TEAS English practice test 2026: free timed drill and section guide

TEAS English and Language Usage is 37 questions in 37 minutes (33 scored), the last and fastest section: Conventions of Standard English 12 scored, Knowledge of Language 11, and Using Language and Vocabulary to Express Ideas in Writing 10. At 60 seconds a question it rewards rules you know cold: agreement, punctuation, spelling and word parts.

37
questions (33 scored): 37 min
on its own clock: 60 s
a question, evenly paced: 12
scored: Conventions of Standard English

Last checked 20 October 2026 · Section facts from ATI's own pages

Free English drill: 12 original TEAS-style questions in 12:00, the real section's pace. Your score, your time per question and the question that cost you most, explained. No sign-up.

Free TEAS English and Language Usage drill · real section pace

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By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated 20 October 2026 · How we check facts · How this is scored

What is on the TEAS English and Language Usage section?

37 questions in 37 minutes, 33 of them scored, across 3 sub-areas: Conventions of Standard English (12), Knowledge of Language (11), Using Language and Vocabulary to Express Ideas in Writing (10).

TEAS English, ATI TEAS Version 7, with where each fact comes from
Questions	37 shown: 33 scored and 4 unscored pretest items you cannot tell apartPublished by the ownerATI, "TEAS exam details"
Time	37 minutes on its own clock; time left over does not carry to the next sectionPublished by the ownerATI help, "What is the time limit for the ATI TEAS?"
Even pace	60 seconds an item (37 × 60 ÷ 37)LifeScore
Sub-areas (scored items)	Conventions of Standard English 12, Knowledge of Language 11, Using Language and Vocabulary to Express Ideas in Writing 10Published by the ownerATI help, "ATI TEAS content areas and question counts"
Share of the scored test	33 of 150 scored items, 22%LifeScore
Position	Section 4 of 4 (Reading, Math, Science, English and Language Usage)Published by the ownerATI help, "TEAS sections, timing, and going back"
Going back	Inside the open section you can move around, flag and change answers; once you submit it, it is closedPublished by the ownerATI help, "TEAS sections, timing, and going back"
Question types	Mostly multiple choice; across the exam about 20% are multiple select, fill in the blank, ordered response or hot spot, with no partial creditPublished by the ownerATI help, "ATI TEAS question types with examples"

What does each TEAS English sub-area ask?

Conventions of Standard English has 12 scored questions, Knowledge of Language 11 and Using Language and Vocabulary 10, so the section is spread evenly across rules, usage and vocabulary.

Sub-areas and counts are ATI's; "what it covers" follows the objectives in ATI's Version 7 content outline (an older copy names the third sub-area Vocabulary Acquisition), and "how it reads" is our description.

Conventions of Standard English
12 scored
What it covers: Spelling, punctuation and correct sentence structure.
How it reads: "Which word is spelled correctly", "which sentence is punctuated correctly", run-ons, fragments and comma splices.
Knowledge of Language
11 scored
What it covers: Using grammar to make writing clear, choosing language suited to the audience and situation (formal or informal), and building a well-organised paragraph.
How it reads: Agreement and tense, the right register for an email to a professor, and which sentence belongs where in a paragraph.
Using Language and Vocabulary to Express Ideas in Writing
10 scored
What it covers: Applying the steps of the writing process and working out what a word means from its parts: roots, prefixes and suffixes.
How it reads: A medical-sounding word to take apart, or a question about drafting, revising and editing.

What do TEAS English questions look like?

Five original questions: a comma splice, a spelling, the right register, a medical word taken apart, and agreement across a phrase, each with its rule and trap.

Say each option to yourself: many TEAS English errors are heard before they are seen. These are original questions, multiple choice only, not real TEAS items.

