Is the HSRT the same as the TEAS exam?

No. The TEAS 7 tests science knowledge (anatomy, biology, chemistry), math, reading, and English grammar. The HSRT (Health Sciences Reasoning Test) tests only critical thinking and logical reasoning, no science content knowledge is needed or tested. Students who struggle with the TEAS usually need to learn content; students who struggle with the HSRT need to develop reasoning skills.

How do I prepare for the HSRT?

HSRT preparation requires practice with logical reasoning, reading comprehension, inference, analysis, and quantitative reasoning, not memorization. StudyBuddy is the only dedicated HSRT prep platform, with 64 lessons, 1,000+ practice questions, video lectures, and 10 timed full-length mock exams. Dedicated HSRT-specific preparation materials remain extremely rare.

Do Texas schools require the HSRT for nursing?

In Texas, the HSRT is primarily used for allied health programs, dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, and occupational therapy assistant programs, rather than nursing. Most Texas nursing programs use the HESI A2 or TEAS 7. The Texas programs confirmed to use the HSRT as of 2026 are Lone Star College, HCC Coleman, Palo Alto College (part of the Alamo Colleges District), and College of the Mainland.

Verified June 2026

Which Schools Require the HSRT Exam?

Q: Which schools require the HSRT exam?

As of 2026, the HSRT is required by nursing programs primarily in Minnesota, including Anoka-Ramsey Community College (min. 74%), M State (min. 60–73%), Northwest Technical College (min. 70%), Central Lakes College (min. 65–70%), South Central College (min. 70–74%), Century College, and Rochester Community & Technical College. Allied health programs in Texas also require it, including Lone Star College (dental hygiene and respiratory care), HCC Coleman (respiratory therapy and OTA), Palo Alto College/Alamo Colleges District (dental hygiene), and College of the Mainland (dental hygiene). Rowan College of South Jersey and Portland Community College and Central Oregon Community College in Oregon also use the HSRT.

Q: What is a good HSRT score?

HSRT scores are reported as a percentage. For Minnesota nursing programs, a score of 74% or higher is competitive. Most programs require a minimum of 65–74%. For Texas allied health programs, there is typically no published minimum, the HSRT is used for competitive ranking, so the higher your score, the better your position in the applicant pool. A score above 70% is generally considered strong.

The Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) is required by 35 nursing and allied health programs across 8 states. This is the only complete, hand-verified list, updated as new programs adopt the exam.

Quick answer

Minnesota has the most HSRT-required programs (11 listed, min. scores generally 60–74%). Texas uses the HSRT for allied health programs , dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, and OTA, primarily as a competitive ranking tool with no published minimum. New Jersey (Rowan College) and Oregon (COCC, PCC) also require it for nursing. No other state currently mandates the HSRT for program admission.

Total programs

States using HSRT

MN programs

TX programs

Minnesota

11 programsNursing-focused

Minnesota is the HSRT’s stronghold for nursing. Most programs use holistic, points-based admissions where the HSRT score is a primary quantitative metric alongside GPA.

School	Program	Min. HSRT Score	Notes
Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids, MN	Nursing AS / LPN Nursing	74%	Minimum 74 required.
Anoka Technical College Anoka, MN	Practical Nursing (PN) Nursing	66%	For Fall 2026 PN admission, applicants complete EITHER the ATI TEAS OR the HSRT-AD.
M State (Minnesota State) Moorhead, MN	ADN / LPN / Sonography / Med Lab Sonography	60%	ADN/PN/MLT: 60% min.
Northwest Technical College Bemidji, MN	ADN / LPN / Cardiac Sonography Sonography	70%	Minimum 70% overall required for Traditional RN, Practical Nursing, and Cardiac Sonography (LPN Step-In applicants are exempt).
Central Lakes College Brainerd, MN	ADN / LPN / Advanced Standing Nursing	65%	RN: 70% minimum.
Century College White Bear Lake, MN	Nursing AS Nursing	No published minimum	No published minimum.
South Central College North Mankato, MN	ASN / PN Nursing	74%	ASN: 74 minimum (verified June 2026).
Rochester Community & Technical College Rochester, MN	ADN / PN Nursing	No published minimum	HSRT used as a weighted component of application points — no pass/fail cutoff.
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Cloquet, MN	Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Nursing	No published minimum	Required entrance exam for the FDLTCC Associate Degree Nursing program.
Riverland Community College Austin, MN	ADN (RN) / LPN / Radiography Radiography	75%	RN track requires an HSRT cut score of 75 or higher; the LPN track requires 70 or higher.
Minnesota North College Hibbing, MN	Practical Nursing Diploma Nursing	No published minimum	The HSRT is a required application item for the Practical Nursing Diploma.

