Your HESI A2 report gives a percentage score for each exam you took and a composite score, which is the average of those exams. Elsevier doesn’t publish a passing score, so each program decides what it accepts.
How Elsevier describes scores
Elsevier’s 2022 research paper quotes the scale from its faculty scoring guide.
| Score | Elsevier’s description |
|---|---|
| 90% to 100% | Excellent |
| 80% to 89% | Very good |
| 75% to 79% | Satisfactory for associate or bachelor’s programs |
| 70% to 79% | Satisfactory for certificate programs, such as practical nursing or medical assisting |
None of these is an official passing score. They describe how prepared a student is likely to be for the program.
TODO: Elsevier’s faculty scoring guide itself isn’t public. Check that this scale is still current with a nursing program before launch.
What to do with your score
Start with your program’s published minimum, then look at your lowest exam. Because the composite is an average, a strong score on one exam can hide a weak one, so ask whether your program also looks at individual exams.
Sources
- Elsevier, Scientific evidence for the HESI Admission Assessment (A2) (2022). Score descriptions from Elsevier’s faculty scoring guide and how the composite score is calculated. Checked October 15, 2026.