TEAS-style question 1 · Punctuation
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
1. AThe shift ended at seven, the next nurse was late.
2. BThe shift ended at seven; the next nurse was late.
3. CThe shift ended at seven the next nurse was late.
4. DThe shift ended, at seven the next nurse was late.
Worked answer
B: The shift ended at seven; the next nurse was late.. Two complete sentences need more than a comma between them. A semicolon joins two independent clauses correctly.
1. Check each side: "The shift ended at seven" and "the next nurse was late" are both complete sentences.
2. Two complete sentences joined by a comma alone is a comma splice; with nothing, a run-on.
3. A semicolon (or a period, or ", and") is correct.
The trap: Accepting the comma because it "feels like a pause". A comma cannot join two complete sentences on its own.
TEAS-style question 2 · Spelling
Which word is spelled correctly?
1. Aoccurence
2. Bocurrence
3. Coccurrence
4. Doccurrance
Worked answer
C: occurrence. Occurrence has a double c, a double r and ends in -ence.
1. Build it from the verb: occur.
2. Adding -ence to a stressed final syllable doubles the r: occurr-.
3. The suffix is -ence: occurrence.
The trap: Getting one double letter right and stopping. Check every doubled pair, then the ending.
TEAS-style question 3 · Formal and informal language
A student is writing an email to an instructor to ask for an extension. Which sentence is most appropriate?
1. AHey, can I get a few more days on the paper?
2. BI would like to request a two-day extension on the care plan assignment.
3. CU think I could turn it in late?
4. DI need more time, so I am turning it in Friday.
Show the worked answer
B: I would like to request a two-day extension on the care plan assignment.. An email to an instructor calls for formal, specific and polite language. Only the second option is formal and makes a clear request.
1. Identify the audience: an instructor, so formal.
2. Rule out slang and abbreviations ("Hey", "U").
3. Rule out the demand that does not ask permission.
4. Keep the polite, specific request.
The trap: Choosing the shortest, most direct option. Direct is not the same as appropriate; the audience decides the register.
TEAS-style question 4 · Word parts
Using word parts, what does "hepatomegaly" most likely mean?
1. AInflammation of the liver
2. BEnlargement of the liver
3. CRemoval of the liver
4. DPain in the liver
Show the worked answer
B: Enlargement of the liver. Hepat- means liver and -megaly means enlargement, so hepatomegaly is an enlarged liver. Inflammation would be -itis, removal -ectomy, pain -algia.
1. Split the word: hepato + megaly.
2. Hepat- is liver (as in hepatitis).
3. -megaly is enlargement (as in cardiomegaly).
4. Put them together: enlargement of the liver.
The trap: Stopping at the root and picking the most familiar liver word, "inflammation", from hepatitis. The suffix decides the meaning.
TEAS-style question 5 · Subject-verb agreement
Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence. "The box of gloves ___ on the top shelf."
1. Ais
2. Bare
3. Cwere
4. Dbe
Show the worked answer
A: is. The subject is "box", which is singular; "of gloves" is a phrase describing it. A singular subject takes "is".
1. Find the subject: cross out the phrase "of gloves".
2. What is on the shelf? The box, singular.
3. Singular present tense: is.
The trap: Matching the verb to the nearest noun, "gloves". The verb agrees with the subject, not with the word next to it.

Make English a section you bank

Twelve questions show the gap. 4 more English drills and 6 full mocks close it.

The TEAS Pass Pack gives you 6 full mocks on the real clock, 16 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 TEAS Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the TEAS Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

6
timed mocks: 16
topic drills: 1
score predictor

Which grammar rules and word parts come up most on TEAS English?

Comma splices and semicolons, subject-verb agreement across a phrase, pronoun agreement, consistent tense, apostrophes, commonly confused words, and the medical roots, prefixes and suffixes.

Our study list, built around the objectives in ATI's outline.
Rule	Remember
Joining sentences	Two complete sentences need a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus and, but, or, so
Agreement	Cross out the "of..." phrase, then match the verb to what is left
Pronouns	A singular noun takes a singular pronoun; "each" and "everyone" are singular
Tense	Keep one tense through a sentence unless the time really changes
Apostrophes	nurse's = one nurse; nurses' = more than one; its = belonging to it; it's = it is
Confused words	affect (verb) and effect (noun); fewer (counted) and less (amount); than and then
Modifiers	The person doing the action comes right after an -ing opening phrase
Prefixes	hyper- above, hypo- below, brady- slow, tachy- fast, peri- around, intra- within
Suffixes	-itis inflammation, -ectomy removal, -ology study of, -megaly enlargement, -algia pain

Learn the word parts as pairs that look alike (hyper and hypo, brady and tachy). They pay twice: in this section and in the anatomy questions in Science.

How should I pace the TEAS English section?