Texas

9 programsAllied health-focused

In Texas the HSRT is used mainly for allied health admissions, not nursing. Most Texas nursing programs use HESI A2 or TEAS 7. Programs typically use the HSRT as a ranking tool rather than a hard cutoff.

School	Program	Min. HSRT Score	Notes
Lone Star College — Dental Hygiene Kingwood, TX	Dental Hygiene AAS Dental Hygiene	No published minimum	Competitive — avg interview invite score 23/33 (2025).
Lone Star College — Respiratory Care Kingwood, TX	Respiratory Care AAS Respiratory Therapy	No published minimum	Used in competitive ranking.
HCC Coleman — Respiratory Therapy Houston, TX	Respiratory Therapy AAS Respiratory Therapy	No published minimum	30% of rubric points from HSRT.
HCC Coleman — Occupational Therapy Assistant Houston, TX	OTA AAS Occupational Therapy	No published minimum	25% HSRT + 20% interview + 5% essay + academic criteria.
Palo Alto College (Alamo Colleges District) San Antonio, TX	Dental Hygiene AAS Dental Hygiene	No published minimum	Top 45 applicants invited to take HSRT after GPA + observation hours ranking.
College of the Mainland — Dental Hygiene Texas City, TX	Dental Hygiene AAS Dental Hygiene	No published minimum	HSRT-AD required for dental hygiene admissions.
Alvin Community College Respiratory Care Alvin, TX	Respiratory Care (AAS) Respiratory Therapy	No published minimum	Required step in admission to the Alvin Community College Respiratory Care program.
Lone Star College Kingwood, TX	Polysomnography Polysomnography	No published minimum	HSRT required of all applicants (50-minute exam, $15, one attempt per application period).
Lone Star College Kingwood, TX	Occupational Therapy Assistant Occupational Therapy	No published minimum	HSRT required of all OTA applicants (one attempt per application period, $15).

New Jersey

4 programs

New Jersey programs use the HSRT for selective admissions across nursing and allied health tracks.

School	Program	Min. HSRT Score	Notes
Rowan College of South Jersey Sewell, NJ	Nursing / LPN-RN / PTA / PN / Respiratory Therapy Respiratory Therapy	No published minimum	Required for selective admissions across the Generic Nursing, LPN-RN Bridge, PTA, Practical Nursing, and Respiratory Therapy tracks.
Rowan University Respiratory Therapy (BSRT) Glassboro, NJ	BS Respiratory Therapy (Entry into Practice) Respiratory Therapy	72%	Minimum composite HSRT score of 72 required for admission to the Rowan University BS in Respiratory Therapy (Entry into Practice).
Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg, NJ	Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Occupational Therapy	No published minimum	GPA, HSRT, and an essay are combined on a standardized selection rubric; the top 25 scoring applicants are offered seats first.
Rowan College of South Jersey Sewell, NJ	Veterinary Technology (AAS) Allied Health	No published minimum	HSRT-AD required for all applicants (described as non-negotiable in the 2026 selective-admission handbook).

Oregon

6 programs

Oregon nursing and allied health programs use the HSRT as a Phase II or weighted ranking factor.

School	Program	Min. HSRT Score	Notes
Central Oregon Community College Bend, OR	ADN / PN Nursing	No published minimum	No minimum; HSRT score × 0.30 = 30% of application points
Columbia Gorge Community College The Dalles, OR	ADN (AAS Nursing) Nursing	No published minimum	Phase II exam — HSRT administered alongside proctored essays.
Portland Community College Portland, OR	ADN (AAS Nursing) Nursing	No published minimum	Phase II exam — only top Phase I scorers are invited to take the HSRT.
Portland Community College Portland, OR	Radiography (AAS) Radiography	No published minimum	Phase II exam — taken alongside a job shadow and a panel interview.
Portland Community College Portland, OR	Dental Hygiene (AAS) Dental Hygiene	No published minimum	Phase II exam — the ~40 highest-scoring Phase I applicants are invited to take the HSRT; the top 20 are selected for the cohort.
Clatsop Community College Astoria, OR	Nursing (AAS) Nursing	No published minimum	No published minimum.

Utah

2 programs

Utah dental hygiene programs require the HSRT (some administer the HSRT-N form) as part of a ranked application.

School	Program	Min. HSRT Score	Notes
Utah Valley University Orem, UT	Dental Hygiene Dental Hygiene	No published minimum	No published minimum.
Utah Tech University St. George, UT	Dental Hygiene Dental Hygiene	No published minimum	Required application material.

