First, Decide Whether an Explanation Is Needed
Not all below-average scores need a formal explanation. Before you write one, check three things:
- Your program's minimum threshold If you are above the specified minimum, a long rationale may merely draw unwanted attention to a non-issue, even if your score is not very high. Save your space for something better.
- If you are considering re-taking the exam. Most testing centers permit retakes after a waiting time, usually 30-90 days based on the program’s testing vendor. If a retake is feasible before your application deadline, it may be a wiser investment than crafting an explanation for a score you’re about to replace.
- Whether the program will take addenda at all. Some apps provide a designated place for additional context, some don't. Sending a program an unsolicited explanation that it can’t do anything with can look messy. Check the application page or contact admissions to ensure the appropriate route, commonly a personal statement, an optional essay, or a brief letter attached to your file.
What Makes an Explanation Reliable
- Admissions committees are experienced readers of addenda, and they can usually distinguish between an honest explanation and a rationalization. A plausible explanation would likely involve three things.
- A certain provable situation. Vague things like “I don’t test well” are not helpful because they don’t provide the committee anything tangible to weigh. Specific circumstances — a recorded illness during the testing window, a family emergency, working full-time while caring for a dependent, a first-generation student taking standardized tests without ever having been exposed to the format — carry more weight because they’re tangible and plausible.
- It's about ownership, not blame. The best explanations concede that the score indicates a real difference, even with mitigating factors. Committees like “I underestimated how much the math section would test algebra I hadn’t reviewed since high school” better than “the test was unfair” or “I’m just not a good test-taker.” Ownership shows maturity, something critical in a field centered on accountability.
- Evidence of corrective response. A complaint without explanation is just a complaint. Pair that explanation with what you did next — enrolled in a review course, retook the exam and improved by a meaningful margin, worked with a tutor on the weakest content area — and the committee sees you treat setbacks as solvable problems, which is exactly the disposition they want in a future nurse.
How to Organize the Explanation
Keep It Short and Factual. A paragraph of four to six sentences is generally enough; committees aren’t looking for a personal essay here, they’re looking for context.
A convenient format:
- Give the score and the involved section(s), no over-explaining. A single line.
- Name the factor precisely, without further description. One or two sentences.
- What corrective step(s) did you take or are taking? It should be the most thorough part. Because it’s the most compelling element.
- Use supporting proof elsewhere in your application (a strong GPA, especially in science prerequisites, healthcare work experience or a retake score) to better reflect your readiness.
For example: “The first time I took the TEAS science portion, I scored below the program average because I had some holes in my background knowledge of anatomy and physiology going into the exam. I retook the test the following semester, and after earning an A in that required course, I increased my scientific score by 15 percentage points. 3.7 prerequisite GPA, which is a stronger reflection of my science coursework performance, and a better indicator of my current preparation for the program.”
Note this example does not over-apologize, over-explain the initial circumstance, or close with a redirect to better proof for the committee.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Over explaining. Long explanations can seem defensive and draw more attention to the flaw than a short, confident note would. Give the committee the context, then trust that they will move on.
- Blame external circumstances without recognition. Test anxiety, a chaotic testing center, or an awful day are true, but to couch the entire answer in conditions outside your control with no acknowledgement of what you will do differently tends to weaken credibility rather than enhance it.
- Hold out until an interview to mention it. When your application contains an interview component, don’t expect to be given the opportunity to orally justify a poor score. Make sure you write to them first—something not every reviewer who looks at your material will do, either.
- Providing the explanation without the purpose of retaking. Most admissions counselors will advise you that if your score is considerably below threshold and a retake is logistically doable before the deadline, a really improved score will do more for your application than any written justification. Use the explanation to support a retake, not to replace it.
When to Retake Is the Best Move
If you have more than six weeks before your application deadline and your score is well below the average of your chosen program, then it’s better to retake the test than to write an explanation. Study the portion that was your composite score's weakest link - check your score report and look at the subsection breakdown rather than generically restudying everything. A focused, better retake score provided alongside the original tells its own tale with little narrative: it displays improvement in the simplest form a committee can judge.
The Bottom Line
A low TEAS score is a data point, not a destiny. Admissions committees care much more about how you respond to a mistake or setback on your application than the mistake itself. The best reasons are concise, detailed, and honest about the gap, and they include evidence that you have already begun to close the gap – through a retake, a completed requirement, or relevant work experience. Viewed this manner, a hard exam day is just another data point that backs up, rather than detracts from, the argument that you are prepared to thrive in nursing school.
