Introduction: The Score Report Is Data — Read It Like a Nurse

You finished the ATI TEAS, the screen shows a percentage, and your first instinct is to text the number to everyone you know. Hold on. The TEAS score report is one of the most information-dense documents in the admissions process: it contains an adjusted individual score, national and program-level comparisons, percentile ranks against two different groups, an academic preparedness classification, and a section-by-section content breakdown that tells you precisely where your next study hour should go — especially if you plan to retake.

Applicants who read only the headline percentage leave value on the table. Programs, meanwhile, read the whole report: many publish minimum section scores, not just a composite, and several weight the Science section specifically. Learning to interpret your report the way an admissions committee does lets you answer three questions with confidence: Did I clear my program's bar? How competitive am I against the actual applicant pool? And if I retake, what exactly should I study?

The Anatomy of the TEAS Score Report

1. Adjusted Individual Score — Your Headline Number

The Adjusted Individual Score is your overall percentage on the exam, reported from 0.0% to 100%. It is adjusted because ATI applies statistical equating to account for minor variations in difficulty between different forms of the TEAS — a 72.0% on one form represents the same performance level as a 72.0% on another. This is the composite number most schools list in their admissions requirements.

2. The Four Section Scores — Where Competitiveness Is Actually Decided

Your report breaks the composite into four content areas, matching the exam blueprint:

• Reading — key ideas, craft and structure, integration of knowledge
• Mathematics — numbers and operations, algebra, measurement and data
• Science — human anatomy and physiology, life and physical sciences, scientific reasoning
• English and Language Usage — conventions, knowledge of language, vocabulary

Each section shows both a percentage and its own content-level detail. This matters for applications in three ways:

1. Many programs publish section minimums (for example, "no section below 50%") in addition to a composite requirement. A strong composite with one weak section can still disqualify you.
2. Some programs weight Science and Math more heavily because of the clinical curriculum ahead.
3. If you retake, the section detail — not the composite — is your study map.

3. National Mean and Program Mean — Two Different Yardsticks

Directly beside your scores, the report shows:

• National Mean: the average score of all test-takers nationwide (for the TEAS 7, typically the mean across the broad national candidate pool).
• Program Mean: the average of candidates who applied to your program's academic degree or credential type.

The gap between these two numbers is diagnostic gold. If your program mean sits well above the national mean, you are applying alongside a stronger-than-average pool — the report is telling you that "slightly above national average" is not competitive here.

4. Percentile Ranks — Your Real Position in the Queue

Percentile Rank – National and Percentile Rank – Program answer the question every applicant actually has: where do I stand? A percentile rank of 72 means you scored as well as or better than 72% of the comparison group. Interpret with care:

• A solid percentage with a mediocre percentile means the pool is strong — the percentage alone understates your competition.
• Percentiles are comparative, not absolute: they move even when your score does not, because they depend on who else tested. Use them as a compass, not a verdict.
• Program percentiles are the most application-relevant of all, because admissions committees compare you against the pool they actually receive.

5. Academic Preparedness Levels — The Vocabulary Programs Use

ATI classifies overall performance into named bands that many program websites quote directly in their requirements:

Level	Score Range
Developmental	0.0% – 40.7%
Basic	41.3% – 58.0%
Proficient	58.7% – 77.3%
Advanced	78.0% – 90.0%
Exemplary	90.7% – 100%

Two interpretation notes:

• "Proficient" is the floor, not the goal, for most selective programs. ATI describes Proficient as indicating a moderate level of overall academic preparedness; competitive nursing programs commonly look for Advanced or Exemplary, or Proficient plus strong section scores.
• The bands have small gaps between them (for example, between 40.7% and 41.3%). Those gaps are intentional score bins — a 40.8% and a 41.2% fall in the same Developmental classification, even though the percentage differs.

Turning the Report into an Application Strategy

Scenario 1: You Cleared the Bar Comfortably

Verify all of the following before celebrating: composite above the published minimum, every section above any stated section floor, and a program percentile consistent with the cohort strength. Then submit — and attach the official score through ATI's results transfer service to the schools that need it, since scores do not automatically travel between institutions.

Scenario 2: The Composite Is Fine but One Section Lags

This is the classic hidden problem. A 75% composite can conceal a 55% Science — and if the program weighs Science or enforces section minimums, the composite flatters you. Options:

• If the program has no section minimums and your composite clears the cutoff, you may apply as-is and address the weakness in an interview conversation.
• If section minimums apply, a retake targeting that one section is often the highest-yield use of the coming weeks — and section-level focus makes the retake shorter and more effective than full-exam cramming.

Scenario 3: You Missed the Requirement

Read the report surgically before rebooking:

1. Identify the two weakest content areas (not sections — the report goes deeper, e.g., "measurement and data" within Mathematics).
2. Rebuild study around those areas using active recall and timed practice sections.
3. Check your target school's retake policy before scheduling: many schools limit the number of TEAS attempts they will consider (commonly counting your best score or most recent) and impose waiting periods between attempts. Confirm the rules in writing — retaking too soon under school policy can waste an attempt.

A Note on Sending Scores

Your report reaches the schools you selected at registration; additional schools receive scores through ATI's transfer process for a fee. When you register for a retake, decide deliberately which program each attempt should report to — accidental default selections send scores to the wrong institution, and admissions offices read what they receive.

The 10-Minute Score-Report Review Ritual

Sit down with your report once and answer these five questions in writing:

1. What is my Adjusted Individual Score, and what is my program's published minimum?
2. What are my four section scores, and what section minimums (if any) does my program enforce?
3. What is my Program percentile — and is the Program Mean above or below the National Mean?
4. Which Academic Preparedness level am I in, and which level does my program prefer?
5. If I retake: which two content areas get the next twenty study hours?

Applicants who can answer all five in writing make better decisions than applicants who know one number.

Conclusion: One Number Informs; the Whole Report Decides

Your TEAS report is not a score — it is a dossier. The Adjusted Individual Score tells you whether you cleared the bar; the section breakdown tells you whether the clearance is real under your program's rules; the means and percentiles tell you whether it is competitive in your actual applicant pool; and the preparedness level translates all of it into the vocabulary admissions committees use. Read all five layers before you apply, retake, or celebrate.

Your next step: pull up your report and complete the 10-minute review ritual above — then take those two weakest content areas straight into your study calendar. And if you are pre-exam rather than post-exam: target the Proficient floor first and the Advanced band second, and let that ordering shape your prep hours.