Illinois

1 program

Illinois programs require the HSRT through the campus testing center as part of selective admission.

School	Program	Min. HSRT Score	Notes
Black Hawk College Moline, IL	Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Occupational Therapy	No published minimum	HSRT required as part of the OTA application; no published cut score.

Colorado

1 program

Colorado programs use the HSRT as a second-stage screen when applications exceed available seats.

School	Program	Min. HSRT Score	Notes
Arapahoe Community College Littleton, CO	Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Physical Therapist Assistant	No published minimum	No published cut score.

Nebraska

1 program

Nebraska health-career programs require the HSRT-AD, scheduled through campus testing services.

School	Program	Min. HSRT Score	Notes
Metropolitan Community College Omaha, NE	Respiratory Therapy (AAS) Respiratory Therapy	No published minimum	The HSRT-AD entrance exam is required for the Respiratory Therapy AAS (and MCC's Paramedicine and Medical Assisting programs) and is scheduled through MCC Testing Serv…

What is a good HSRT score?

HSRT scores are reported as a percentage (0–100%). The interpretation depends on your target program:

Minnesota nursing programs: Aim for 74%+ to be competitive at Anoka-Ramsey (the strictest program). A score of 70% meets minimum requirements at most MN programs.
Texas allied health programs: No published minimums. Scores are used for ranking, any score above 70% is competitive, and 75%+ puts you in a strong position.
Oregon nursing programs: HSRT is one weighted factor; higher is always better.

Unlike the TEAS or HESI, there is no national percentile report for HSRT scores. Each program interprets scores independently.

HSRT vs. TEAS, what’s the difference?

Feature	HSRT	TEAS 7
What it tests	Critical thinking & reasoning	Science, math, reading, English
Science knowledge needed?	No	Yes. A&P, biology, chemistry
Duration	~40–50 minutes	209 minutes
Score format	Percentage (0–100%)	Percentage composite
Who uses it	MN nursing; TX allied health	Most US nursing programs
Study approach	Reasoning skills & logic	Content memorization

How to prepare for the HSRT

The HSRT is the only major nursing admissions exam with no dedicated third-party prep materials, until now. Students commonly report "paradigm shock": they expect to study science facts and instead encounter pure logic puzzles.

Effective HSRT preparation focuses on six reasoning skills: analysis, evaluation, inference, deduction, induction, and quantitative reasoning. These are skills, not content, which means practice and feedback matter more than memorization.

The only dedicated HSRT prep

StudyBuddy HSRT Course

64 lessons · 1,000+ practice questions · video lectures · 10 full-length timed mock exams · 15 reading comprehension passages

Start HSRT Prep, $29/month

Frequently asked questions

Do all nursing schools require the HSRT?

No. The HSRT is required by a small subset of programs, primarily in Minnesota and Oregon for nursing, and in Texas for allied health. The majority of US nursing programs require TEAS 7 or HESI A2 instead.

Can I retake the HSRT if my score is too low?

Retake policies vary by program. Anoka-Ramsey allows one retake after 30 days. Most other programs allow retesting after a similar waiting period. Check your specific program's admissions page for exact retake policies.

Is the HSRT harder than the TEAS?

Most students find the HSRT harder because it requires genuine critical thinking, there is no content to memorize. With the TEAS, you can study A&P facts and math formulas. With the HSRT, you must develop reasoning skills that take more time to build.

Where can I take the HSRT?

The HSRT must be taken at an authorized testing center, typically on-campus at the school requiring it. Some schools partner with regional testing centers. Unlike the TEAS, you cannot take the HSRT at an ATI testing center. Contact your program's admissions office for testing site details.

Note: HSRT requirements and score minimums are set by individual programs and may change each admissions cycle. Always verify requirements directly with your program before registering for the exam. Last verified: June 2026.

Which Schools Require the HSRT Exam?

Minnesota

Texas

New Jersey

Oregon

Utah

Illinois

Colorado

Nebraska

What is a good HSRT score?

HSRT vs. TEAS, what’s the difference?

How to prepare for the HSRT

StudyBuddy HSRT Course

Frequently asked questions

Do all nursing schools require the HSRT?

Can I retake the HSRT if my score is too low?

Is the HSRT harder than the TEAS?

Where can I take the HSRT?

Everything else on the HSRT

Understand the exam

Prepare

6 reasoning skill areas

Schools that require it

Scoring & admissions

State-specific guides

Compare & free resources