HESI

All students applying to Nursing or Health Sciences* programs must take the HESI Admission Assessment (A2) exam on the Sandhills campus. No exemptions or substitutions are permitted.

  • The HESI A2 can be taken twice in a school year. The school year begins in August and goes through the following July.
  • The program sheet for your major includes more detailed information about required scores.

  • *Students applying for Emergency Medical Science, Health & Fitness Science, Nurse Aide, or Therapeutic Massage are not required to take the HESI-A2 entrance exam.

  • We do NOT recommend taking the HESI A2 at a different location.  Scores from exams taken elsewhere must be approved by the Director of Health Programs Student Support, and must meet the Sandhills testing requirements to be considered.

  • HESI A2 scores must be less than three years old on the date a student begins program-specific courses.

Please read all of the information on this page before requesting an appointment. You can also watch this video for more information about the exam.

 

What is the HESI A2 Exam?

 

Request a Testing Appointment

You must apply to Sandhills Community College and set up your student email account before you will be able to access the registration form.  Test dates and additional information are below.

HESI A2 Appointment Testing with Disability Accommodations

Scroll down to read about testing with Disability Accommodations.

 

Test Dates

  • The HESI A2 exam is offered in a group setting, by appointment only, on specific dates.
  • Available dates are shown in the registration window on the next page.
  • Additional dates will be added throughout the semester.
  • Seats are confirmed on a first come, first served basis and are limited for each test session.
  • Seats in deadline months fill up quickly and students are encouraged to register early.
  • There is no specific period of time you must wait between tests.
  • You may not reserve more than two appointments at a time.

 

LATE CONSIDERATION DATES

April 12, 8:30 AM

April 13, 8:30 AM
April 13, 1:00 PM

April 20, 8:30 AM
April 20, 1:00 PM

April 26, 8:30 AM: Medical Lab, Respiratory, & Surgical Tech only

May 17, 8:30 AM

May 18, 8:30 AM
May 18, 1:00 PM

May 24, 8:30 AM

May 25, 8:30 AM
May 25, 1:00 PM

 

 

When to Take the Exam

Students typically take the HESI A2 during the fall or spring semester prior to applying to their program of choice. Students should have completed English, Math and Science prerequisites, or be currently enrolled in those courses, before taking the HESI A2. Discuss your readiness with your academic advisor or the Director of Health Programs Student Support.

Pay attention to the admissions process and deadlines listed on your program’s webpage and program information sheet.

 

2023-24 Deadlines

The following dates are the last day to take the HESI A2. Additional deadlines and dates are shown on the program website or program information sheet. Exams taken on the day of the deadline will be accepted.

LPN Transition to ADN

2024 Early Consideration – October 26, 2023

Associate Degree Nursing

Early Consideration – January 29, 2024
Late consideration – May 27, 2024

Radiography

Early Consideration – January 26, 2024
Late Consideration – March 29, 2024

Health Sciences-all others

Early Consideration – January 26, 2024
Late Consideration – April 26, 2024

 

 

Preparation

HESI A2 (Admission Assessment) Edition Five study guides are available in the Sandhills bookstore and Boyd Library. The exam is computerized and timed, and will test the following:

Reading Comprehension: 55-item exam. Reading scenarios that are not health related.  Provides reading scenarios in order to measure reading comprehension, including identifying the main idea, finding meaning of words in context, passage comprehension, making logical inferences, etc. The reading scenarios pop up on the screen. Students can move around the windows to see the entire scenario.

Grammar: 55-item exam. Contains basic grammar, including parts of speech, important terms and their uses in grammar, and commonly occurring grammatical errors.

Vocabulary: 55-item exam. Contains basic vocabulary that is often used in healthcare fields.

Anatomy & Physiology: 30-item exam. Covers general terminology, and anatomical structures and systems.

Mathematics: 55-item exam. Focuses on math skills needed for healthcare fields, including basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, decimals, ratio and proportion, household measures, and general math facts that are useful, for example, when calculating drug dosages and solutions. Calculators are not permitted. The built-in calculator will be disabled. You will be provided with pencils and scratch paper.

Learning Style/Personality Profile: assessments of preferred learning style and personality as related to learning style. This section does not contribute to the score.

There is a score for each section. The cumulative score is the average of all five sections.  Individual sections are not timed. The maximum test time is 3.5 hours.

 

Cost & Payment

$55, subject to change.

Payment is required before your scheduled test appointment time. You may pay in person at the Business Office (Stone Hall 100) during normal business hours or online via Self-Service.  Students are encouraged to pay at least 48 hours in advance to avoid delays on the day of testing.

  • There are no refunds. Students who do not cancel 48 hours in advance will be charged the full testing fee.

 

Disability Accommodations

To request an accommodation for testing, please contact the Disability Services Coordinator to establish your eligibility. Due to the nature of accommodations, most students will need to schedule an individual appointment. Requests for accommodations must be made prior to registration for the exam and confirmed with the test coordinator prior to the appointment date.  For maximum scheduling flexibility, please allow at least two weeks for processing accommodation requests.

 

What to Bring the Day of the Exam

  • Receipt of payment
  • Photo ID
  • Testing username and password- instructions provided in your registration packet
  • Calculators are not permitted. You will be provided with pencils and scratch paper.
  • Electronic devices, cell phones, personal items, bags, food, outside papers and study guides are not permitted in the testing lab. Water bottles with lids are permitted.
  • Please secure your valuables before entering the testing lab.

 

Testing Location

Pinehurst Campus
Stone Hall 206 (unless directed otherwise) 
3395 Airport Rd
Pinehurst, NC 28374

Contact hesi@sandhills.edu with questions regarding the HESI A2.