TEAS Retake Policy and Score Submission Guide
The ATI TEAS retake policy depends on where you took the exam and which school will receive your result. TEAS at ATI requires at least 14 days between attempts. Exams administered by a school follow that institution’s policy, which may require a longer wait or limit how many times you can test during an application cycle. Check the school’s rules before scheduling another attempt.
This guide explains waiting periods, attempt limits, preliminary scores, transcript credits, multiple-school submissions, and how to prepare for a retake without repeating the same study mistakes.
Last reviewed: July 13, 2026
How soon can you retake the ATI TEAS?
For TEAS at ATI, there must be at least 14 days between exam attempts. You may schedule future dates in advance, but each appointment must satisfy that waiting period.
For a TEAS exam administered by an institution, the school decides the waiting period. ATI notes that many schools use a 30-day wait, but that is not a universal rule. A school may require more time, allow less time, or set different rules for the same application cycle.
The school’s policy can be stricter than ATI’s scheduling rule.
For example, ATI may technically allow another TEAS at ATI appointment after 14 days, while the nursing program requires 30 days between attempts. In that situation, taking the exam on Day 15 could create a score the school refuses to consider.
Check both:
- The policy of the testing provider
- The policy of every school receiving the score
When the admissions page is unclear, ask the program in writing.
TEAS retake waiting periods at a glance
| Testing arrangement | Retake rule |
|---|---|
| TEAS at ATI | At least 14 days between attempts |
| TEAS at an institution | Determined by the institution; many schools use 30 days |
| TEAS Online proctored by an institution | Determined by the institution |
| TEAS at PSI | Confirm current scheduling rules and the receiving school’s policy |
| School application policy | May impose its own wait period or yearly attempt limit |
ATI’s fixed 14-day statement applies specifically to TEAS at ATI. For institution-administered exams, ATI directs students to contact the school.
How many times can you take the ATI TEAS?
ATI does not publish one attempt limit that applies to every school.
Each program may decide:
- How many attempts it accepts
- Whether the limit applies per year or per application cycle
- Whether attempts taken elsewhere count
- Whether it uses the highest score
- Whether it uses the most recent score
- Whether all attempts must be reported
- How long you must wait between attempts
ATI advises students to contact the school for its deadlines and number of permitted attempts. Its registration guidance says many schools limit testing to about three attempts per year, but that is an average rather than a universal ATI rule.
Every completed attempt can matter even when you decide not to send that score immediately. ATI states that an exam still counts as an attempt and that attempt information is updated for schools to which results are submitted.
Don’t assume an unwanted result disappears because you didn’t purchase another transcript.
Questions to ask your school before retaking
Get answers to these before registering:
- How many TEAS attempts are allowed?
- Does the limit apply per year, semester, or application cycle?
- How long must I wait between attempts?
- Does the school accept TEAS at ATI, PSI, remote, and institution-based exams?
- Does it use my highest score or most recent score?
- Are section minimums required?
- Will all previous attempts be reviewed?
- How old can a score be?
- When must the official transcript arrive?
- Will a score from another school’s testing center be accepted?
A school may accept the score itself but reject the testing format or location. ATI warns that some institutions do not accept results from exams taken remotely or outside their designated location.
Should you retake the ATI TEAS?
Retaking makes sense when a new attempt can change your admission position.
It may be worth retaking when:
- Your total score falls below the program minimum
- One section falls below a required cutoff
- Your score meets the minimum but is unlikely to be competitive
- A timing problem caused several unanswered questions
- A test-day or technical issue clearly affected performance
- Your application deadline leaves enough time to prepare properly
- Your school’s policy permits another valid attempt
A retake may be unnecessary when your score already meets the program’s stated expectations and the rest of your application needs more attention.
A higher TEAS score can help, but it may not compensate for missing prerequisites, an incomplete application, or a deadline problem.
Retaking after meeting the minimum
Meeting a minimum does not always mean the score is competitive.
Suppose a school requires 65%, and you scored 66%. You qualify under the published rule. The useful question is whether admitted applicants usually score much higher.
Ask the program:
- Is the minimum only an eligibility threshold?
- Is the TEAS used competitively?
- Is there a published average for admitted students?
- How much weight does the TEAS receive?
Retake only when the likely benefit justifies the cost, time, and risk of using another permitted attempt.
Retaking after one weak section
Look at both the total and the subject scores.
A weak Science result may deserve focused review even when the total is close to your goal. A low Math score caused by unanswered questions needs a different solution from a low Math score caused by gaps in fractions, percentages, or algebra.
The score tells you where to look. Your error review explains what to fix.
