Free HESI A2 practice

20 free HESI A2 practice questions

Try an original mixed preview across common HESI A2 academic exams. Your program may assign only some of these exams, so treat this as a skill check—not a replica of your form.

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These are original Passy questions aligned to Elsevier’s published HESI A2 academic areas. They are not official Elsevier or HESI items, they are not recalled exam questions, and they do not predict admission.

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MathematicsStep 1 · Choose one answer

A recipe uses 3 parts water to 2 parts juice. If you already measured 12 ounces of water, how many ounces of juice keep the same ratio?

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All 20 HESI A2 questions with explanations

Try the set above first, then use this list to review. Each answer and explanation stays closed until you open it.

Question 1 · Mathematics
A recipe uses 3 parts water to 2 parts juice. If you already measured 12 ounces of water, how many ounces of juice keep the same ratio?
1. 4 ounces
2. 6 ounces
3. 8 ounces
4. 18 ounces
Show answer and explanation for question 1
Correct answer: C · 8 ounces
The ratio is 3:2. Twelve ounces of water is 4 times 3, so juice must be 4 times 2, which is 8 ounces. Eighteen ounces would reverse the ratio, and 6 ounces would be half of the water instead of two-thirds.
Look for this next time: Scale both parts of a ratio by the same factor after you confirm which quantity you already know.
Question 2 · Mathematics
A label says a bottle holds 2 cups. About how many milliliters is that if 1 cup is 240 mL?
1. 120 mL
2. 240 mL
3. 360 mL
4. 480 mL
Show answer and explanation for question 2
Correct answer: D · 480 mL
Two cups at 240 mL each is 480 mL. Household-to-metric conversions on HESI-style math are usually direct multiplication once the given equivalent is clear.
Look for this next time: Write the given household equivalent first, then multiply. Do not mix a second unofficial conversion into the same step.
Question 3 · Reading Comprehension
A short clinic notice says: “Bring a photo ID. Arrive 15 minutes early. Personal calculators are not permitted.” Which statement is a logical inference, not a stated fact?
1. A photo ID is required.
2. Candidates should plan to arrive before the listed start time.
3. Personal calculators are not permitted.
4. The clinic has decided that late arrivals will be turned away.
Show answer and explanation for question 3
Correct answer: B · Candidates should plan to arrive before the listed start time.
The notice states the ID rule and the calculator rule directly. “Arrive 15 minutes early” supports the inference that you should plan extra time; it does not say late arrivals are refused. Option D adds a penalty the passage never states.
Look for this next time: An inference must be supported by the passage without adding a rule the author did not write.
Question 4 · Vocabulary
In the sentence “The nurse documented that the wound was proximal to the elbow,” proximal most nearly means:
1. Farther from the trunk of the body
2. Closer to the point of attachment
3. On the opposite side of the body
4. Toward the back of the body
Show answer and explanation for question 4
Correct answer: B · Closer to the point of attachment
Proximal means nearer the point of attachment or trunk. Distal is farther away, contralateral is the opposite side, and posterior is toward the back. This is Passy study vocabulary, not an official HESI word list.
Look for this next time: Healthcare vocabulary items often hinge on a precise directional or clinical meaning, not a nearby everyday synonym.
Question 5 · Grammar
Which sentence uses subject-verb agreement correctly?
1. The list of required vaccines are posted on the door.
2. The list of required vaccines is posted on the door.
3. The list of required vaccines were posted on the door.
4. The list of required vaccines have been posted on the door.
Show answer and explanation for question 5
Correct answer: B · The list of required vaccines is posted on the door.
The subject is “list,” which is singular. The prepositional phrase “of required vaccines” does not change the verb. Singular subjects take “is,” not “are,” “were,” or “have.”
Look for this next time: Find the true subject before the verb. Words in an “of…” phrase are usually not the subject.
Question 6 · Biology
Which organelle is primarily responsible for producing ATP through cellular respiration in eukaryotic cells?
1. Ribosome
2. Golgi apparatus
3. Mitochondrion
4. Lysosome
Show answer and explanation for question 6
Correct answer: C · Mitochondrion
Mitochondria carry out most ATP production via cellular respiration. Ribosomes synthesize protein, the Golgi modifies and packages products, and lysosomes digest materials.
Look for this next time: Match the organelle to its core job: energy, protein synthesis, packaging, or digestion.
Question 7 · Chemistry
An aqueous solution has a pH of 3. Which description is accurate?
1. The solution is neutral.
2. The solution is basic.
3. The solution is acidic.
4. The solution contains no hydrogen ions.
Show answer and explanation for question 7
Correct answer: C · The solution is acidic.
pH 7 is neutral, values below 7 are acidic, and values above 7 are basic. A pH of 3 is acidic. Acidic solutions have a higher hydrogen-ion concentration than neutral water, not none.
Look for this next time: Treat pH as a hydrogen-ion scale: below 7 acidic, 7 neutral, above 7 basic.
Question 8 · Anatomy & Physiology
Which chamber of the heart pumps oxygenated blood into the aorta?
1. Right atrium
2. Right ventricle
3. Left atrium
4. Left ventricle
Show answer and explanation for question 8
Correct answer: D · Left ventricle
The left ventricle ejects oxygenated blood into the aorta for systemic circulation. The right ventricle sends deoxygenated blood to the lungs, and the atria receive blood rather than pumping it into the aorta.
Look for this next time: Track oxygenated versus deoxygenated blood and name the chamber that actually ejects into the vessel in the question.
Question 9 · Anatomy & Physiology
During inhalation, which change is expected in a healthy adult?
1. The diaphragm relaxes and thoracic volume decreases.
2. The diaphragm contracts and thoracic volume increases.
3. The epiglottis closes the trachea completely.
4. Alveolar surface area shrinks to trap carbon dioxide.
Show answer and explanation for question 9
Correct answer: B · The diaphragm contracts and thoracic volume increases.
The diaphragm contracts and flattens, increasing thoracic volume so air can enter. Relaxation of the diaphragm belongs to exhalation. The epiglottis does not seal the trachea during a normal inhalation.
