FREE HESI A2 Chemistry Practice Test 2025

Nursing programs utilize the Health Education Systems, Inc (HESI) Entrance Assessment (A2) exam to determine whether you would be a good fit and have a chance of succeeding in the rigorous setting of nursing education.

There are 30 questions on the HESI A2 Chemistry Exam on the Atom, the Periodic Table, Scientific Notation, the Metric System, and Temperature, as well as about Chemical Equations, Chemical Reactions, Solutions, Acids and Bases, Oxidation-Reduction Processes, Nuclear Chemistry, and Biochemistry. You can read more about each Chemistry part and the HESI A2 Chemistry Practice Test below.

In the meantime, feel free to use our free HESI A2 practice test so you can ace the real thing on your first try.

What’s on the HESI A2 Chemistry Section?

Scientific Notation, the Metric System, and Temperature

This subsection will require that you show your knowledge of scientific notation, metric prefixes and basic units of measurement, temperature, and SI units of measurement. 

The Atom

This subsection consists of questions related to the structure of the atom, including nuclei, protons, electrons, electron clouds, ions, atomic radius, and other related terms and concepts.

The Periodic Table

This subsection consists of questions related to element grouping on the periodic table, as well as atomic radii, atomic weight, electron affinity, electronegativity, and other related concepts and terms.

Chemical Equations

This subsection consists of questions related to chemical equations, including products, reactants, coefficients, as well as balanced and unbalanced equations, along with other related concepts and terms.

Solutions

This subsection contains questions related to molarity, percent concentrations, Avogadro’s number, common solutions, and their properties, solutes, polar and nonpolar solvents, and the effects of pressure and temperature on solubility, along with other related concepts and terms.

Chemical Reactions

The questions in this subsection cover the rates and catalysts of chemical reactions, as well as the effects of temperature on reaction rate, single versus double substitution reactions, combination and decomposition reactions, and covalent and ionic bonding, among other related concepts and terms.

Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

This subsection contains questions related to metathesis reactions, oxidizing and reducing agents, single replacement reactions, as well as oxidation number, and state, among other related concepts and terms. 

Acids and Bases

This subsection contains questions related to weak and strong acids and bases, superbases, superacids, and the potential of hydrogen (pH), among other related terms and concepts. 

Nuclear Chemistry

This subsection contains questions related to nuclear force, isotopes, radioactive half-life, radioisotopes, radioactivity, and radioactive decay, as well as gamma, alpha, and rays, beta among other related terms and concepts. 

Biochemistry

This subsection consists of questions related to carbohydrates, including proton motive force, glycolysis, the Embden-Meyerhof pathway, condensation reaction, proteins, amino acids, peptides, nucleic acids, and lipids among other related terms and concepts. 

Read more>>> HESI A2 Chemistry Study Guide

HESI A2 Chemistry Practice Test

The following are some HESI A2 Chemistry practice test questions and answers. Check them out!

1. An unknown element has a mass number of 33 and an atomic number of 12. How many neutrons does the element contain?

A. 21

B. 12

C. 33

D. 45

2. BF3 is also known as ____.

A. boron tetrafluoride

B. boron trifluoride

C. boron monofluoride

D. tri-boron monofluoride

3. What is the metric prefix meaning one-billionth?

A. Nano

B. Milli

C. Micro

D. Pico

4. Which of the following describes a non-polar covalent bond?

A. An even sharing of electrons between atoms

B. An even sharing of protons between atoms

C. An uneven sharing of electrons between atoms

D. An uneven sharing of protons between atoms

5. Which of the following is the correct description of stoichiometry?

A. Stoichiometry describes the chemical reactions between the elements of a compound.

B. Stoichiometry is the calculation of relative quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions.

C. Stoichiometry describes the color flares expected based on the participants of a chemical reaction.

D. Stoichiometry describes the fundamental properties of atoms universally.

Answer & Explanation

1. Answer: A

Explanation: The mass number of an atom provides the total number of neutrons and protons in the atom. Electrons, which are incredibly light, do not significantly contribute to the overall mass of an atom; recalling this fact can make it easier to remember the meaning of the mass number.

An atom’s atomic number represents the total number of protons in the atom.

The number of neutrons can then be found by calculating the difference between the mass number and the atomic number: 33−12=21

2. Answer: B

Explanation: “B” is representative of boron in the periodic table, and “F” stands for fluorine. Anions of the element fluorine are called fluorides. The “3” behind the “F” changes the prefix to “tri,” making the correct answer “boron trifluoride.”

3. Answer: A

Explanation:

The common metric prefixes for numbers less than 1 are as follows:

deci = tenth

centi = hundredth

milli = thousandth

micro = millionth

nano = billionth

pico = trillionth

4. Answer: A

Explanation: In a non-polar covalent bond, electrons are shared evenly between the atoms in the molecule. This means that the overall molecule does not have a dipole.

In a polar covalent bond, electrons are shared unevenly between atoms because one atom is more electronegative than the other.

5. Answer: B

Explanation: Stoichiometry deals with calculations of the masses of reactants and products involved in a chemical reaction. Stoichiometry is a mathematical part of chemistry.

Study with our FREE HESI Chemistry Practice Test

To get admitted into nursing school, you must do well on the HESI A2. How can you prepare for this important test as successfully as possible? To make sure you are well prepared for the exam, you should use a range of study tools and take the HESI A2 practice exam.

You can get free resources to help you with this task from Passemall. A free Chemistry HESI A2 practice test will assess your knowledge and abilities and provide you with a rough idea of how prepared you are for the HESI A2 exam. A practice test will also highlight any topics that need more research and knowledge. To make the most of your time, when taking the HESI A2 practice test for the first time, indicate next to each question whether of the following statements is true.

You will be able to identify your areas of strength and weakness by asking yourself these questions, which will enable you to concentrate your study time on the areas that need the greatest improvement.

Although the questions you correctly answered did not require extensive research, you should review this material again to be sure you understand it completely. Or, to put it differently, you need to know why the answer is the right one. The questions you correctly answered but were unsure of will require more time and attention from you. Maybe all you know about the subject of the question is only the basic.

Read more: How is the HESI A2 exam scored 

Finally, begin preparing for your HESI exam right away by taking our HESI A2 Chemistry practice test to get accustomed to the layout and questions of the real test. You can improve your chances of passing your actual test with a good score on the first try by following our advice, we hope.