How to analyse your previous TEAS attempt
Before opening a new study guide, write down what happened on the last exam.
Use four categories:
Content knowledge
You did not know or understand the tested concept.
Examples:
- Confusing mitosis and meiosis
- Forgetting percentage-change setup
- Misidentifying an author’s purpose
- Missing a subject-verb agreement rule
This calls for concept review followed by fresh questions.
Question interpretation
You knew the material but answered a different question from the one asked.
Examples:
- Selecting a true detail instead of the main idea
- Finding percentage increase when the question asks for the new total
- Confusing “except” with “correct”
- Choosing an answer based on outside knowledge rather than the passage
Slow down at the task words. Underline them during practice.
Timing
You ran out of time, rushed the final questions, or left items unanswered.
Record:
- The section where time became a problem
- How many questions were unanswered
- Whether one passage or calculation caused the delay
- Whether you reviewed too many completed questions
- Whether you spent too long trying to solve one difficult item
Timing improves through section-level practice, not by vaguely trying to “go faster.”
Test-day performance
Your knowledge was stronger than the result, but the testing situation interfered.
Possible causes include:
- Poor sleep
- Late arrival
- Technical disruption
- Anxiety
- Skipping the permitted break
- An unfamiliar calculator
- Losing concentration in Science or English
A full-length rehearsal can uncover these problems before another official attempt.
Build a TEAS retake plan in four phases
Phase 1: Diagnose
Begin with the official score report and one fresh mixed practice test.
Compare:
- Total performance
- Reading
- Mathematics
- Science
- English and Language Usage
- Unanswered questions
- Topics that repeatedly appear in your errors
Pharmacy Freak’s free mixed tests contain 50 timed questions across all four subjects. They require no login and include instant results, per-question explanations, section-wise performance, and downloadable PDF review.
Start with a test you haven’t taken before:
- TEAS Practice Test 1
- TEAS Practice Test 2
- TEAS Practice Test 3
- TEAS Practice Test 4
- TEAS Practice Test 5
Do not use a test whose answers you remember as your diagnostic.
Phase 2: Repair the weakest subject
Choose the one or two areas most likely to improve the next result.
Pharmacy Freak’s free subject-wise tests each contain 30 questions with timing based on the relevant TEAS section. They provide explanations, topic-level analysis, instant results, and a downloadable PDF without requiring an account.
Use the matching resources:
Science
Reading
Mathematics
English and Language Usage
Review before testing. Otherwise, the subject test may only confirm a weakness you already know about.
Phase 3: Check whether the improvement holds
Take a different mixed test after subject review.
You are looking for evidence that:
- The weak section improved
- The same concepts no longer cause repeated errors
- You complete more questions
- Accuracy remains stable under timing
- Improvement in one section did not come at the expense of another
One higher result can happen by chance. Two or three fresh attempts showing the same direction are more useful.
Phase 4: Rehearse the complete exam
Use a full-length test after the weak areas have improved.
Pharmacy Freak’s full-length ATI TEAS 7 practice package includes 10 complete 170-question practice exams for $9. Each exam has four separate timers, 150 scored and 20 unidentified unscored questions, automatic saving, server-controlled timing, Mark for Review, a question navigator, a Math calculator, an optional break, locked completed sections, emailed results, and downloadable PDF reports.
This is more useful than a short score-only quiz when you need to check:
- Endurance
- Section pacing
- Unanswered questions
- Use of review time
- Performance after the break
- Accuracy late in the exam
The Pharmacy Freak result is a practice percentage. It is not an official ATI equated score.
Why Pharmacy Freak retake practice is more useful than a basic online quiz
A basic quiz may show a percentage and stop there.
That is not enough for a retake plan.
Pharmacy Freak’s free tests show the correct answer, your answer, an explanation, and section- or topic-level performance. You can download the review as a PDF and return to it while studying. The tests are free and don’t require login.
The full-length tests go further. They add the complete 170-question structure, separate timers, server-controlled timing, saved progress, locked sections, review tools, emailed results, and section reports.
Those features make the tests more useful for diagnosing a retake than a quiz that reports only “72%.”
The value is in the review data. No practice test can guarantee the score you will receive on the official ATI TEAS.
How ATI TEAS transcripts work
An official TEAS transcript sends a completed exam result from ATI to a school.
The route depends on where you tested.
TEAS at an institution
When you take the TEAS at an institution, either in person or through that institution’s remote proctoring system, the included transcript is automatically sent to the institution where you tested. You cannot redirect that included submission to another school.
ATI says institution transcripts are generally sent electronically within two hours of completing the exam.