Exactly 60 seconds an item on an even pace, or 55 seconds on a first pass that keeps 3 minutes back, with item 19 done by minute 17.

Our arithmetic from ATI's item count and time limit
Mark	Number	What it means
Even pace	60 s an item	37 minutes for 37 items, counting the unscored ones because you cannot spot them
First pass	55 s an item	Keep 3 minutes back for flagged items, so the first pass runs a little faster than even
Halfway check	Item 19 by minute 17	Behind? Guess on the next slow one, flag it and move on
Reserve	3 min	Return to flags in order of how close you were; never leave one blank, as guessing carries no penalty
Our free drill	12 items in 12:00	The same seconds per item as the real section

English is the tightest clock on the TEAS and it comes last, when you are tired. The fix is to make most questions 20-second questions: if you know the rule, the answer is visible as soon as you read the options aloud in your head.

Questions that ask you to order sentences in a paragraph or pick the best revision take longer. Do them on the first pass if they are quick; otherwise guess, flag and return in the reserve.

What traps cost the most points on TEAS English?

Agreeing the verb with the nearest noun, accepting a comma splice, mixing its and it's, picking informal language for a formal audience, and decoding a word from its root without its suffix.

The nearest noun. "The box of gloves is", not "are". Cross out the phrase.
The comma splice. A comma alone cannot join two complete sentences.
Its and it's, their and there, affect and effect. Say the full form ("it is") to test it.
The register. An email to an instructor or a patient leaflet needs formal, clear language, not the shortest option.
Half a word. The suffix changes the meaning: hepatitis and hepatomegaly share a root but not a meaning.
Fatigue. It is the last section; take the optional break after Math so you have something left for it.

How should I study for TEAS English?

Seven days: a baseline drill, two days of conventions, two of knowledge of language, one of vocabulary and word parts, and a mixed timed day.

Our plan, with minutes a day

Day 1
20 min
Take the free English drill on this page. Write the rule behind every miss in one line.
Day 2
30 min
Conventions: commas, semicolons, run-ons and fragments; 20 questions.
Day 3
30 min
Conventions: spelling rules (doubling, -ence and -ance, i before e) and the 20 words you misspell most.
Day 4
30 min
Knowledge of language: agreement, pronouns and tense; 20 questions said aloud.
Day 5
30 min
Knowledge of language: formal versus informal, and putting sentences in order in a paragraph.
Day 6
30 min
Vocabulary: 20 prefixes and suffixes as flashcards, then 15 word-part questions.
Day 7
60 min
A full timed TEAS-style mock, so English comes last, when you are tired, as it does on the day.

How much does English count on the whole TEAS?

English and Language Usage is the last section and worth 33 of the 150 scored items (22%); it is short, so it is the quickest section to lift with a week of rules.

Its rules are finite, which makes it a reliable source of points late in your preparation. Set your target on what is a good TEAS score and see the effect on your total with the TEAS score calculator.

For the other sections, see the TEAS math practice test, the TEAS science practice test and the TEAS reading practice test. Then take the full TEAS practice test and follow how to pass the TEAS.

Frequently asked questions

How many English questions are on the TEAS?

37 in 37 minutes: 33 scored and 4 unscored. Conventions of Standard English has 12 scored questions, Knowledge of Language 11 and Using Language and Vocabulary to Express Ideas in Writing 10.

What is on the TEAS English section?

Spelling, punctuation and sentence structure; grammar, formal and informal language and paragraph organisation; and vocabulary, including working out word meanings from roots, prefixes and suffixes.

How long is the TEAS English section?

37 minutes for 37 questions, one minute each, the tightest pace on the exam. It is the last of the four sections.

How can I improve my TEAS English score quickly?

Learn the dozen rules that cover most questions (joining sentences, agreement, pronouns, tense, apostrophes and confused words) and the common medical word parts, then practise against a 60-second clock.

Is vocabulary on the TEAS medical?

Often it uses health-care words, but the skill tested is working out meaning from word parts and context, not memorising medical terms.

Is the drill on this page the real TEAS?

No. It is 12 original TEAS-style English questions at the real section pace. LifeScore is not affiliated with ATI, and ATI does not publish its real questions.

Know your level before test day

16 topic drills (4 for English), 6 full mocks and a predictor, in one payment with no subscription.