Published on September 28, 2024

Cheat Sheet for the TEAS Test

Kelvin Alvarez

Studying for the TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) can be overwhelming without the right tools. That’s where a TEAS cheat sheet comes in — a condensed, organized reference guide that highlights the essential information you need to succeed. While you can’t take it into the testing room, using a cheat sheet during your preparation can help reinforce memory, increase study efficiency, and reduce test anxiety.

Here’s a detailed, section-by-section breakdown of what your TEAS cheat sheet should include.

🧠 Reading Section Cheat Sheet

The Reading section assesses comprehension, inference, and critical analysis. It includes 45 questions to be answered in 55 minutes.

Key Concepts to Include:

• Main idea vs. supporting details – Identify what the passage is primarily about versus evidence used to support it.
• Author’s purpose – Is the author trying to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain?
• Tone and bias – Recognize the author’s emotional attitude and potential bias in writing.
• Logical conclusions/inferences – Draw conclusions based on implicit information.
• Following directions – Understand how to read and interpret procedural texts (e.g., recipes, instructions).
• Summarizing and paraphrasing – Restate ideas accurately without altering their meaning.
• Text structure – Recognize organizational styles like cause/effect, chronological order, and compare/contrast.

Pro Tips:

• Skim the passage first, then read the questions.
• Underline keywords in both the question and passage.
• Practice identifying the "big picture" as well as small details.

➗ Math Section Cheat Sheet

The Math section has 38 questions in 57 minutes, covering arithmetic, algebra, and measurement.

Must-Memorize Formulas:

• Area of rectangle = length × width
• Area of triangle = ½ × base × height
• Area of circle = π × radius²
• Perimeter of rectangle = 2 × (length + width)
• Circumference of circle = 2 × π × radius
• Volume of rectangular prism = length × width × height
• Simple interest = principal × rate × time
• Percent change = (new – original ÷ original) × 100
• Mean (average) = sum of values ÷ number of values

Conversions to Know:

• 1 foot = 12 inches
• 1 yard = 3 feet
• 1 mile = 5280 feet
• 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
• 1 pint = 2 cups
• 1 quart = 2 pints
• 1 gallon = 4 quarts

Math Skills to Practice:

• Working with fractions, decimals, and percentages
• Solving linear equations
• Understanding ratios and proportions
• Interpreting word problems and units of measure
• Using order of operations (PEMDAS)

Pro Tips:

• Label units in all problems to avoid conversion mistakes.
• Round only at the end of the problem.
• Use the provided four-function calculator wisely (only available on the test).

🔬 Science Section Cheat Sheet

The Science section has 50 questions in 60 minutes and spans a wide variety of concepts, including anatomy, biology, chemistry, and scientific reasoning.

Human Anatomy and Physiology:

• Major body systems & functions:
  • Circulatory: heart, blood vessels, blood flow
  • Respiratory: lungs, gas exchange, alveoli
  • Digestive: organs, nutrient absorption, enzymes
  • Nervous: brain, spinal cord, neuron function
  • Endocrine: hormones, glands
  • Urinary: kidneys, nephron, waste removal
• Homeostasis: negative feedback loops (e.g., temperature regulation, blood sugar)

Cellular Biology:

• Organelles: nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes, Golgi apparatus
• DNA/RNA basics: base pairing (A-T, C-G), transcription/translation

Life & Physical Sciences:

• Macromolecules: proteins (enzymes), carbohydrates (energy), lipids (cell membranes), nucleic acids (DNA/RNA)
• Atomic structure: protons, neutrons, electrons
• Chemical bonds: ionic, covalent, hydrogen
• The pH scale: acids (<7), bases (>7), neutral (7)
• States of matter: solid, liquid, gas
• Basic genetics: Punnett squares, dominant/recessive traits

Scientific Method & Reasoning:

• Steps: Observation → Hypothesis → Experiment → Data → Conclusion
• Understanding control groups, variables, experimental bias

Pro Tips:

• Use mnemonics for organ functions (e.g., “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos” for planets).
• Review diagrams — many science questions are visual.

✍️ English & Language Usage Cheat Sheet

This section has 37 questions in 37 minutes and tests grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and vocabulary.

Grammar & Usage:

• Subject-verb agreement
• Correct verb tenses
• Pronoun-antecedent agreement
• Modifiers and word choice
• Commonly confused words: their/there/they’re, affect/effect, your/you’re

Punctuation Rules:

• Comma use: in a series, after introductory phrases, before conjunctions
• Semicolons: between related independent clauses
• Apostrophes: possessive nouns vs. contractions
• Quotation marks: punctuation inside vs. outside quotes

Sentence Structure:

• Identify simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences
• Avoid run-on sentences and fragments

Vocabulary:

• Learn prefixes (pre-, anti-, sub-), suffixes (-ology, -itis, -able), and roots (bio = life, derm = skin)

Pro Tips:

• Practice editing paragraphs for errors.
• When in doubt, read sentences aloud in your head to check for natural flow.
• Flashcards help for memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules.

📚 Study and Test-Taking Strategies

Building Your Cheat Sheet:

• Start early. Update your cheat sheet as you study.
• Keep it visual — use colors, bold headings, diagrams.
• Limit it to 1–2 pages to encourage high-yield content only.

Before Test Day:

• Take at least 2–3 full-length practice tests
• Review your cheat sheet the day before, not new material
• Get a good night’s sleep and eat a balanced breakfast

On Test Day:

• Pace yourself: Don’t spend too long on one question.
• Use strategic guessing — eliminate wrong answers first.
• Stay positive and manage stress with deep breathing.

Final Thoughts

A TEAS test cheat sheet is more than a study tool — it’s a strategic roadmap. When built correctly, it saves time, reinforces memory, and helps you focus on what matters most. Every bullet point and formula is a stepping stone toward exam-day confidence.

Use it, revise it, and make it your own. By test day, you won’t need to bring it with you — you’ll have already internalized it.

You got this.