How Rochester Community & Technical College uses the HSRT in admissions
RCTC uses the HSRT composite score as a weighted component of the overall application points formula — not a simple pass/fail cutoff. Two versions are used: HSRT-PN for Practical Nursing applicants and HSRT-AD for Associate Degree (RN) applicants. There is no published minimum score; your score is ranked against other applicants in the same cycle. RCTC was part of the Minnesota Alliance for Nursing Education (MANE) consortium, which shifted Minnesota state colleges from content-heavy exams (TEAS/HESI) toward reasoning-based exams to better predict clinical success.
No minimum cutoff, but every point in the application formula matters. The HSRT score is one of several weighted factors. Aim for the highest score possible — you are competing against applicants who have already completed the same prerequisites.
HSRT testing at Rochester Community & Technical College
- Location: RCTC Testing Center — Main Campus, Atrium area, 2nd floor, Room AT209. In-person only; remote testing is not available.
- Fee: Contact RCTC Testing Center for current fee (non-refundable)
- Format: 35 multiple-choice questions, 50 minutes time limit. Unanswered questions scored as incorrect. You can navigate forward and backward during the exam.
- How to register: The exam must be taken in person at the RCTC Testing Center (Room AT209, 2nd floor Atrium, Main Campus). Book your testing appointment early — seats are limited. Contact the Testing Center directly to schedule. Remote testing is not an option for RCTC.
Retake policy
Retakes are generally not allowed within the same application cycle. If you need to retest, you must wait until the next application cycle.
Eligibility requirements
Residency: Contact RCTC for residency requirements. RCTC is a Minnesota State system college.
About the Rochester Community & Technical College nursing program
Rochester Community and Technical College uses two distinct versions of the HSRT depending on which nursing program you are applying to: the HSRT-AD for Associate Degree (RN) applicants and the HSRT-PN for Practical Nursing applicants. These are not interchangeable — confirm which version your target program requires before scheduling your exam. RCTC is one of the few Minnesota programs that maintains its own HSRT preparation resources on the official admissions page, including links to external test-prep materials, which reflects how unusual the exam is compared to the TEAS or HESI that students typically expect. There is no published minimum score cutoff at RCTC; instead, your HSRT composite is a weighted component of a multi-factor application points formula. You are competing against applicants who have already completed the same prerequisites — your HSRT score is one of the factors that separates similarly-qualified candidates. Rochester is the home of Mayo Clinic, and RCTC nursing graduates benefit from access to one of the strongest clinical training environments in the Midwest.
Watch Rochester Community & Technical College nursing program videos →
About the HSRT exam
The Health Sciences Reasoning Test is developed by Insight Assessment. Unlike the TEAS or HESI, it does not test science, math, or vocabulary. The Standard HSRT reports an overall score plus eight critical thinking skills: analysis, interpretation, inference, evaluation, explanation, induction, deduction, and numeracy. The HSRT-AD form reports six of those skills (it does not report interpretation or explanation separately). Rochester Community & Technical College lists its HSRT as 35 questions with a 50 minutes time limit. Programs choose which HSRT form they administer. The Standard HSRT is 38 questions in 55 minutes, and the HSRT-AD is 35 questions in 50 minutes. Confirm with Rochester Community & Technical College admissions which form and time limit you will sit.
Minnesota nursing programs adopted the HSRT after the MANE consortium dissolved, shifting toward holistic admissions models that emphasize critical thinking ability over content knowledge. Research in nursing education suggests that reasoning ability, more than prerequisite GPA, predicts clinical performance and NCLEX success.
How to prepare for the HSRT at Rochester Community & Technical College
Because there is no content to memorize, HSRT preparation looks different from TEAS or HESI prep. Effective preparation involves:
- Understanding the skill areas the HSRT reports (eight on the Standard HSRT, six on the HSRT-AD)
- Taking a baseline diagnostic to identify your weakest subscale
- Practicing argument analysis, inference, and logical reasoning with original HSRT-style practice questions
- Completing full-length practice exams under realistic conditions (50 minutes time limit at Rochester Community & Technical College)
- Reviewing every wrong answer by skill area, not just overall score
StudyBuddy is a dedicated HSRT prep platform: 1,331 questions across eight skill modules (one per reported skill) and a mixed-reasoning module, 70 interactive lessons, and 10 timed mock exams in the Standard HSRT format (38 questions, 55 minutes). It is designed to build the reasoning skills publicly described for the HSRT. Our questions are original practice material and do not reproduce the proprietary exam. If Rochester Community & Technical College uses the HSRT-AD, the same course applies, and the pace per question is about the same (about 86 to 87 seconds).
Registration at Rochester Community & Technical College
The exam must be taken in person at the RCTC Testing Center (Room AT209, 2nd floor Atrium, Main Campus). Book your testing appointment early — seats are limited. Contact the Testing Center directly to schedule. Remote testing is not an option for RCTC.
Contact: rctc.edu/program/nurs/admission
