Nursing Entrance Math

HESI A2 Math Practice Test: 12 Questions Solved, From Dosage to Roman Numerals

Twelve original HESI A2 math questions, including military time, Roman numerals, household measures, and dosage, solved step by step.

Professor Chacha October 10, 2026 5 min read 1 views
Woman in a white coat with a stethoscope writing notes at a small table next to a laptop

The HESI A2 is the entrance exam many nursing programs use, and its math section tests the arithmetic nurses use every day: fractions, decimals, percents, ratios, unit conversions, and a few things you rarely see on other tests, like military time and Roman numerals. Below are 12 original practice questions covering all of it, solved step by step.

What the HESI A2 math section covers

Your nursing program decides which HESI A2 sections you take and how much time you get, so details vary. Community college preparation guides, such as those from CCRI, list topics like these, usually in about 50 questions:

  • Whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents
  • Ratios and proportions, including dosage-style problems
  • Converting units: metric, household measures (teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, ounces), and temperature
  • Military time
  • Roman numerals
  • Simple one- and two-step equations

Check with your program for the version they use, and confirm details in Elsevier's official HESI A2 materials before test day.

Military time and Roman numerals

These two topics are easy points once you know the rules, and they are less common on other tests, so they catch people who studied only "regular" math.

1.A medication was given at 1745. What is that time in standard time?

  1. A7:45 AM
  2. B7:45 PM
  3. C5:45 PM
  4. D5:45 AM
Show solution

Military times after 1200 are in the afternoon or evening. Subtract 1200.

\[\begin{gathered}1745 - 1200 = 545 \\ \Rightarrow\; 5{:}45 \text{ PM}\end{gathered}\]

Common trap: Reading the "7" as the hour. In military time, the first two digits are the hour: 17 means 5 PM.

Answer: C (5:45 PM)

2.A shift change happens at 3:20 PM. What is that in military time?

  1. A1520
  2. B0320
  3. C1320
  4. D1502
Show solution

Add 12 to any PM hour (except 12 PM), then write four digits.

\[\begin{gathered}3 + 12 = 15 \\ \Rightarrow\; 1520\end{gathered}\]

Common trap: Writing 0320, which is 3:20 in the morning. Every PM time from 1:00 PM on is 1300 or later.

Answer: A (1520)

3.What number is written as MCMXCIV?

  1. A1494
  2. B2194
  3. C1944
  4. D1994
Show solution

Read left to right. When a smaller numeral comes before a larger one, subtract it.

M = 1000, CM = 900, XC = 90, IV = 4. So \(1000 + 900 + 90 + 4 = 1994\).

Common trap: Adding every symbol as written (M + C + M + ...). A smaller numeral in front of a larger one is subtracted: CM is 900, not 1,100.

Answer: D (1994)

4.How is 2026 written in Roman numerals?

  1. AMMXXIV
  2. BMMXXVI
  3. CMMXVI
  4. DMMXXIIIIII
Show solution

2026 = 2000 + 20 + 6 = MM + XX + VI.

Common trap: Writing 6 as IIIIII. Roman numerals never repeat a symbol more than three times; 6 is VI (5 + 1).

Answer: B (MMXXVI)

Household and metric measurements

Conversion tables can differ slightly from source to source. On the test, use the values the question gives you.

5.A patient is told to take 2 tablespoons of a liquid medicine. Using 1 tablespoon = 15 mL, how many milliliters is that?

  1. A15 mL
  2. B2 mL
  3. C7.5 mL
  4. D30 mL
Show solution \[2 \times 15 = 30 \text{ mL}\]

Common trap: Dividing instead of multiplying, which gives 7.5 mL. Two tablespoons must be more than one tablespoon's 15 mL.

Answer: D (30 mL)

6.A patient drinks 3 cups of water. Using 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces, how many fluid ounces is that?

  1. A24 fl oz
  2. B11 fl oz
  3. C0.375 fl oz
  4. D30 fl oz
Show solution \[3 \times 8 = 24 \text{ fl oz}\]

Common trap: Adding 3 and 8. A conversion factor is multiplied (or divided), never added.

Answer: A (24 fl oz)

7.How many milligrams are in 0.25 grams?

