And the score is yours, not the program’s.
Here’s a good place to start: your TEAS score is attached to your individual testing account with the organization that administers the exam, not to the specific school you had planned to attend initially. Therefore, if you decide to apply somewhere else, the score does not disappear or become irrelevant. No matter what program you originally tested for, you can still view your official score report and transcript, and you may usually request to send your transcript to a new school through your testing account.
If or not you own it is not what determines if that score will be useful at your new destination — it’s whether the new program’s particular rules on validity, minimum score, and exam version just happen to match what you currently have.
Check the Validity Window First
Many nursing programs consider TEAS results valid for a specific duration, often two years from your test date, but this isn't true everyplace. Some programs have a shorter timeframe, for example one year, especially competitive graduate-entry or accelerated programs that desire more current evidence on applicant preparation. Some others live a little longer. Since no one-size-fits-all policy exists, the very first thing to do at your new program is to check out their particular score validity policy, because a score that was completely legitimate at your initial target school could be already expired, or close to expiration, at your new one.
If your score is nearing a validity cutoff and you are in the middle of a transfer, it’s best to check out the specific policies of your new school well before their application deadline, as it will take some time to arrange your retest, not to mention the time it takes to receive the results.
Most applicants think that the version of the exam matters less
The TEAS exam is subject to periodic substantial adjustments and the present edition, TEAS 7, superseded the previous TEAS 6 exam. Some programs will only take scores from the current version and some will continue to accept scores from the previous version for a transition period. If you tested under an older version before transferring, don’t assume your score will automatically be accepted at your new program. Check to see what version they currently require. A score from a retired version may need to be retaken even if it falls technically within the standard time window.
Minimum Score Requirements May Vary Greatly
One of the biggest differences when transferring is that your new program likely has a separate minimum score criterion of its own that may be higher or lower (or just different) than the one your initial target school had. For example, a composite score that easily passed the bar at a community college ADN program may not be enough to make the cut for the more selective university BSN program. In contrast, if you are coming from a very competitive program to a less competitive one, your score may be far higher than the minimum of the other program.
Some programs additionally have minimum scores required for particular sections, in addition to the composite barrier. Therefore, a technically legitimate, high-composite score could not be enough if one individual area fails to fulfill the new program’s specific criterion. Always compare your real section-by-section to the full published criteria of your new program, not just the overall composite.
How to Really Send Your Score to a New Program
Instead of retaking the test, you may usually send your current score to a new school by ordering an official transcript thru your personal testing account that you send to the new school. Each school may have a slightly different submission process (some take transcripts sent directly thru the testing platform, others require you to upload a copy yourself as part of your application materials), so be sure to check your new program’s specific submission instructions and don’t assume it’s the same as your original schools.
(Be aware that transcript requests can take time, especially if your scores were from remotely proctored examinations, so give yourself a few business days’ leeway before the application deadline for your new school.)
When Retaking Becomes Necessary
If any of the following are true, you will probably need to retake the GMAT: Your score is past the validity window for your new program; Your score was taken under an exam version that is no longer accepted by your new program; Your composite or section scores are below the minimums for your new program; Your new program requires all applicants to test thru its own designated testing center, regardless of previous scores elsewhere.
If you’re not sure if any of these apply to you, your best bet is to call your new program’s admissions office directly and provide them your test date, exam version and score information, rather than assume based on your prior school’s policy.
What to do if you’re in the middle of a transfer
Order your official transcript quickly. You don’t need to be 100% sure that you are transferring yet but you do want to have your transcript ready so you can send it off as soon as you know what your new target program will be.
Don’t just compare your current score to the total composite you might already know works for “a” bar somewhere, but check it against the entire published requirements for your new program including any section specific minimums.
Specifically confirm the exam version and validity window. These two are the two most typical reasons a previously acceptable score becomes unacceptable at a new institution.
If you have to take an exam again, consider your first score as diagnostic, not as wasted work. If you have to retake, you can use the breakdown of your previous sub-scale to know what to study. If the new program requires a higher minimum than you required to achieve before , you may need to study harder.
The Final Word
Your TEAS score can follow you to a new program if you switch, but whether or not you can use it at your new school depends on that school’s specific validity window, accepted version of the exam, and minimum score requirements, none of which are guaranteed to be the same as your original target school. Before you assume your current score will transfer over, check these specifics with the admissions office of your new program, and if a retake is necessary, see your previous results as a helpful starting point rather than a failure.
