Use these checkpoints.

Our checkpoints, from the reported 55 questions in 50 minutes
When	Where you should be	What to do
13 minutes in	Question 14	On pace: keep going
25 minutes in	Question 28	Behind by 3 or more? Guess and move on from any question past a minute
38 minutes in	Question 41	Leave the last minutes for a guess on every blank

Most grammar questions take 30 to 40 seconds once you know the rules. Read the whole sentence before the options: many errors only show when you see the real subject.

If two options both sound right, name the rule each would break. The one that breaks no rule is the answer, even when it sounds formal.

A wrong answer and a blank both score zero on a percent-correct score, so never leave a question empty when the clock is about to run out.

What traps cost the most points on HESI Grammar?

Grammar questions are built around the way people speak. These are the patterns that catch most candidates.

Matching the verb to the nearest noun instead of the subject.
Choosing "me" or "myself" where "I" is the subject, or "I" after a preposition ("between you and I").
Trusting what sounds natural: "could of", "less items", "laying down".
Putting an apostrophe in a possessive pronoun (it's, their's).
Using a comma to join two full sentences (a comma splice).

How should I study for HESI Grammar?

Twenty minutes a day for a week: one rule family a day, ten questions on it, and a mixed timed set at the end.

Our plan, with minutes a day

Day 1
20 min
Take the free drill above. Name the rule behind each miss.
Day 2
20 min
Subject-verb agreement, including each, neither and collective nouns.
Day 3
20 min
Pronouns: I or me, who or whom, its and their.
Day 4
20 min
Verb forms: lie and lay, irregular past tenses, perfect tenses.
Day 5
20 min
Confused words and adjectives or adverbs.
Day 6
25 min
Punctuation and sentence structure, then a mixed timed set.
Day 7
15 min
Review only the rules you missed twice.

How much does Grammar count for nursing school admission?

Grammar is required by most programs and usually counts in the English composite.

Grammar scores tend to rise quickly with practice because the rule list is short. At a program that averages reading, vocabulary and grammar, a ten-point gain here lifts the composite by three or more. See the HESI A2 passing score page for how programs combine sections.

The TEAS covers the same rules in its English section; see the TEAS English practice test if your program accepts both.

Scores reach your Evolve account within about 24 to 48 hours, with a percentage for each section and a cumulative score. Retake rules are set by each school. Baylor, for example, allows at most three attempts with 60 days between them.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on HESI A2 grammar?

Schools list 55 questions in 50 minutes, with about 50 scored.

What grammar is on the HESI A2?

Agreement, pronouns, verb forms, commonly confused words, adjectives and adverbs, and basic punctuation and sentence structure.

Is HESI grammar hard?

The rules are basic, but the options are written to sound right. Learning a dozen rules and their quick tests removes most of the difficulty.

Is the free grammar drill the real HESI?

No. It is 12 original HESI A2-style questions at the real section pace. LifeScore is not affiliated with Elsevier.

All seven sections, on the real clocks

8 full HESI A2-style mocks, 28 section drills (4 for Grammar) and every answer worked, in one payment with no subscription.