HESI A2 Reading Practice Test: Free Timed Drill

What is on the HESI A2 Reading section?

About 55 questions in 60 minutes, 47 or so scored, on 7 topics: main idea, supporting detail, inference, vocabulary in context, author's purpose and tone, fact and opinion, summary and sequence.

HESI A2 Reading, as schools describe it, with where each fact comes from
Questions	55 shown, about 47 scored; the unscored pilot questions look the sameReportedGateway Technical College, HESI A2 testing (questions and minutes per section)
Time	60 minutes on this section's own clockReportedGateway Technical College, HESI A2 testing (questions and minutes per section)
Even pace	About 65 seconds a question (60 × 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	8 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 Reading topic ask?

Eight question types, and the first three (main idea, detail and inference) make up most of the section.

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.

Main idea
What it covers: The point of the whole passage, not of one paragraph.
How it reads: "What is the main idea of the passage?" or "Which title best fits?" The wrong options are true details that are too narrow.
Supporting detail
What it covers: A fact stated in the passage.
How it reads: "According to the passage..." The answer is in the text, often reworded.
Inference
What it covers: What the passage implies without saying.
How it reads: "It can be inferred..." or "Based on the passage, which person..." The right answer needs one small step from the text, never a leap.
Vocabulary in context
What it covers: What a word means in this sentence.
How it reads: "As used in the passage, striking most nearly means..." The common meaning is often the trap.
Author's purpose and tone
What it covers: Why the author wrote it, or a sentence; the attitude.
How it reads: To inform, persuade, explain or warn; balanced, cautious, critical.
Fact and opinion
What it covers: Telling a checkable statement from a judgment.
How it reads: Opinions use words like best, should, believe; predictions are not facts either.
Summary and sequence
What it covers: The best summary, or which event came first.
How it reads: A summary covers the whole passage in its own words.

What do HESI A2 Reading questions look like?

One original passage with three questions: main idea, detail and inference. Read the passage once, then answer.

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 · Main idea
What is the main idea of the passage?
1. ANurses measure every patient's legs before surgery.
2. BCompression stockings help blood flow for many patients but must be fitted and checked with care.
3. CCompression stockings cure blood clots after surgery.
4. DEveryone who stands all day should wear compression stockings.
Worked answer
B: Compression stockings help blood flow for many patients but must be fitted and checked with care.. The first paragraph says what the stockings do and who uses them; the second says why they need care. Only the first option covers both.
1. Say the passage in one sentence of your own before reading the options.
2. Check each option against both paragraphs.
3. Reject options that overstate (cure, everyone) or cover one detail.
The trap: Choosing a true detail, or an option with an absolute word such as "cure" or "everyone" that the passage never claims.
HESI A2-style question 2 · Detail
According to the passage, where is the pressure from a compression stocking greatest?
1. AAt the knee
2. BEvenly along the leg
3. CAt the ankle
4. DAt the thigh
Show the worked answer
C: At the ankle. The second sentence says the pressure is greatest at the ankle and eases toward the knee.
1. "According to the passage" means the answer is stated.
2. Find the sentence about pressure: the second one.
3. Match it: at the ankle.
The trap: Answering from what seems logical rather than from the sentence that states it.
HESI A2-style question 3 · Inference
Why does the nurse most likely check the skin under the stockings every day?
1. ATo catch damage from stockings that roll down or fit badly
2. BTo see whether the patient has a fever
3. CTo measure how fast the blood is flowing
4. DTo decide when the patient can fly
Show the worked answer
A: To catch damage from stockings that roll down or fit badly. The sentence before says badly sized stockings can roll down and cut into the skin; the daily check is "for this reason".
1. Find the sentence that mentions the check.
2. Read the sentence before it: "For this reason" points back to it.
3. The reason given is skin damage from rolling or poor fit.
The trap: Choosing an answer that sounds clinical (fever, blood flow) but is not connected to the check in the text.

Make Reading a section you bank

Twelve questions show the gap. 4 more Reading 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

How can I tell which type of reading question I am facing?

By the stem. Each type has its own wording and its own place to look, and naming the type first stops you rereading the whole passage.

Our guide to HESI-style reading question stems
Question type	How it is worded	Where the answer is
Main idea	"main idea", "best title", "mainly about"	The whole passage; often the first and last sentences
Detail	"according to the passage", "the passage states"	One sentence; find the key word and read around it
Inference	"it can be inferred", "most likely", "suggests"	One step beyond a sentence; never outside the passage
Vocabulary	"as used in the passage", "most nearly means"	The sentence with the word; replace it with each option
Purpose	"in order to", "why does the author mention"	What the sentence does for the paragraph
Fact or opinion	"which is an opinion", "which is a fact"	Judgment words: best, should, worst, believe
Tone	"attitude", "tone"	Adjectives and qualifiers the author uses

How should I pace the HESI Reading section?

Aim for about 65 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 60 minutes
When	Where you should be	What to do
15 minutes in	Question 14	On pace: keep going
30 minutes in	Question 28	Behind by 3 or more? Guess and move on from any question past a minute
45 minutes in	Question 41	Leave the last minutes for a guess on every blank

Read the passage once, at a steady pace, before the questions. Rereading the whole passage for every question is the single biggest time drain on this section; go back only to the paragraph a question points to.

A 300-word passage takes about 90 seconds to read well. With four to six questions on it, that leaves 40 to 50 seconds a question, enough for detail questions in 20 and inference questions in 60.

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 Reading?

Reading options are written to be almost right. These five patterns account for most wrong choices.

A true detail offered as the main idea. It is in the passage, but it is too narrow.
An absolute word the passage never uses: always, never, all, cure, only.
Outside knowledge: an option that is true in real life but not supported by the passage.
The common meaning of a word that the passage uses differently (striking as "eye-catching", not "hitting").
An inference that takes two steps instead of one. The right answer is close to the text.

How should I study for HESI Reading?

Twenty to thirty minutes a day for a week: one or two passages daily, with the question type named before you answer.

Our plan, with minutes a day

Day 1
25 min
Take the free drill above. Note which question types you missed.
Day 2
25 min
Two passages. Before answering, write the main idea in eight words.
Day 3
25 min
Inference only: for each answer, point to the sentence that supports it.
Day 4
20 min
Vocabulary in context: replace the word with each option and reread.
Day 5
25 min
Purpose, tone and fact or opinion: underline the judgment words.
Day 6
35 min
A timed set of four passages at 65 seconds a question.
Day 7
20 min
Review every miss and name the trap that caught you.

How much does Reading count for nursing school admission?

Reading is required by almost every program and often sits inside the English composite with vocabulary and grammar.

Programs that use an English or language composite average reading with vocabulary and grammar, so a weak reading score pulls down two strong ones. Others, such as East Central College's practical nursing program, set a reading minimum of its own (77). See the HESI A2 passing score page.

If you are also preparing for the TEAS, the TEAS reading practice test uses the same question types with more charts and labels.

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 reading?

Schools list 55 questions in 60 minutes, with about 47 scored. It is the longest of the language sections.

What are HESI A2 reading passages about?

Often health, science and everyday topics, a few paragraphs long. You do not need outside knowledge: every answer is supported by the passage.

How do I get faster at HESI reading?

Read each passage once before the questions, name the question type, and return only to the paragraph you need. Timed practice at about 65 seconds a question builds the habit.

Is the free reading drill the real HESI?

No. The passages and questions are original and written in the HESI A2 style. LifeScore is not affiliated with Elsevier.

All seven sections, on the real clocks

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