Minnesota Nursing Schools
That Require the HSRT

The Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) is a 33–35 question critical thinking exam required for nursing and allied health program admission. It tests reasoning ability — not medical knowledge — across 6 domains: Analysis, Inference, Evaluation, Induction, Deduction, and Numeracy. The exam takes 50 minutes.

The HSRT is challenging because it tests how you think, not what you know. Many students expect a science exam and are unprepared for logic-based questions. With focused preparation — especially on argument analysis and data interpretation — most students achieve competitive scores in 4–6 weeks.

Retake policies vary by school and by the test publisher (Insight Assessment). Generally, there is a mandatory waiting period between attempts. Check with your specific program before scheduling a retake, as some programs count only your most recent score and others accept your highest.

The HSRT is administered through Insight Assessment's testing system, typically at approved testing centers or through your institution. Some programs administer it on-site during application review. Contact your specific program for testing location and scheduling instructions.