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TEAS test-day checklist: the ID rules, the clocks and the score

What to settle before you sit the ATI TEAS: the approved photo ID list, the four testing formats, the no-notes rule, 209 minutes across four separately timed sections, the rescheduling rule, and when your score posts in each format.

TEAS test day is decided before it starts. Seven things are worth settling in advance — which format your school accepts, the photo ID you must bring, what cannot come into the room, the four clocks, when your score posts, the reschedule rule (and an accommodation request filed early), and the retake rules — and most of them are published by ATI rather than left to guesswork.

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1. Confirm the format your school accepts

Schools choose from four formats: TEAS at ATI (remote, proctored by ATI), TEAS Online at Institution (remote, proctored by the school), TEAS at Institution (in person), and TEAS at PSI. ATI's own instruction is to contact the school before registering, because your school decides where and how you take the TEAS, which results it accepts, and what score you need. That matters more than it sounds: ATI's purchase policy is strict — purchases are final and refunds are not offered — so a registration that does not match your school's requirements still counts as an attempt.

2. Bring an approved photo ID

A photo ID is the item ATI's ID rules single out. ATI states that a candidate must present "a valid (not expired), approved form of government-issued photo ID prior to the start" of the exam, and that this applies to remote sittings as much as in-person ones. The documents must be original physical documents that include a photo — photocopies and images of an ID captured on a phone are not accepted.

ATI's approved list is specific: driver's license, non-driver photo ID, tribal card, U.S. passport or U.S. passport card, U.S. military ID or U.S. military dependent's ID, U.S. permanent resident card, U.S. visa, and a foreign government-issued passport. A school-issued student ID or a work ID will not be accepted, however official it looks.

3. Do not bring notes or your study manual

The TEAS is not open book. ATI's rule is blunt: "You may not use your study manual or any notes during the proctored ATI TEAS® Exam," and using them "would be considered an exam violation and your exam will be flagged for review." There is no version of this where the notes help; the flagged attempt is the outcome. If a test center's own rules about the room come up — what the center supplies, what stays at your seat — confirm those with the school or the provider that administers your session when you schedule.

4. Know the four clocks

The exam is 209 minutes across four separately timed sections, and 209 is the sum rather than a pool you can spend freely:

Section Items Time
Reading 45 55 min
Math 38 57 min
Science 50 60 min
English and language usage 37 37 min

The four clocks divide out to about 1.2 minutes an item in reading, 1.5 in math, 1.2 in science, and a minute an item in English and language usage. English has the least time per item of the four, so a stalled item eats that clock fastest. The full item counts, including which questions are scored, are on how many questions are on the TEAS.

5. Know when your score posts

Posting time depends on the format you booked. TEAS at ATI: your score is preliminary for four business days, excluding weekends and major holidays, and is then finalized. TEAS at Institution (in person or remote): your score usually posts immediately. TEAS at PSI: results go to ATI first, so your score can take up to 48 hours to appear. If your result shows a "Preliminary" status, that is the expected state at ATI's own format, not a problem with your sitting.

6. Know the reschedule rule before you need it

An exam scheduled and paid for on ATI's site can be rescheduled through your ATI account, if a slot is available, for the current rescheduling fee (ATI lists it when you book) — the amount is not fixed for the life of this page, so confirm it there rather than trusting a figure from a forum. Refunds are not part of the policy: "Refunds: none. Purchases are final once made." If you will need testing accommodations, file the request early — ATI states that most requests require at least 30 days' notice, and some schools ask for more.

7. Plan around the retake rules

ATI's registration page settles the retake question in three sentences, and only one of them is ATI's: "ATI doesn't limit your total attempts, but many schools do — confirm your school's cap before registering"; "how soon you can retest and how many attempts count are set by your school, so check your program's policy"; and, for ATI's own part, "After you complete an exam, you must wait at least 48 hours before scheduling a retake through ATI." Two things to hold onto either way: each completed and scored exam counts as an attempt even if you do not submit the results, and every attempt is recorded on your ATI transcript.

The night before, in one list

Lay out the approved photo ID, confirm the appointment time and the format with your ATI account or the school, leave the notes and the study manual behind, and skim the four clocks once so the section you are least comfortable in is not the one that surprises you.

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

Source: ATI, 'Register For The TEAS' (the four testing formats, the attempts and retake rules, the rescheduling rule, no refunds, the 30-day accommodation notice, the approved photo ID list, and when scores post by format) and 'Is the TEAS exam open book?' (the no-notes rule); ATI TEAS Content Specifications for the four section clocks and the 209-minute total; ATI's score pages for the preliminary-status window (ATI accessed 2026-10-16)

See what the TEAS Full Access Pass covers — including the flashcard decks built from the guides