Look for this next time: Connect the muscle action to the volume change, then to airflow direction.
Question 10 · Reading Comprehension
A paragraph’s first sentence describes a new clinic policy, and every later sentence reports a number about how the policy has worked so far. The paragraph never urges the reader to agree or act. The author’s primary purpose is most likely to:
1. Narrate a personal story
2. Persuade with a sequence of events
3. Inform by describing a policy and reporting its results
4. Entertain with figurative language
Show answer and explanation for question 10
Correct answer: C · Inform by describing a policy and reporting its results
The paragraph describes a policy and reports results without urging the reader to agree or act, so its job is to inform. Nothing in the stem describes a narrative plot, persuasion, or entertainment.
Look for this next time: Purpose questions follow the job of the sentences: reporting facts without a call to agree or act points to inform; arguing for a belief or action points to persuade.
Question 11 · Mathematics
A solution order uses 1.5 mL of concentrate for every 100 mL of water. How much concentrate is needed for 250 mL of water at the same rate?
1. 2.5 mL
2. 3.0 mL
3. 3.75 mL
4. 4.5 mL
Show answer and explanation for question 11
Correct answer: C · 3.75 mL
250 is 2.5 times 100, so the concentrate is 2.5 × 1.5 = 3.75 mL. 2.5 mL would be the water multiplier by itself. 3.0 mL is 2 × 1.5, and 4.5 mL is 3 × 1.5.
Look for this next time: Scale both parts of the rate by the same multiplier.
Question 12 · Reading Comprehension
A notice says: “The skills lab closes at 8 p.m. on weekdays. Weekend hours are posted at the door.” Which inference is supported?
1. Weekend hours might differ from the weekday closing time, and the door posting is where to check
2. The lab is closed all weekend
3. The lab stays open until 8 p.m. every day of the year
4. Students may ignore the door posting
Show answer and explanation for question 12
Correct answer: A · Weekend hours might differ from the weekday closing time, and the door posting is where to check
The notice gives 8 p.m. only for weekdays and points weekend hours to another place. That supports a possible difference, not a claim that the weekend is closed or that 8 p.m. applies every day.
Look for this next time: An inference can connect two sentences. It cannot add a fact the notice never chose.
Question 13 · Vocabulary
In the phrase “a benign finding on the exam,” benign most nearly means:
1. not harmful
2. contagious
3. painful
4. recent
Show answer and explanation for question 13
Correct answer: A · not harmful
Benign means not harmful or not malignant in this kind of phrase. It does not mean contagious, painful, or recent. Those are different clinical ideas.
Look for this next time: Learn the word in the phrase you will see, not as a loose synonym.
Question 14 · Vocabulary
A note says the dressing was occlusive. Occlusive most nearly means:
1. air- and water-sealing
2. loose and open
3. made of paper only
4. changed every hour
Show answer and explanation for question 14
Correct answer: A · air- and water-sealing
An occlusive dressing closes the area off. Loose and open is the opposite. The word does not specify paper or an hourly schedule.
Look for this next time: Occlusive is about sealing, not about how often something is changed.
Question 15 · Grammar
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
1. Each of the samples was labeled before lunch.
2. Each of the samples were labeled before lunch.
3. Each of the samples labeling before lunch.
4. Each of the samples were label before lunch.
Show answer and explanation for question 15
Correct answer: A · Each of the samples was labeled before lunch.
Each is singular, so the verb is was, even though samples is plural. Were agrees with the wrong word. The other options are missing a proper verb form.
Look for this next time: With “each of,” the verb agrees with each, not with the plural noun in the phrase.
Question 16 · Grammar
Which revision uses a complete sentence?
1. Because the sample was unlabeled.
2. The sample was unlabeled, so the student set it aside.
3. The sample unlabeled and set aside.
4. Unlabeled because the student.
Show answer and explanation for question 16
Correct answer: B · The sample was unlabeled, so the student set it aside.
Choice B has two complete clauses joined by so. Choice A is a dependent fragment. The other two are missing a working verb structure.
Look for this next time: A starting word such as because needs a complete clause after it.
Question 17 · Biology
Which molecule carries genetic instructions used to build proteins in a cell?
1. DNA
2. Sodium
3. Cholesterol
4. Glycogen
Show answer and explanation for question 17
Correct answer: A · DNA
DNA stores the genetic sequence. RNA carries a working copy, but the stored instructions named here are DNA. Sodium is an ion, cholesterol is a lipid, and glycogen is stored carbohydrate.
Look for this next time: Separate the information molecule from the fuel and membrane molecules.
Question 18 · Biology
Which description fits mitosis?
1. One division that produces two genetically identical daughter cells
2. A process that produces four gametes with half the chromosome number
3. The breakdown of glucose in the cytoplasm only
4. The movement of water across a membrane
Show answer and explanation for question 18
Correct answer: A · One division that produces two genetically identical daughter cells
Mitosis produces two daughter cells with the same chromosome set as the parent. Four gametes with half the chromosomes describes meiosis. Glycolysis and osmosis are not cell-division processes.
Look for this next time: Mitosis copies the cell. Meiosis makes gametes.
Question 19 · Chemistry
An atom has 11 protons, 12 neutrons, and 11 electrons. What is its atomic number?
1. 11
2. 12
3. 23
4. 34
Show answer and explanation for question 19
Correct answer: A · 11
Atomic number is the proton count, which is 11. Mass number would be protons plus neutrons, 23. Neutrons alone are 12, and adding all three particles is not a standard atomic number.
Look for this next time: Atomic number equals protons. Do not add neutrons unless the question asks for mass number.
Question 20 · Anatomy & Physiology
Which structure prevents food from entering the trachea during swallowing?
1. Epiglottis
2. Alveolus
3. Nephron
4. Sinoatrial node
Show answer and explanation for question 20
Correct answer: A · Epiglottis
The epiglottis covers the laryngeal opening as a person swallows. Alveoli exchange gas, nephrons filter blood, and the sinoatrial node sets the heart’s rhythm. None of those closes the airway during a swallow.
Look for this next time: Match the structure to the moment in the question. Swallowing points to the epiglottis.

