Which HESI A2 subjects do you need?

Build your practice around your program’s required subjects, scores and testing rules.

Choose your practice subjectsSubject lessons

Start with the program, not a generic exam list

HESI A2 is modular. Programs select the subjects they need, so one applicant may need reading, vocabulary and math while another also needs grammar or science. Use your specific program’s current admissions instructions to choose your subjects.

Elsevier: evidence and academic sectionsTemple College: program requirements

Make a requirements checklist

  • Required academic subjects, plus any critical-thinking or personal inventories.
  • Minimum score for each subject and any separate cumulative requirement.
  • Accepted test location or remote delivery, score age and application deadline.
  • Retake limits, waiting period, and whether scores from different attempts can be combined.
  • Appointment length, permitted breaks, identification and accommodation arrangements.

Add science only when you need it

The seven common academic subjects are reading, vocabulary, grammar, math, anatomy and physiology, biology, and chemistry. Our four-subject starting selection is a convenience, not a claim about your school. Add or remove subjects before your diagnostic and full rehearsal.

Critical thinking is a separate optional subject. Some allied-health programs also list physics; our optional physics section uses a practice length rather than claiming a universal official format.

Elsevier: Admission Assessment Exam ReviewSCTCC: a program that lists physicsUTRGV: HESI sections and critical thinking

Personal inventories are different

Learning-style and personality questionnaires may appear in your school’s instructions. They are personal inventories rather than academic questions with right answers. Answer them honestly; a preferred study style does not establish that one teaching method will always work best.

Temple College: program requirements

Study reflection

Use these optional questions to plan your preparation. There are no right or wrong answers.

Open the optional reflection activity

Some programs include learning-style or personality inventories alongside HESI A2. This is our own short reflection activity, not a reproduction or predictor of those inventories.

1. When a practice question feels unfamiliar, what do you usually do first?
2. What most often happens after you get a practice question wrong?
3. Which preparation constraint matters most for you this week?
4. What usually makes you feel more confident about a topic?
5. What kind of support would be useful in your next study session?
6. How would you like to check whether your next study plan helped?

Choose one practical change to try this week, then check whether it helped on fresh questions. You can keep, change, or discard that plan.

Your preferences can vary by task and change with experience. They do not diagnose a personality type, determine an ability, or establish a fixed learning style. Check which study methods improve your actual understanding and recall.

Put the method into practice

Choose a short drill for the skill you are studying, then review the explanation before moving on.

Choose a practice drill

Independent original preparation, not affiliated with or endorsed by Elsevier. Your program’s published instructions take precedence for official exam requirements.