How many times can you take the HESI A2?

A score under your program’s minimum feels like a closed door, but most programs let you test again. What changes from school to school is how soon, how often and how much of the exam you repeat.

How many times can you take the HESI A2?

There is no single limit: your nursing program decides how many times you can take the HESI A2. We looked for a general attempt cap or waiting period in the Elsevier support pages, A2 guides and exam security policy we could read. We found none.

Elsevier, which makes the exam, does publish a few practical details. Its A2 faculty guide has schools choose version 1 for first-time testers or version 2 for second-time testers when they schedule. That is a setup step for schools, not a limit on you.

Its help page on distance testing covers one more case. If you retake a different version under the same Department ID, wait 24 hours after finishing an exam before you register again. That is a registration step, and it does not replace your program’s wait.

Your school may also count attempts you made elsewhere. Baylor, for example, says its three-attempt maximum includes HESI A2 exams that were never sent to Baylor.

What do real programs allow?

Rules vary a lot, from one test per application period to two per year. The table shows seven programs, using only what each page states in October 2026. “Not stated” means the page does not say.

Program	Attempts	Wait between tests	What you retake	Scores valid for
Tarrant County College (TX)	1 per application period	60 days apart if you test more than once	All listed sections at each test; no partial retake stated	Not stated
Lone Star College (TX)	Not stated	Once every 60 days; inside that window only your first score counts	All 6 sections	Under 1 year at application
CNM (NM)	2 in any 12 months; a third one year after the second	45 days between first and second	Not stated	1 year
Georgia Southern University (GA)	2 in a 12-month period	30 days after the first	Not stated	12 months
Baylor University (TX)	1 per semester, 3 maximum	60 days	Not stated; scores cannot be pieced together	Not stated
Temple College (TX)	2 per academic year (Sept. to Aug.) at Temple testing centers	Not stated	All 3 required sections; ADN applicants below 80 on any section retake the entire exam	2 years, in-person tests only
University of Arizona, MS-MEPN program	2 per application cycle	None; timing does not matter	Not stated; the 4 sections must come from 1 attempt, and the highest eligible score is used	1 year, and valid on the deadline

These are examples, not a list of every school. Rules change each cycle, and a program can differ from the testing office that gives the exam. Read your own program’s page, or email its admissions team, before you book.

Do you have to retake every section?

At some schools, yes. At others the page does not say, so ask. Lone Star College states that you must retake all six sections. Temple College says a retake repeats all 3 required sections, and an ADN applicant with any section below 80 must retake the entire exam.

Other pages stay quiet on this point. Baylor and Arizona’s MS-MEPN page do want scores from one attempt. A strong math score from one attempt will not rescue a weak English score from another.

A test taken at another site may also have transfer rules. Georgia Southern says its nursing program accepts Elsevier scores from other testing centers, and it warns that some programs do not. If you test outside Lone Star, Elsevier must send official scores to its nursing department. Temple College no longer accepts remotely proctored scores. Confirm this before you pay.

How much does a HESI A2 retake cost?

Fees vary by school and test format, and no page we read lists a retake discount. Tarrant County College lists $53 in person and $75 through ProctorU, subject to change. Temple College lists $65, paid the morning of your exam.

Georgia Southern lists $75 for a group appointment and $85 for a scheduled one, with no refunds once you pay. CNM’s class listing shows $80 for its initial exam. Lone Star’s CyFair page lists $65, and its Montgomery page lists $61 plus a processing fee.

Arizona’s nursing page says the cost varies. The university testing office lists a $55 registration fee for each attempt plus a $50 administration fee. Baylor says you pay the fee but gives no amount.

Registration also differs. CNM asks you to pre-register and pay, then create an Evolve login to bring on test day. Georgia Southern books most tests through its Marketplace, and it points people with no testing center nearby to Prometric. Lone Star wants scores in by one week before its application deadline.

How do you read your HESI A2 score report?

Open your Results Report in Evolve, then compare each section with your program’s minimum. Elsevier’s support center says to sign in to My Evolve, go to My Exams, choose your exam, and click View Results, then Results Report.

Elsevier says A2 results typically show within 24 hours. If your exam is missing, ask your school to confirm the result was uploaded.

Schools then turn those scores into a decision. Some use a minimum on each section, a minimum on a composite, or both. CNM asks for 75% on every sub-test and 75% overall. Baylor asks for 80 or better on a Math composite and an English composite, built from Reading, Vocabulary and Grammar. Arizona’s MS-MEPN uses the average of four sections.

Pick your study order from the gaps. List each section your program counts, write your score next to its minimum, and start with the one furthest below.

Which sections count?

Programs choose their own sections, so check your list before you study. Tarrant County College says individual programs determine the sections required for application.

The lists differ widely. CNM has six sections. Georgia Southern lists five, including Anatomy and Physiology. Temple scores three. Baylor counts only the Math and English composites and says no science section is required. Lone Star adds Critical Thinking.

Studying a section your program ignores costs time you may not have. Studying one it counts, even a strong one, can protect a margin.

How should you plan your next attempt?

Wait out the required days, then spend them on your weakest counted section first. Here is a plain sequence.

1. Write down the rule. Note your program’s attempt limit, wait, deadline and whether you repeat all sections.
2. Take a fresh baseline. Our free HESI A2 diagnostic test covers the main sections so you can compare it with your report. Your report is the better guide to what your program counts.
3. Make a dated plan. The HESI A2 study plan works back from your retake date and puts weak sections first.
4. Learn the gaps. Use the HESI A2 lessons for the section you missed by most, then review terms with the HESI A2 flashcards.
5. Review every miss. For each wrong answer, write why you chose it and what the right answer rests on.
6. Practice under time. Work through the free HESI A2 practice test in one sitting so the pacing feels familiar.

Book your date when your practice results hold steady, not just when the wait ends. Our tools are practice, not the real exam, and they cannot promise a result.

Quick answers

Is there an official limit on HESI A2 attempts? We found none in the Elsevier pages and guides we read. Your nursing program sets the limit, and the pages above run from one test per application period to three in total.

How long must you wait to retake the HESI A2? It depends on the program. Where pages state a wait, it ran from 30 to 60 days.

Do retakes replace your old score? It depends on your program. Arizona’s MS-MEPN uses your highest eligible score. Lone Star uses your most recent score, unless you retest inside its 60-day window, when only the first counts.

Do HESI A2 scores expire? Often. Lone Star, CNM, Georgia Southern and Arizona’s MS-MEPN say one year. Temple College accepts scores from the past two years.

Can you retake only the section you failed? Some programs say no. Lone Star requires all six sections and Temple requires all three of its required sections. Ask your program if its page is silent.