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HESI study guide: which one for which HESI exam?

For the HESI A2 use Elsevier's Admission Assessment Exam Review; for the Exit, its NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN review (1,200 or 850 online questions).

Checked November 15, 2026
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Short answer: Elsevier, which makes the HESI exams, publishes the official guides: the Admission Assessment Exam Review (6th edition) for the HESI A2, and the Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN Examination (8th edition) for the HESI Exit exam, with 1,200 RN or 850 PN practice questions online. We found no separate Elsevier guide for the specialty exams; for those, use the matching clinical chapter of the comprehensive review and the remediation Elsevier gives you after each exam.

Grid matching each HESI exam to its official Elsevier guide: A2 to the Admission Assessment Exam Review with over 200 online questions, specialty exams to the clinical chapters, Exit RN to the NCLEX-RN review with 1,200 questions, Exit PN to the NCLEX-PN review with 850 questions

The HESI family in one table

HESI is "Elsevier's comprehensive review and testing solution for nursing and health professions education". Your school picks which HESI exams you take. The three you are most likely to meet:

HESI exam When What it checks Official Elsevier guide
HESI A2 (Admission Assessment) Before admission Your existing knowledge in areas your program chooses Admission Assessment Exam Review, 6th edition
Specialty exams During courses A specific clinical nursing content area No separate guide found; use the matching chapter of the comprehensive review and your HESI remediation
Exit exam, RN or PN Final semester Readiness for the NCLEX, built to the current NCLEX test plan Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN Examination, 8th edition

For more on each exam, see What is the HESI exam?.

The A2 guide: Admission Assessment Exam Review

Elsevier lists the 6th edition as its latest edition. It has seven chapters: Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Grammar, Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology. It has no physics chapter.

What it includes, as Elsevier describes it:

  • a 25-question pre-test at the start, to find your weak areas,
  • sample questions in every chapter, with step-by-step math examples,
  • a 50-question post-test at the end, with rationales,
  • comprehensive practice exams with over 200 questions on Elsevier's Evolve website.

Elsevier's US store listed it at US$45.99 in print (a lower sale price was shown on November 15, 2026) and US$42.99 as an eBook. Your school only tests the sections it chooses, so study those chapters first. The full exam is explained in HESI A2: the full guide.

The Exit guides: Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN

Both books are in their 8th edition. Elsevier says they are written for graduating students "studying for the HESI exit exam and/or" the NCLEX. Chapters follow clinical areas: Leadership and Management, Advanced Clinical Concepts, Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Maternity, Psychiatric and Gerontologic Nursing.

Book Online practice questions US store price, print eBook
Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination, 8th edition 1,200 US$80.99 US$75.99
Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-PN Examination, 8th edition 850 US$73.99 US$69.99

Prices are list prices read on Elsevier's US store on November 15, 2026, before any sale price.

Specialty exams: what to use

A specialty HESI tests one clinical area, such as maternity or pediatrics. Use the chapter for that area in the comprehensive review. After each HESI exam, Elsevier gives you study material "in priority order, based on students' individual performance". That remediation is built from your own results, so finish it before a retake.

Why old editions and leaked test banks are a risk

Old editions. NCSBN's current NCLEX test plans took effect on April 1, 2026, and Elsevier says its Exit exam matches "the latest NCLEX test plan". An older Exit guide may not match. Elsevier's store also says an eBook access code is single use and "only valid for the edition you purchase", so a code from someone else or from an old edition will not work.

Leaked test banks. Sites that sell leaked HESI questions are a bad bet:

  • Elsevier says it rotates 40% of Exit exam items three times a year, so a leaked item may already be gone.
  • Elsevier watermarks every question and says its security team issues takedown notices for posted content.
  • Elsevier says it and ATI won a preliminary injunction against the operators of Naxlex.com, which was accused of copying and selling their exam content.
  • Using leaked questions breaks your school's academic honesty rules and can cost you your place.

Learn the content instead. A question you understand is a question you can answer in any wording.

What to do next

  1. Ask your program which HESI exams you will take and which A2 sections it requires.
  2. Check that your guide is the edition Elsevier lists as the latest.
  3. Start with the guide's pre-test, then study your weakest chapter first.

Common questions

Is there one HESI study guide for all HESI exams?

No. The A2 and the Exit test different things, so Elsevier publishes a separate guide for each.

Do I need the book if my school gives me HESI remediation?

Not always. Remediation targets the topics you missed on a test you already took. A guide helps you prepare before the first attempt.

Does the A2 guide cover the learning style or personality profile?

No. Its chapters are the seven academic subjects only.

Sources