HESI A2 Reading Comprehension Practice Exam
2025 - 80 Questions
Comprehensive Reading Study Guide for Nursing School Applicants
Includes 80 Practice Questions with Detailed Answer Key
Covers Main Ideas, Supporting Details, Vocabulary, Inferences, and Authors Purpose
Updated for the 2025 HESI A2 Exam
Contents
1 Instructions 2
2 Reading Comprehension (80 Questions) 2
2.1 Passage 1: Hand Hygiene in Healthcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.2 Passage 2: Patient-Centered Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Passage 3: Telehealth in Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4 Passage 4: Stress Management for Nurses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.5 Passage 5: Infection Control Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.6 Passage 6: Cultural Competence in Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.7 Passage 7: Pain Management in Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.8 Passage 8: Nutrition in Patient Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.9 Passage 9: Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.10 Passage 10: Chronic Disease Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3 Answer Key with Explanations 13
1
,1 Instructions
This practice exam is designed to prepare you for the Reading Comprehension section
of the HESI A2 Entrance Exam 2025. It includes 80 multiple-choice questions based on
10 nursing-related passages, with 8 questions per passage. Topics include main ideas,
supporting details, vocabulary in context, inferences, and authors purpose. Read each
passage carefully and select the best answer from the four options provided. An answer
key with explanations is included at the end.
• Time Limit: Approximately 6080 minutes.
• Materials: No additional materials required.
• Scoring: Each question is worth 1 point. No penalty for incorrect answers.
2 Reading Comprehension (80 Questions)
2.1 Passage 1: Hand Hygiene in Healthcare
Hand hygiene is critical in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Nurses
must wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers before and
after patient contact. Studies show that proper hand hygiene reduces HAIs by up to 50%.
However, compliance remains a challenge due to time constraints and lack of awareness.
Hospitals implement training programs to improve adherence, emphasizing the role of
nurses as infection control advocates.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
a) Nurses roles in patient care
b) Importance of hand hygiene in reducing HAIs
c) Challenges in hospital training
d) Types of hand sanitizers
2. What does compliance mean in the passage?
a) Resistance
b) Adherence
c) Ignorance
d) Delay
3. According to the passage, why is hand hygiene compliance challenging?
a) Lack of sanitizers
b) Time constraints and awareness
c) Nurse reluctance
d) Patient resistance
4. What is the purpose of hospital training programs?
a) Improve hand hygiene adherence
b) Reduce nurse workload
c) Increase patient visits
d) Develop new sanitizers
5. What can be inferred about nurses role in infection control?
a) They are uninvolved
2
, b) They are key advocates
c) They lack training
d) They avoid sanitizers
6. What is the tone of the passage?
a) Critical
b) Informative
c) Humorous
d) Sarcastic
7. What does advocates mean in the context?
a) Opponents
b) Supporters
c) Observers
d) Critics
8. How much can proper hand hygiene reduce HAIs?
a) 25%
b) 50%
c) 75%
d) 100%
2.2 Passage 2: Patient-Centered Care
Patient-centered care focuses on respecting patients values and preferences. Nurses in-
volve patients in decision-making, ensuring treatments align with their goals. This ap-
proach improves satisfaction and outcomes but requires time and communication skills.
Barriers include language differences and cultural misunderstandings. Training in empa-
thy and active listening helps nurses overcome these challenges.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
a) Nurse training programs
b) Benefits of patient-centered care
c) Language barriers in hospitals
d) Treatment options
2. What does align mean in the passage?
a) Conflict
b) Match
c) Ignore
d) Delay
3. What is a barrier to patient-centered care?
a) Nurse experience
b) Cultural misunderstandings
c) Patient cooperation
d) Hospital funding
4. What is the authors purpose?
a) Criticize nurses
b) Explain patient-centered care
3
2025 - 80 Questions
Comprehensive Reading Study Guide for Nursing School Applicants
Includes 80 Practice Questions with Detailed Answer Key
Covers Main Ideas, Supporting Details, Vocabulary, Inferences, and Authors Purpose
Updated for the 2025 HESI A2 Exam
Contents
1 Instructions 2
2 Reading Comprehension (80 Questions) 2
2.1 Passage 1: Hand Hygiene in Healthcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.2 Passage 2: Patient-Centered Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Passage 3: Telehealth in Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4 Passage 4: Stress Management for Nurses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.5 Passage 5: Infection Control Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.6 Passage 6: Cultural Competence in Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.7 Passage 7: Pain Management in Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.8 Passage 8: Nutrition in Patient Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.9 Passage 9: Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.10 Passage 10: Chronic Disease Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3 Answer Key with Explanations 13
1
,1 Instructions
This practice exam is designed to prepare you for the Reading Comprehension section
of the HESI A2 Entrance Exam 2025. It includes 80 multiple-choice questions based on
10 nursing-related passages, with 8 questions per passage. Topics include main ideas,
supporting details, vocabulary in context, inferences, and authors purpose. Read each
passage carefully and select the best answer from the four options provided. An answer
key with explanations is included at the end.
• Time Limit: Approximately 6080 minutes.
• Materials: No additional materials required.
• Scoring: Each question is worth 1 point. No penalty for incorrect answers.
2 Reading Comprehension (80 Questions)
2.1 Passage 1: Hand Hygiene in Healthcare
Hand hygiene is critical in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Nurses
must wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers before and
after patient contact. Studies show that proper hand hygiene reduces HAIs by up to 50%.
However, compliance remains a challenge due to time constraints and lack of awareness.
Hospitals implement training programs to improve adherence, emphasizing the role of
nurses as infection control advocates.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
a) Nurses roles in patient care
b) Importance of hand hygiene in reducing HAIs
c) Challenges in hospital training
d) Types of hand sanitizers
2. What does compliance mean in the passage?
a) Resistance
b) Adherence
c) Ignorance
d) Delay
3. According to the passage, why is hand hygiene compliance challenging?
a) Lack of sanitizers
b) Time constraints and awareness
c) Nurse reluctance
d) Patient resistance
4. What is the purpose of hospital training programs?
a) Improve hand hygiene adherence
b) Reduce nurse workload
c) Increase patient visits
d) Develop new sanitizers
5. What can be inferred about nurses role in infection control?
a) They are uninvolved
2
, b) They are key advocates
c) They lack training
d) They avoid sanitizers
6. What is the tone of the passage?
a) Critical
b) Informative
c) Humorous
d) Sarcastic
7. What does advocates mean in the context?
a) Opponents
b) Supporters
c) Observers
d) Critics
8. How much can proper hand hygiene reduce HAIs?
a) 25%
b) 50%
c) 75%
d) 100%
2.2 Passage 2: Patient-Centered Care
Patient-centered care focuses on respecting patients values and preferences. Nurses in-
volve patients in decision-making, ensuring treatments align with their goals. This ap-
proach improves satisfaction and outcomes but requires time and communication skills.
Barriers include language differences and cultural misunderstandings. Training in empa-
thy and active listening helps nurses overcome these challenges.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
a) Nurse training programs
b) Benefits of patient-centered care
c) Language barriers in hospitals
d) Treatment options
2. What does align mean in the passage?
a) Conflict
b) Match
c) Ignore
d) Delay
3. What is a barrier to patient-centered care?
a) Nurse experience
b) Cultural misunderstandings
c) Patient cooperation
d) Hospital funding
4. What is the authors purpose?
a) Criticize nurses
b) Explain patient-centered care
3
