The Science section is the largest on the TEAS 7 — 50 questions, 60 minutes — and consistently the section where students lose the most points. After tracking hundreds of student practice exams, our tutors identified the 10 topics that show up repeatedly and cause the most trouble. Master these and you'll see your Science score jump.
The 10 Topics to Prioritize
Students frequently confuse the path of blood through the heart. Know the four chambers, the valves, and the exact sequence from deoxygenated blood entering the right atrium to oxygenated blood leaving the left ventricle. Understand systole vs. diastole.
Know which gland produces which hormone and what it does. The pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, and pancreas are tested most often. Understand negative feedback (how the body self-regulates hormone levels).
Know the major organelles (mitochondria, ribosome, nucleus, Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum) and their functions. The TEAS 7 loves questions like "which organelle is responsible for protein synthesis?"
These are confused by almost every student. Mitosis = body cells, 2 identical daughter cells. Meiosis = reproductive cells, 4 genetically unique cells, half the chromosomes. Know the phases of each.
Know the building blocks of each (glucose → carbs, amino acids → proteins, fatty acids + glycerol → lipids, nucleotides → DNA/RNA) and their role in the body.
Focus on the mechanics of breathing (diaphragm contraction, lung expansion), the path of air from mouth to alveoli, and how O₂ and CO₂ are exchanged across the alveolar membrane.
Be able to complete a monohybrid Punnett square and determine probability of offspring traits. Know dominant vs. recessive, and sex-linked traits.
Know the pH scale (0–14), what makes a substance acidic or basic, and buffer systems in the body. The blood's pH is ~7.4 — slightly basic. This links to respiratory topics like CO₂ and carbonic acid.
Physical science shows up in roughly 8% of Science questions. Newton's three laws — inertia, F=ma, and equal-and-opposite reactions — are the most commonly tested physics concepts.
Questions ask you to identify independent vs. dependent variables, evaluate hypotheses, and interpret graphs. These are skills, not memorized facts — practice with chart-heavy passages.
How to Study These Efficiently
Don't read your notes passively. For each topic above, use active recall: close your notes and try to explain the concept out loud as if teaching someone else. If you can explain the cardiac cycle from memory, you know it. If you can't, you don't — yet.
💡 Tutor tip: Spend no more than 20 minutes on any single topic per session. Multiple short sessions spread over days outperform one long cramming session every time — this is called spaced repetition and it's scientifically proven.
Also use our free TEAS 7 Science practice questions to test yourself on these exact topics before your exam.
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