To send the same result to another program, purchase an additional transcript credit through your ATI account.
TEAS at ATI or TEAS at PSI
TEAS at ATI and TEAS at PSI registrations include one official transcript credit.
The result is not automatically sent to a school. You must log in to your ATI account and choose the recipient.
ATI currently directs students to use either:
- Send Transcript under TEAS Activity
- Send Transcript below the exam result in the Results section
Final transcripts are usually delivered electronically within two hours after release, and ATI sends an email confirmation.
What does “Preliminary” mean on a TEAS score?
Students who take TEAS at ATI may see a score marked Preliminary immediately after testing.
ATI states that TEAS at ATI scores remain preliminary for four business days, excluding weekends and major holidays. The watermark is removed when ATI finalizes the result.
A preliminary score is not yet the final transcript.
You may select a school and request the transcript while the score remains preliminary. ATI queues the request and sends the validated transcript after the result is finalized.
This matters near an application deadline. Scheduling an exam four business days before a deadline leaves little room for weekends, holidays, processing delays, or school-side posting.
Can you send a TEAS transcript to more than one school?
Yes.
One transcript is included with the exam registration. To send the score to additional schools, you must purchase additional transcript credits through ATI. Each credit is used for one additional submission.
ATI’s current transcript guidance lists additional transcript credits at $27 each. Prices can change, so check the ATI Store before buying.
Before purchasing a credit, confirm that the school:
- Accepts TEAS results from your testing location
- Accepts remote results, when applicable
- Accepts the specific attempt you plan to send
- Still accepts the score based on its age
- Appears under the correct institutional name in ATI
Some schools will not accept a transcript from an exam taken outside their institution, even though ATI technically allows you to purchase and submit it.
Can you choose which TEAS attempt to send?
ATI’s current transcript guidance says that when you have taken more than one TEAS exam, you can select which result to share.
That does not mean the receiving school will ignore all other attempts.
A program may require:
- Every attempt
- The most recent attempt
- The highest attempt
- The first qualifying attempt
- Only scores from an approved testing route
- Scores taken within a defined time period
Check the admissions rule before choosing a transcript.
How long are TEAS scores valid?
ATI says TEAS scores are usually valid for about two years, but each school sets its own acceptance period. Some may require a more recent result.
Confirm:
- The oldest test date accepted
- Whether validity is measured from the exam date or application deadline
- Whether a new blueprint changes the policy
- Whether the school accepts the older result after a retake
A score remaining visible in your ATI account does not prove that a school will accept it.
How to send your TEAS transcript
For TEAS at ATI or PSI:
- Sign in to your ATI student account.
- Open TEAS Activity or the Results tab.
- Find the correct proctored TEAS attempt.
- Select Send Transcript.
- Choose the receiving institution carefully.
- Use the included credit or purchase another credit.
- Review the selected exam date and recipient.
- Submit the request.
- Watch for ATI’s confirmation email.
- Confirm receipt with the school before its deadline.
ATI says final transcripts are typically delivered electronically within two hours of submission. A request placed while the result is preliminary remains queued until the score is finalized.
For an institution-administered exam, the included transcript is sent automatically to that institution. Use an additional credit only when sending the result elsewhere.
How to confirm that a school received your score
Do not treat ATI’s sent confirmation as proof that your application is complete.
Check:
- ATI’s transcript status
- The confirmation email
- The school’s application portal
- The correct institution and campus
- The correct exam date
- The school’s processing time
ATI states that applicants remain responsible for ensuring their application and TEAS results are complete and on file with each school.
A transcript can be delivered electronically while still waiting to be matched with your application.
Common TEAS retake and transcript mistakes
Following ATI’s 14-day rule but ignoring the school’s longer wait
The ATI appointment may be valid while the school refuses to consider the score.
Use the stricter rule.
Assuming you can test an unlimited number of times
Schools set attempt limits. A completed attempt may count even when you do not immediately submit that transcript.
Retaking before reviewing the first attempt
Another exam does not repair the cause of the first result.
Review content errors, pacing, unanswered questions, and test-day issues first.
Taking several full-length tests back-to-back
A full-length test creates data. The improvement comes from studying that data before the next attempt.
Space the tests and review the report.
Sending the wrong attempt
Check the test date and score before selecting the transcript.
This is especially important when several results appear in the same ATI account.
Sending a transcript to the wrong campus
Schools with similar names may have several campuses or departments.
Match the recipient with the exact name shown in the admissions instructions.
Buying a transcript before checking acceptance
A school may reject scores from remote exams or tests taken at another institution. Confirm its policy before purchasing another credit.
