HESI A2 TEST WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS 2025-
2026
Which of these statements is true regarding the way light travels?
A. Sound travels faster than light.
B. The speed of light is always the same regardless of the medium through which it travels.
C. Light travels as both a wave and a particle.
D. Light can not travel through a vacuum. - Correct answer- C. Light travels as both a wave and a
particle.
Light is a curiosity in that it acts as both a wave and a particle. It only changes direction via
reflection (bouncing off of something) or refraction (passing from one medium to another). In a
vacuum, the speed of light is constant, but when passing through a medium that has an index of
refraction different from a vacuum, light's speed slows.
Which of these elements is liquid at room temperature?
A. mercury
B. zinc
C. manganese
D. magnesium - Correct answer- A. mercury
Mercury is the only one of the elements listed here that is liquid at room temperature. The
element bromine also has this property.
Where is the hyoid bone located?
,A. neck
B. pelvis
C. rib cage
D. leg - Correct answer- A. neck
The hyoid bone is located between the chin and thyroid cartilage.
A person with AB- blood should not receive blood from which other blood type?
A. B-
B. A-
C. O-
D. AB+ - Correct answer- D. AB+
Those with an AB- blood type should not receive blood from those with AB+ blood. Although
both AB+ and AB- blood have A and B antigens, the person with AB- blood lacks a special
protein, or "Rhesus" Factor (Rh), circulating in their blood. If they are given blood that has the
Rh factor present, their body will make antibodies to this foreign substance and complications
will occur. This is especially true in pregnancy situations where the mother is Rh- and the baby
she is carrying is Rh+.
Which blood type is considered the universal donor?
A. O-
B. O+
C. AB-
D. AB+ - Correct answer- A. O-
O- blood lacks both A and B antigens and the Rh factor, making it the only blood type that can
donate to everyone.
, Note the correct use of the terms antibody and antigen:
O- is the best donor because it does not have A, B or Rh antigens.
AB+ is the universal receiver because it does not have A, B or Rh antibodies.
What is the only artery in the body to carry oxygen-poor blood?
A. renal artery
B. interosseous artery
C. vena cava
D. pulmonary artery - Correct answer- D. pulmonary artery
Most arteries in the body carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart, but the pulmonary
artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs. The vena
cava would not be correct because it is not an artery, it is a vein and the question asks for an
artery.
Chocolate cysts of the ovaries are attributed to ____.
A. menorrhagia
B. ectopic pregnancy
C. pelvic inflammatory disease
D. endometriosis - Correct answer- D. endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue from the uterus (endometrium) grows in other
parts of the body, such as the ovaries or bowel. If a woman has endometrial tissue in her ovary,
the tissue bleeds and builds up over time, and as the blood ages it turns brown, hence the term
"chocolate cyst."
Which is not true of synovial joints?
A. They are found in the intervertebral discs of the spinal column
2026
Which of these statements is true regarding the way light travels?
A. Sound travels faster than light.
B. The speed of light is always the same regardless of the medium through which it travels.
C. Light travels as both a wave and a particle.
D. Light can not travel through a vacuum. - Correct answer- C. Light travels as both a wave and a
particle.
Light is a curiosity in that it acts as both a wave and a particle. It only changes direction via
reflection (bouncing off of something) or refraction (passing from one medium to another). In a
vacuum, the speed of light is constant, but when passing through a medium that has an index of
refraction different from a vacuum, light's speed slows.
Which of these elements is liquid at room temperature?
A. mercury
B. zinc
C. manganese
D. magnesium - Correct answer- A. mercury
Mercury is the only one of the elements listed here that is liquid at room temperature. The
element bromine also has this property.
Where is the hyoid bone located?
,A. neck
B. pelvis
C. rib cage
D. leg - Correct answer- A. neck
The hyoid bone is located between the chin and thyroid cartilage.
A person with AB- blood should not receive blood from which other blood type?
A. B-
B. A-
C. O-
D. AB+ - Correct answer- D. AB+
Those with an AB- blood type should not receive blood from those with AB+ blood. Although
both AB+ and AB- blood have A and B antigens, the person with AB- blood lacks a special
protein, or "Rhesus" Factor (Rh), circulating in their blood. If they are given blood that has the
Rh factor present, their body will make antibodies to this foreign substance and complications
will occur. This is especially true in pregnancy situations where the mother is Rh- and the baby
she is carrying is Rh+.
Which blood type is considered the universal donor?
A. O-
B. O+
C. AB-
D. AB+ - Correct answer- A. O-
O- blood lacks both A and B antigens and the Rh factor, making it the only blood type that can
donate to everyone.
, Note the correct use of the terms antibody and antigen:
O- is the best donor because it does not have A, B or Rh antigens.
AB+ is the universal receiver because it does not have A, B or Rh antibodies.
What is the only artery in the body to carry oxygen-poor blood?
A. renal artery
B. interosseous artery
C. vena cava
D. pulmonary artery - Correct answer- D. pulmonary artery
Most arteries in the body carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart, but the pulmonary
artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs. The vena
cava would not be correct because it is not an artery, it is a vein and the question asks for an
artery.
Chocolate cysts of the ovaries are attributed to ____.
A. menorrhagia
B. ectopic pregnancy
C. pelvic inflammatory disease
D. endometriosis - Correct answer- D. endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue from the uterus (endometrium) grows in other
parts of the body, such as the ovaries or bowel. If a woman has endometrial tissue in her ovary,
the tissue bleeds and builds up over time, and as the blood ages it turns brown, hence the term
"chocolate cyst."
Which is not true of synovial joints?
A. They are found in the intervertebral discs of the spinal column
