HESI A2 practice test

HESI A2 Numbers and Operations Practice Test

Fractions, decimals, percents, ratios, Roman numerals and basic algebra, every step worked. Here are 10 HESI A2 numbers and operations questions, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-14 by the Tigertest team. Based on the HESI A2 section outlines (math, reading, vocabulary, grammar, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology). Physics is not included. Not affiliated with Elsevier.

1. 1.

   A clinic orders 48 boxes of exam gloves with 125 gloves in each box. If 2,350 gloves are used in March, how many gloves remain?

   • A.

     3,650

   • B.

     3,750

   • C.

     8,350

   • D.

     2,450

   Answer: A.

   48 × 125 = 6,000 gloves, and 6,000 - 2,350 = 3,650. Choosing 3,750 comes from a borrowing error in the subtraction, and 8,350 comes from adding instead of subtracting.

2. 2.

   A nurse uses 2/3 of a bottle of saline in the morning and 3/4 of a bottle in the afternoon. How many bottles were used in all?

   • A.

     $\frac{5}{7}$

   • B.

     $1\frac{5}{12}$

   • C.

     $\frac{1}{2}$

   • D.

     $\frac{11}{12}$

   Answer: B.

   With a common denominator of 12, 8/12 + 9/12 = 17/12 = 1 5/12. The answer 5/7 comes from adding numerators and denominators straight across, which is never valid.

3. 3.

   What is 3/8 multiplied by 4/9, written in simplest form?

   • A.

     $\frac{7}{17}$

   • B.

     $\frac{27}{32}$

   • C.

     $\frac{1}{3}$

   • D.

     $\frac{1}{6}$

   Answer: D.

   Multiply straight across: 12/72, which simplifies to 1/6. The answer 27/32 comes from flipping the second fraction, which is the rule for division, not multiplication.

4. 4.

   A medication dose calculates to 3.4762 mL. Rounded to the nearest hundredth, what dose should be drawn up?

   • A.

     3.47 mL

   • B.

     3.48 mL

   • C.

     3.5 mL

   • D.

     3.476 mL

   Answer: B.

   The hundredths digit is 7 and the next digit is 6, so it rounds up to 3.48 mL. Choosing 3.47 mL truncates instead of rounding, and 3.5 mL rounds to the tenths place.

5. 5.

   Solve the proportion for x: 3/8 = x/56. What is the value of x?

   • A.

     7

   • B.

     149.3

   • C.

     24

   • D.

     21

   Answer: D.

   Cross-multiply: 8x = 3 × 56 = 168, so x = 21. The answer 149.3 comes from setting up 3x = 8 × 56, which inverts the proportion.

6. 6.

   A patient's weight drops from 80 kg to 68 kg over three months. What is the percent decrease in weight?

   • A.

     12%

   • B.

     15%

   • C.

     17.6%

   • D.

     85%

   Answer: B.

   The change is 12 kg, and 12 ÷ 80 (the original weight) = 0.15 = 15%. The answer 17.6% divides by the new weight of 68 kg instead of the original weight.

7. 7.

   Using the correct order of operations, what is the value of 5 + 2³ × 3 - 12 ÷ 4?

   • A.

     20

   • B.

     36

   • C.

     6.75

   • D.

     26

   Answer: D.

   Exponent first (8), then multiply and divide (24 and 3), then 5 + 24 - 3 = 26. The answer 6.75 comes from working strictly left to right, and 20 comes from treating 2³ as 2 × 3.

8. 8.

   Which Roman numeral correctly represents the number 489?

   • A.

     CCCCLXXXIX

   • B.

     CDLXXXIX

   • C.

     CDXXCIX

   • D.

     DLXXXIX

   Answer: B.

   489 = 400 (CD) + 80 (LXXX) + 9 (IX) = CDLXXXIX. CCCCLXXXIX repeats C four times, which standard Roman numerals do not allow, and DLXXXIX equals 589.

9. 9.

   If a = 3 and b = -2, what is the value of the expression 2a² - 3ab + b?

   • A.

     -2

   • B.

     52

   • C.

     38

   • D.

     34

   Answer: D.

   2(9) - 3(3)(-2) + (-2) = 18 + 18 - 2 = 34. The answer -2 misses that subtracting a negative product adds 18, and 52 squares 2a instead of only a.

10. 10.

    A urine output chart shows 240 mL from 0800 to 1200, 180 mL from 1200 to 1600, and 120 mL from 1600 to 2000. What was the average output per hour?

    • A.

      180 mL/hr

    • B.

      45 mL/hr

    • C.

      540 mL/hr

    • D.

      135 mL/hr

    Answer: B.

    Total output is 240 + 180 + 120 = 540 mL over 12 hours, and 540 ÷ 12 = 45 mL/hr. The answer 180 is the average per 4-hour period, not per hour.