TEAS Passing Score 2026: 58.7% Is Proficient + Free Test

November 2, 2026 · Alex S. · reviewed by Hana N., Quality Reviewer · how we write

ATI does not set a passing score for the TEAS; each school sets its own minimum. ATI reports a percentage from 0 to 100 and a preparedness level, and Proficient starts at 58.7%.

ATI does not set a passing score for the TEAS. Each school or program sets its own minimum, and ATI reports your result as a percentage from 0 to 100 together with one of five academic preparedness levels. The Proficient level starts at 58.7 percent, and ATI says your school will most likely want Proficient or above.

Who decides what counts as passing

ATI creates and scores the exam, but it leaves the pass or fail decision to the program you apply to. That decision is bigger than one number. According to ATI, your school also decides:

the minimum score it will accept;
how many attempts you get and whether you must wait between them (ATI itself requires no waiting period);
which exam format it accepts, because some schools take only exams sat in person on campus and will not accept a remote transcript;
how old a score can be. Two years is common, but a school may shorten the window to one year or less when ATI changes the test blueprint.

The five levels printed on your score report

The Individual Performance Profile, which is the score report you see in your ATI account, shows your total score, your level, the national mean and your national percentile rank. These are the Version 7 ranges from ATI's sample report:

Level	Score range	What ATI says it generally means
Developmental	0.0% to 40.0%	Very low overall academic preparedness
Basic	40.7% to 58.0%	Low preparedness; extra work likely needed on most objectives
Proficient	58.7% to 79.3%	Moderate preparedness; extra work possible on some objectives
Advanced	80.0% to 91.3%	High preparedness; extra work not likely needed
Exemplary	92.0% to 100.0%	Very high preparedness; extra work not likely needed

The table has small gaps between ranges, such as 40.0 and 40.7. You do not have to place yourself: the report prints your level.

Why a 70 is not 70 percent of the questions

Many test takers try to turn their result into a count of correct answers. ATI says that does not work. The total score and the four content-area scores are equated: they start from the percentage of items answered correctly and are then adjusted for differences in difficulty between test forms. Because of that adjustment, ATI says you cannot rebuild the total from other numbers on the report, and the four content-area scores do not add up to the total.

Sub-content scores, such as Key Ideas and Details, work differently. They are the plain percentage of questions in that group that you answered correctly, and ATI says they are not equated, so they should not be compared from one form to another.

One more reason a simple count fails: the exam has 170 questions, but 20 of them are unscored, so 150 questions feed your result.

What to ask before you register

Ask each program for its minimum total score or minimum level.
Ask which formats it accepts. TEAS fees are non-refundable, and a registration that the school will not accept still counts as an attempt.
Ask about attempt limits and waiting times. Every exam counts as an attempt whether or not you send the transcript, and schools can see your attempt history.
Ask how long a score stays valid, then work backward from the application deadline.

Frequently asked questions

Is 65 a passing TEAS score?

ATI does not define a passing score, so it depends on the program. A 65 falls inside the Proficient range on the Version 7 table (58.7% to 79.3%), but a school can ask for more.

Is Proficient the same as passing?

No. Proficient is a label ATI uses on the score report. Many schools ask for it, but each program sets its own requirement.

Can I retake the TEAS?

Yes. ATI does not require a waiting period between attempts. Attempt limits and waiting times are set by the program you are applying to.

How long is a TEAS score valid?

Schools decide. ATI says two years is common, and a school may shorten that window after ATI changes the test blueprint.

Official sources

Checked against the sources above on November 2, 2026. Exam bodies change fees and rules: confirm on the official page before you register.

TEAS Passing Score 2026: What ATI Reports and Schools Require