What Is the HSRT?
The Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) is a standardized critical thinking exam developed by Insight Assessment. It is used by nursing and allied health programs across the United States as part of the admissions or progression process.
Unlike the TEAS 7 or HESI A2, the HSRT does not test your knowledge of anatomy, biology, or chemistry. It tests how you think — specifically, whether you can analyze a clinical scenario, draw logical conclusions, and evaluate competing claims using the information provided.
The version most commonly required by associate degree nursing programs is the HSRT-AD (Associate Degree). It is the same assessment as the standard HSRT, calibrated for two-year college students.
HSRT Exam Format at a Glance
| Detail | Specifics |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | 33 to 35 multiple-choice |
| Time limit | 50 minutes |
| Format | Computer-based, in-person only |
| Prior knowledge required | None |
| Calculator allowed | No |
| Cost | $17 to $50 depending on institution |
| Scoring | 100-point scale |
All information needed to answer each question is provided within the question itself. You do not need to memorize medical terminology or clinical facts to do well on the HSRT.
What Does the HSRT Actually Test?
The HSRT measures six critical thinking skills. Each question on the exam maps to one of these domains:
- Analysis — Breaking down a scenario to identify its key claims, assumptions, and decision-relevant elements. You are not asked what the right answer is clinically, but whether you can identify what the scenario is actually asking you to evaluate.
- Inference — Drawing the most warranted conclusion from a set of evidence. Neither overreaching nor undershooting. This is the skill of reading data or a passage and concluding exactly what it supports, nothing more.
- Evaluation — Assessing the credibility of a source or the logical strength of an argument. Does the evidence actually support the conclusion? Is the reasoning valid?
- Induction — Making sound judgments in ambiguous or uncertain situations. Real clinical decisions often happen without complete information. This skill measures how well you reason under those conditions.
- Deduction — Applying formal rules to reach logically certain conclusions. If the premises are true, the conclusion must follow.
- Numeracy — Applying critical thinking to quantitative information: interpreting statistics, reading data tables, and evaluating numerical claims in clinical contexts.
Scores are reported on a 100-point scale for each domain and for an overall composite, with qualitative ratings of Superior, Strong, Moderate, Weak, or Not Manifested.
What Is a Passing HSRT Score?
Minimum score requirements vary by program. Here is a sample of what programs across the country require:
- M State (Minnesota): 60% or higher for both Practical Nursing and Associate Degree Nursing (effective 2026)
- Northwest Technical College (Minnesota): 70% or higher for Traditional RN and Practical Nursing (effective fall 2026)
- COCC (Oregon): Program-specific minimum; students may test up to twice per application cycle
- Lone Star College (Texas): Competitive ranking used for admissions decisions
Most programs fall in the 60 to 74% range as their minimum. Competitive applicants — those who actually receive offers — tend to score in the 70s or higher. Always check your specific program’s requirements directly, as cutoffs can change each admissions cycle.
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How Is the HSRT Different from the TEAS and HESI?
This is the question most students ask first, especially if they are also preparing for a nursing entrance exam.
The TEAS 7 and HESI A2 are content knowledge tests. They measure what you know: biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, math, reading comprehension, and English. Studying for them means reviewing subject matter.
The HSRT measures how you reason. There is no content to memorize. You cannot study for it the way you study for TEAS or HESI. Instead, preparation involves building and sharpening the six reasoning skills through practice with HSRT-format scenarios.
This distinction matters for how you allocate your study time. If you are preparing for both a content exam and the HSRT, treat them as two separate preparation tracks.
Which Programs Require the HSRT?
The HSRT is most commonly required in Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and New Jersey, though its use is expanding. Programs that have required it include:
- Minnesota: M State, Northwest Technical College, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Century College, and others in the Minnesota State system
- Oregon: Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and other Oregon community colleges
- Texas: Lone Star College, Houston Community College (Coleman Campus)
- New Jersey: Rowan College South Jersey and others in the region
If you are unsure whether your program requires the HSRT, check the admissions requirements page for your specific nursing or allied health program. Requirements can differ even between campuses of the same college system.
How Hard Is the HSRT?
The HSRT is challenging for a specific reason: most students have never been explicitly taught the six critical thinking skills it measures. You have been using them informally your whole life, but you have probably not practiced applying them to structured clinical scenarios under time pressure.
The good news is that these skills are trainable. Students who prepare intentionally with HSRT-format practice questions consistently improve their scores. The 50-minute time limit adds pressure, so timed practice is particularly important.
A score in the moderate range (roughly 15 to 20 correct out of 33 to 35) reflects functional critical thinking. Scores in the strong range (21 to 25 correct) reflect above-average reasoning under time constraints. Most competitive programs are looking for scores in the strong to superior range.
How to Prepare for the HSRT
Because the HSRT tests reasoning rather than content, effective preparation looks different from TEAS or NCLEX prep:
- Practice with HSRT-format questions. Generic critical thinking exercises are not enough. You need questions written in the same scenario-based, clinical-context format as the actual exam, mapped to the six skill domains.
- Review your performance by domain. If inference questions are your weak spot, targeted practice in that domain yields faster improvement than reviewing everything equally.
- Practice under timed conditions. You have about 85 seconds per question. Timed mock exams help you build the pacing instinct the real exam requires.
- Understand what each question is actually asking. Many HSRT errors come from misidentifying the question type. An inference question and an evaluation question look similar on the surface but require different reasoning moves.
- Plan 4 to 6 weeks of dedicated prep time. Most students who arrive well-prepared have spent at least a month on HSRT-specific practice, not general test prep.
StudyBuddy HSRT Prep
StudyBuddy is the only dedicated HSRT-AD prep platform available online. The HSRT course includes 1,750+ practice questions mapped to all six reasoning domains, 38 lessons, 10 full-length timed mock exams, and 17 video lectures. Every question is tagged by skill domain so you can track exactly where you are strong and where you need more work.
The HSRT course is included in the StudyBuddy subscription alongside TEAS 7, HESI A2, and NCLEX prep. Monthly access starts at $29.