What is a Passing Score on the HESI A2 Exam? A School-by-School Guide

Few nursing school entrance exams generate as much confusion as the HESI A2 — because the honest answer to “what’s a passing score?” is: it depends entirely on the school. The HESI Admission Assessment (A2) has no universal passing standard. Each nursing program decides which subtests to require, what minimum scores to demand, and how many attempts you get. This guide breaks down how HESI scoring actually works, shows you real examples from named schools, and gives you a step-by-step method for finding your target number.

How HESI A2 Scoring Works

Every HESI A2 subtest is scored on a scale of 0 to 100%. There is no single “total” score in the way the SAT has one — instead you receive:

• Individual subtest scores (e.g., Math: 88%, Grammar: 79%)
• A composite or cumulative score (an average of your subtests), which some schools use
• Conversion scores for certain sections, where the raw percentage is adjusted — most famously for the critical thinking and some science sections

The Subtests a School Might Require

• Core academic: Basic Math, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar
• Science (varies by program): Anatomy & Physiology (most commonly required), Biology, Chemistry, Physics
• Non-scored or lightly weighted: Learning Style and Personality Profile assessments

Most programs require between three and six subtests. A school that doesn’t require Chemistry won’t care about your Chemistry score at all — which is why “what did people score on the HESI?” forum threads are so misleading. You need your school’s requirements, not the internet’s average.

The General Benchmark: 75% Is the Common Floor

Across the hundreds of programs that use the HESI A2, a clear pattern holds: most nursing programs require a score of 75% or higher on each required subtest, and competitive programs frequently want 80%+. Scores in the mid-70s and below are where applications start to struggle. Some schools also set a composite requirement in the mid-70s or higher.

That said, the range is genuinely wide — which is why a school-by-school view matters.

Real School-by-School Examples

Here are published requirements from actual programs, to illustrate how differently schools treat the same exam:

• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV): Applicants must achieve a score of 75% or higher on the required components of the HESI A2 — Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Math, and Anatomy & Physiology.
• Arizona College of Nursing: Uses a weighted model rather than a flat cutoff — the most common admission pathway requires a minimum weighted score of 60% for applicants holding a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher.
• West Coast University: Some programs may require a composite score in the mid-70s or higher, while other campuses accept slightly lower scores depending on capacity and cohort.

Three schools, three different systems: per-section minimums, a weighted GPA-plus-HESI model, and a composite cutoff. If you applied to all three with identical scores, you could be competitive at one and short at another.

How to Find YOUR Target Score in 15 Minutes

1. Google “[school name] HESI A2 requirements.” Most programs publish exact cutoffs on their admissions or nursing department pages.
2. Check which subtests are required — and which are optional. Studying for unrequired sections wastes weeks.
3. Look for the retake policy: how many attempts are allowed, and how long you must wait between them (commonly 30–60 days).
4. Check score validity: Many schools only accept HESI scores from the past two years; some, like certain accelerated programs, accept scores up to five years old.
5. Confirm with admissions by email or phone. Requirements change year to year, and a one-line email confirmation can save you a retake.

Interpreting Your Score Report

When your scores arrive (usually immediately after testing):

• 90–100%: Excellent. Competitive at nearly any program.
• 80–89%: Strong. Meets most competitive programs’ benchmarks.
• 75–79%: Passing at many schools, but check whether your targets require more — and note that per-section scores can be retaken independently at many schools.
• Below 75%: Below most programs’ minimums. The good news: the HESI A2 can almost always be retaken, and scores are highly coachable because the content is predictable (fractions, conversions, A&P systems, grammar rules).

A Note on Conversion Scores

If your report shows a “conversion score,” don’t panic when it differs from the raw percentage. Some HESI sections use statistical conversion to account for question difficulty. Check your school’s policy: some accept the conversion score, others want the raw percentage.

Strategic Retaking

If your first attempt falls short:

• Retake only the required sections you missed — most schools count your highest or most recent section scores.
• Diagnose before you rebook. A 68% in A&P is a content problem (memorize systems systematically); a 68% in Reading Comprehension is a technique problem (practice inference and main-idea questions).
• Respect the wait period schools impose, and use it: two weeks of structured review typically moves a subtest score up 5–10 points.

The Bottom Line

There is no magic HESI number — there’s only your schools’ numbers. The 75% benchmark is a useful default goal, but the required subtests, the composite rule, and the retake policy vary school by school.

Your action plan: Today, list the three to five nursing programs you’ll apply to. Look up each one’s published HESI A2 requirements, write down the highest subtest minimum among them, and treat that number as your personal target — then build your study plan around it. Walking into the exam knowing your exact number is the single best stress-reducer available.