  1. A25 mg
  2. B0.00025 mg
  3. C250 mg
  4. D2,500 mg
Show solution

1 g = 1,000 mg, so multiply by 1,000.

\[0.25 \times 1000 = 250 \text{ mg}\]

Common trap: Dividing by 1,000. Going from a bigger unit (grams) to a smaller one (milligrams), the number gets bigger.

Answer: C (250 mg)

Fractions, decimals, and percents

8.Add: \(2\tfrac{1}{3} + 1\tfrac{3}{4}\)

  1. A\(3\tfrac{4}{7}\)
  2. B\(4\tfrac{1}{12}\)
  3. C\(3\tfrac{1}{12}\)
  4. D\(4\tfrac{4}{7}\)
Show solution

Add the whole numbers, then the fractions with a common denominator of 12.

\[3 + \tfrac{4}{12} + \tfrac{9}{12} = 3 + \tfrac{13}{12} = 4\tfrac{1}{12}\]

Common trap: Adding tops and bottoms, \(\tfrac{1 + 3}{3 + 4} = \tfrac{4}{7}\). Fractions need a common denominator before adding.

Answer: B (\(4\tfrac{1}{12}\))

9.Divide: \(4.5 \div 0.09\)

  1. A0.5
  2. B5
  3. C500
  4. D50
Show solution

Move both decimal points two places to the right.

\[450 \div 9 = 50\]

Common trap: Moving the decimal point in only one number. Check: \(50 \times 0.09 = 4.5\).

Answer: D (50)

10.A patient's weight drops from 180 pounds to 171 pounds. What is the percent decrease?

  1. A5%
  2. B5.3%
  3. C9%
  4. D95%
Show solution \[\tfrac{180 - 171}{180} = \tfrac{9}{180} = 0.05 = 5\%\]

Common trap: Dividing by the new weight, \(\tfrac{9}{171} \approx 5.3\%\), or answering 9, the change in pounds. Percent change compares to the original amount.

Answer: A (5%)

Proportions and equations

11.A doctor orders 250 mg of a drug. Each tablet contains 100 mg. How many tablets should be given?

  1. A2
  2. B3
  3. C2.5
  4. D0.4
Show solution

Divide the ordered dose by the dose per tablet.

\[\tfrac{250}{100} = 2.5 \text{ tablets}\]

Common trap: Dividing the wrong way, \(\tfrac{100}{250} = 0.4\). The formula is "what you need over what you have."

Answer: C (2.5)

12.Solve for \(x\): \(\tfrac{x}{3} - 4 = 5\)

  1. A3
  2. B27
  3. C7
  4. D9
Show solution \[\begin{gathered}\tfrac{x}{3} = 9 \\ \Rightarrow\; x = 27\end{gathered}\]

Common trap: Stopping at 9. The \(x\) is divided by 3, so multiply by 3 to finish.

Answer: B (27)

Answer key

  1. 1 C
  2. 2 A
  3. 3 D
  4. 4 B
  5. 5 D
  6. 6 A
  7. 7 C
  8. 8 B
  9. 9 D
  10. 10 A
  11. 11 C
  12. 12 B

HESI A2 or TEAS?

Programs use one or the other, and the math overlaps a lot. The TEAS puts more weight on algebra, data, and reading charts; the HESI A2 leans harder on arithmetic, conversions, military time, and Roman numerals. If your program accepts either, or you are applying to several, our TEAS math practice test covers the other side. For extra arithmetic practice at the same level, the ACCUPLACER Arithmetic practice test is a good match.

Teacher's note: For a dosage question, I teach one formula and nothing else: what you need, divided by what you have. "Need 250 mg, have 100 mg per tablet" becomes \(\tfrac{250}{100}\) every time. Students who memorize five different dosage methods mix them up under pressure; students who use one simple sentence don't.

Tags: Dosage calculations HESI A2 Military time Nursing Roman numerals
Professor Chacha
Professor Chacha Math teacher and educational psychologist

Math teacher and educational psychologist with more than 20 years of classroom experience. He writes every practice question on this site from scratch and solves it step by step, the way he explains it to his own students.

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