Waiting until the application deadline
Preliminary finalization, electronic delivery, and school-side processing all take time.
Build in several business days. More is safer.
Treating a practice percentage as an official score
A Pharmacy Freak result helps with study planning. It cannot be sent to schools and does not use ATI’s official equating process.
A practical TEAS retake timeline
Six or more weeks before the retake
- Review the official score report
- Confirm the school’s attempt and waiting policies
- Take a fresh mixed diagnostic
- Identify the weakest section and error type
- Build a weekly study schedule
Four to five weeks before
- Review weak content
- Complete focused question sets
- Take one subject-wise test
- Review every explanation
- Track unanswered and guessed questions
Two to three weeks before
- Take another mixed test
- Compare section results
- Repair recurring weak topics
- Practise pacing in the weakest section
One to two weeks before
- Complete a full-length simulation
- Review the section report and PDF
- Adjust timing and break strategy
- Avoid taking another full-length test until you have reviewed the first one
Final days
- Review the error log
- Revisit formulas, grammar rules, pathways, or passage strategies
- Confirm registration and ID
- Check the test time and location
- Sleep normally
- Stop heavy testing close enough to avoid fatigue
Frequently asked questions
How soon can I retake the ATI TEAS?
TEAS at ATI requires at least 14 days between attempts. Exams administered by institutions follow the school’s policy, and many schools require around 30 days.
Does every school use the same TEAS retake policy?
No. Schools set their own waiting periods, attempt limits, accepted testing routes, and score-selection rules.
How many times can I take the ATI TEAS?
ATI does not set one universal attempt limit for every applicant. The number accepted by a program depends on that school’s admissions policy.
Does an unsubmitted TEAS attempt still count?
ATI states that each completed exam counts as an attempt, even when you choose not to submit the transcript immediately.
Can I choose which TEAS score to send?
ATI’s transcript system allows students with multiple TEAS results to select which attempt to share. The receiving school may still have rules about which scores or attempts it considers.
How do I send my TEAS transcript?
Sign in to your ATI account, open TEAS Activity or Results, select the correct exam, and choose Send Transcript. TEAS at ATI and PSI include one transcript credit. Institution-administered exams automatically send the included transcript to the testing institution.
Can I send my TEAS score to multiple schools?
Yes. Purchase an additional transcript credit for each extra school. ATI currently lists additional credits at $27 each.
What does Preliminary mean on a TEAS score?
A Preliminary result has not completed ATI’s final validation process. TEAS at ATI scores currently remain preliminary for four business days, excluding weekends and major holidays.
Can I request a transcript while the score is preliminary?
Yes. ATI will queue the request and send the finalized transcript once the score is validated.
How quickly are TEAS transcripts sent?
ATI says final transcripts are typically delivered electronically within two hours of submission or release. School-side processing may take longer.
How long are TEAS scores valid?
ATI says scores are usually valid for two years, but each school can set a shorter or longer acceptance period.
Are Pharmacy Freak practice scores official ATI scores?
No. Pharmacy Freak reports practice percentages for study tracking. They are not official ATI equated scores and cannot be submitted to schools.
Why are Pharmacy Freak tests useful for a TEAS retake?
The free mixed and subject tests include explanations, question review, topic or section analysis, and downloadable PDF reports. The full-length tests add 170-question simulations, separate timers, automatic saving, review tools, emailed results, and account history. This gives students more information than a basic score-only quiz.
Final retake and transcript checklist
Before scheduling:
- Confirm the school’s waiting period
- Confirm the number of permitted attempts
- Check whether remote and outside scores are accepted
- Confirm the application deadline
- Leave enough time for finalization and delivery
Before retesting:
- Review the official score report
- Identify knowledge, interpretation, timing, and test-day errors
- Complete focused subject review
- Take a fresh mixed test
- Use a full-length rehearsal when content review is complete
Before sending a transcript:
- Select the correct exam date
- Select the exact school and campus
- Check whether the score is preliminary
- Use the included credit correctly
- Purchase extra credits only after confirming acceptance
- Save the confirmation email
- Verify receipt in the school portal
You can find Pharmacy Freak’s free mixed tests, subject-wise tests, and complete practice options through the ATI TEAS practice-test hub.
Sources and independence statement
Retake waiting periods, attempt guidance, transcript procedures, preliminary-score timelines, delivery times, transcript credits, and score-validity information were checked against official ATI pages on July 13, 2026.
Pharmacy Freak is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Assessment Technologies Institute. ATI and TEAS are trademarks of their respective owner.
