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. For testing purposes, the school year begins August 1 and ends the following July 31.
- The program sheet for your major includes more detailed information about required scores.
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*Students applying for Emergency Medical Science, Health & Fitness Science, Nurse Aide, or Therapeutic Massage are not required to take the HESI-A2 entrance exam.
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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 Æðµã´«Ã½ and set up your student email account before you will be able to access the registration form. Test dates and additional information are below.
New HESI A2 appointment requests will not be processed from December 19 to January 5. Registration for January exams will resume on January 6.
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.
Dates subject to change if registration is too low for a specific date and time.
New HESI A2 appointment requests will not be processed from December 19 to January 5. Registration for January exams will resume on January 6.
January 10, 8:30 AM
January 17, 8:30 AM and 1:00 PM
January 18, 8:30 AM and 1:00 PM
January 24, 8:30 AM
January 25, 8:30 AM and 1:00 PM
January 31, 8:30 AM, RADIOGRAPHY ONLY
Exam dates for Late Consideration will be posted beginning February 1.
When to Take the Exam
This exam should not be taken by new students completing the SCC admissions process. Students typically take the HESI A2 after completing prerequisites, 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.
2024-25 Important Dates
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.
Associate Degree Nursing
Early Consideration – January 25, 2025
Late consideration – May 18, 2025
Radiography
Early Consideration – January 25, 2025
Late Consideration – March 22, 2025
Health Sciences-all others
Early Consideration – January 25, 2025
Late Consideration – April 25, 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 (3.5 hours), 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, division, percentage, fractions, decimals, ratio and proportion, household measures, and general math facts that are useful, for example, when calculating drug dosages and solutions. Effective August 1, 2024, personal calculators are not permitted, but the built-in calculator will be available. You will also 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.
Study Guide: or .
Tutoring: Contact the Tutoring Center
Math Refresher Workshop:
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 Monday-Friday, 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
- Effective August 1, 2024, personal calculators are not permitted, but the built-in calculator will be available. You will also be provided with pencils and scratch paper. Students applying for readmission to a program will not be permitted to use the calculator.
- 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.