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Answer before reviewing

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Read every rationale

Confirm why the best option fits, even when you were right.

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20 original questions

20 free HESI A2 practice questions

A recipe uses 3 parts water to 2 parts juice. If you already measured 12 ounces of water, how many ounces of juice keep the same ratio?

All 20 HESI A2 questions with explanations

A recipe uses 3 parts water to 2 parts juice. If you already measured 12 ounces of water, how many ounces of juice keep the same ratio?

A label says a bottle holds 2 cups. About how many milliliters is that if 1 cup is 240 mL?

A short clinic notice says: “Bring a photo ID. Arrive 15 minutes early. Personal calculators are not permitted.” Which statement is a logical inference, not a stated fact?

In the sentence “The nurse documented that the wound was proximal to the elbow,” proximal most nearly means:

Which sentence uses subject-verb agreement correctly?

Which organelle is primarily responsible for producing ATP through cellular respiration in eukaryotic cells?

An aqueous solution has a pH of 3. Which description is accurate?

Which chamber of the heart pumps oxygenated blood into the aorta?

During inhalation, which change is expected in a healthy adult?

A paragraph’s first sentence describes a new clinic policy, and every later sentence reports a number about how the policy has worked so far. The paragraph never urges the reader to agree or act. The author’s primary purpose is most likely to:

A solution order uses 1.5 mL of concentrate for every 100 mL of water. How much concentrate is needed for 250 mL of water at the same rate?

A notice says: “The skills lab closes at 8 p.m. on weekdays. Weekend hours are posted at the door.” Which inference is supported?

In the phrase “a benign finding on the exam,” benign most nearly means:

A note says the dressing was occlusive. Occlusive most nearly means:

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

Which revision uses a complete sentence?

Which molecule carries genetic instructions used to build proteins in a cell?

Which description fits mitosis?

An atom has 11 protons, 12 neutrons, and 11 electrons. What is its atomic number?

Which structure prevents food from entering the trachea during swallowing?

The rationale matters more than the score.

Answer before reviewing

Read every rationale

Follow the pattern

Choose your next step.

Try free practice

Build a study plan

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