TEAS math formulas and conversions: the list ATI publishes

Every formula in ATI's published sample list — distance, area, perimeter, volume, slope-intercept form, the quadratic equation, the Pythagorean theorem, circumference and simple interest — plus the NIST SP 811 conversion factors and the habit that converts correctly.

ATI publishes a sample of the formulas for the TEAS math section: distance, area, perimeter, volume, slope-intercept form, the quadratic equation, the Pythagorean theorem, circumference and simple interest. The conversions are the other half, because a measurement question hands you a number in one unit and asks for it in another. This page collects both, with the caveat ATI attaches to its own list.

The formulas ATI publishes

ATI's site prints a sample of formulas "from the ATI TEAS® Study Manual", and this is that list, written as formulas:

Formula	What it gives you	What the letters are
d = rt	Distance, rate and time	d = distance, r = rate, t = time
A = lw	Area of a rectangle	A = area, l = length, w = width
P = 4s	Perimeter of a square	P = perimeter, s = side length
V = lwh	Volume of a rectangular prism	V = volume, l = length, w = width, h = height
y = mx + b	Slope-intercept form of a line	m = slope, b = y-intercept, (x, y) = any point on the line
ax² + bx + c = 0	Standard form of a quadratic equation, solved with the quadratic formula — itself not on ATI's sample list	a, b and c = the coefficients, x = the unknown
a² + b² = c²	The Pythagorean theorem, for right triangles	a and b = the legs, c = the hypotenuse
C = 2πr	Circumference of a circle	C = circumference, r = radius, π ≈ 3.14159
A = (1/2)bh	Area of a triangle	A = area, b = base, h = height measured perpendicular to the base
I = Prt	Simple interest	I = interest, P = principal, r = annual rate written as a decimal, t = years

ATI's caveat is worth reading before you rely on any list, including this one: "It is important to note that the exact formulas and concepts covered on the TEAS exam may vary depending on the version of the test you are taking." That is why the list is a sample rather than a sheet, and why the math guides here teach the procedures around each formula instead of asking you to memorize a table.

Notice what the list assumes you already have: that area is in square units and volume in cubic units, that a rate carries two units and the fraction you multiply by decides which one survives, and that a triangle's height is perpendicular to its base. Those are the steps the formula does not do for you.

Conversions

The conversion factors below are NIST's, from Special Publication 811 (Appendix B.8). The exact column is exact by definition; the rounded column is what you would write in an answer. Each row names the unit NIST defines: mile is the international (statute) mile, ounce is the avoirdupois ounce, and quart, gallon and fluid ounce are US liquid measure.

From	To	Exact factor	Rounded
Inches	Centimeters	2.54	2.54
Feet	Meters	0.3048	0.305
Miles (international)	Kilometers	1.609344	1.61
Pounds	Kilograms	0.45359237	0.454
Ounces (avoirdupois)	Grams	28.349523125	28.35
Quarts (US liquid)	Liters	0.946352946	0.946
Gallons (US liquid)	Liters	3.785411784	3.785
Fluid ounces (US liquid)	Milliliters	29.5735295625	29.57

For temperature, the two conversions are °F = (°C × 9/5) + 32 and °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9. Household measures are not definitions at all but the rounded labeling conventions of FDA nutrition labeling (21 CFR 101.9): 1 teaspoon = 5 mL, 1 tablespoon = 15 mL, 1 fluid ounce = 30 mL, 1 cup = 240 mL. NIST's own value for a US liquid fluid ounce is 29.57 mL and a US cup is 236.588 mL, so use the rounded figure only when the question is written in household measures rather than in the unit NIST defines.

The habit that converts correctly

Convert before you compute. A measurement question almost always mixes units on purpose — a length in inches and a width in feet, a dose in milligrams and a stock strength in grams — and the arithmetic cannot tell you that you left two units in the same equation.

Three steps, every time: write the unit beside every number, multiply by the factor as a fraction arranged so the unwanted unit cancels, then check that the answer's unit is the one the question asked for. A right number in the wrong unit is a wrong answer.

Where to practice this

Numbers and algebra practice — equations, percents, ratios, and word problems
Measurement and data practice — conversions, rates, and geometric measurement
Math practice — the whole section, both sub-content areas

The method behind each procedure is worked through in numbers and algebra and measurement and data.

What this sheet is not

It is only the sample ATI publishes, not a complete list of what a version covers. ATI publishes a partial sample and says outright that the formulas on a given version may differ, so nothing here should be read as a promise about your exam's version. And it is not a substitute for the section: the math section is 38 items in 57 minutes, and a formula you can find but cannot apply is worth nothing under the clock.

Section totals are on how many questions are on the TEAS.

ATI TEAS® is a registered trademark of Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC. Elk Ridge Academy is not affiliated with or endorsed by ATI.