Exam Guide

ATI Proctored Exams FAQ: Length, Recording, Grading, Levels & More

Quick, straight answers to the questions nursing students ask most about ATI proctored exams — how long they are, whether they are recorded, how many there are, how they are graded, and how the proficiency levels work. Where the answer depends on your school's policy, we say so. For the full picture, start with our guide to ATI proctored exams: how to study, prepare and pass.

How long are ATI proctored exams?

Most ATI Content Mastery Series (CMS) proctored exams — Fundamentals, Pharmacology, Med-Surg, Maternal Newborn, Pediatrics, Mental Health, Nutrition, Community Health and Leadership — are a single sitting of roughly 60 to 70 items, with about one to two hours allowed. The exact item count and time limit are set per assessment and edition; the newer 2023 editions include NGN-style case items that take longer per item, so time limits were adjusted accordingly. The RN Comprehensive Predictor is longer: 180 items (150 scored plus 30 unscored) over about three hours. The TEAS is 170 items over 209 minutes.

Your instructor will confirm the time for your specific exam. Plan on roughly one minute per standard item, with extra for case studies and dosage calculations.

Are ATI proctored exams recorded?

Remote ATI proctored exams are recorded — video from your webcam, audio from your microphone, and your screen — for the entire session. ATI's remote proctoring runs through Proctorio in Google Chrome; some schools use their own tools such as Respondus or Honorlock, which record in similar ways. The recording is available to your school's faculty, who review any flagged moments. In-person exams are supervised by a live proctor rather than recorded by the exam software, though the lab itself may have cameras. More detail in Can ATI Detect Cheating on Proctored Exams?

How often does ATI change its proctored exams?

ATI releases a new edition of each CMS assessment every few years — recent RN editions were 2016, 2019 and 2023 — and each edition is aligned to the current NCLEX test plan. Within an edition, ATI maintains large item pools and periodically retires and replaces items, so the exact questions a student sees can change without a new edition being announced. Schools choose which edition they use; many run 2019 and 2023 versions side by side during a transition. The practical implication: "leaked" question lists are usually out of date, and studying the blueprint and concepts is what transfers between versions.

How many ATI proctored exams are there?

The RN Content Mastery Series has nine subject exams: Fundamentals, Pharmacology, Adult Medical-Surgical, Maternal Newborn, Nursing Care of Children, Mental Health, Nutrition, Community Health, and Leadership and Management. The PN/VN series mirrors these at the practical-nurse scope. Add the Comprehensive Predictor (RN or PN) near graduation and, before nursing school, the TEAS entrance exam.

How many you take depends on your program. Some schools use all nine CMS exams plus the Predictor; others pick four or five that align with their curriculum. Check your program handbook for the list and the semester each is scheduled.

How do ATI proctored exams get graded?

ATI scores the exam automatically and reports two headline numbers: your percentage correct on the scored items, and your proficiency level — Below Level 1, Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 — which is your percentage mapped against cut scores set specifically for that assessment and edition. You also receive a breakdown by NCLEX client-need category and by blueprint topic, a comparison with the national and program means, and a Focused Review listing the topics you missed.

What that result is worth is decided by your school. Common approaches: converting the level to course points (Level 3 full credit, Level 2 most credit, Level 1 partial credit with remediation), requiring a minimum level to pass the course, or using the exam for feedback only. Because cut scores differ between exams and policies differ between schools, always read your result as percentage plus level plus your program's policy. Full explanation in our pillar guide and proficiency levels explainer.

What score do I need to pass an ATI proctored exam?

ATI itself does not pass or fail you. Most programs set Level 2 as the benchmark, which corresponds to a different percentage on each exam — often somewhere in the 60s to low 70s, but confirm the cut score for your edition with your instructor rather than relying on a number from a different exam. If your school converts levels to points, its syllabus will say how.

How do I pass an ATI proctored exam?

In short: study from the blueprint, test yourself before you review, practise application-style questions daily with rationales, keep an error log, and rehearse under time. Learn medication classes rather than individual drugs, master priority frameworks (ABCs, safety, Maslow, nursing process), and treat select-all-that-apply items as a series of true/false statements. Rest the night before. Our full guide — How to Pass ATI Proctored Exams: 15 Strategies That Actually Help — expands each of these, and How to Study for ATI Proctored Exams turns them into a week-by-week plan.

Are all ATI proctored exams the same?

No. Each subject has its own blueprint (content categories and item weights), its own difficulty, and its own cut scores for the proficiency levels. Editions differ too — 2023 versions add NGN-style items the 2019 versions lack. What is consistent across all of them is the style: client scenarios, priority-setting language, and rationales grounded in the ATI review modules. Study skills transfer between exams; content does not. Students generally find Med-Surg and Pharmacology the hardest because of the size of the blueprint.

How do ATI proctored exam levels work?

ATI translates your percentage into one of four proficiency levels using cut scores specific to that assessment:

Below Level 1 — performance below ATI's minimum expectation; likely to struggle with related NCLEX content. Full remediation and usually a retake.
Level 1 — basic or limited mastery; meets the minimum but needs additional preparation. Review weak categories.
Level 2 — satisfactory mastery; fairly certain to meet NCLEX standards in the content area. The benchmark most schools set.
Level 3 — strong mastery; likely to exceed NCLEX standards in the content area.

The levels describe readiness in one content area, not overall NCLEX readiness, and the same percentage can produce different levels on different exams. See ATI Proficiency Levels Explained.

What happens if I fail an ATI proctored exam?

It depends on your school's policy, but the usual path is mandatory Focused Review remediation followed by a retake on a different version of the exam, sometimes with the retake capped at a certain level of credit. In most programs a single low score is recoverable. Details in What Happens If You Fail an ATI Proctored Exam?

Can I take an ATI proctored exam at home?

Only if your program has enabled remote proctoring. You need a laptop or desktop (not a tablet or phone) with Google Chrome, a webcam, a microphone, a stable connection, a photo ID and a private room. Run the system check the day before. Our remote proctoring setup checklist covers every step.

What can I bring into an ATI proctored exam?

Typically your photo ID and nothing else. One sheet of blank scratch paper and the on-screen calculator are usually allowed; phones, smart watches, notes, bags, food and drink usually are not. Remote exams require a cleared desk shown to the camera. Your proctor's instructions override any general rule.

Can I go back to previous questions?

On most CMS exams you can navigate between items and change answers until you submit or time expires. There is no penalty for guessing, so never leave an item blank. Confirm navigation rules with your proctor at the start, since settings can differ by assessment.

How do I see my ATI results?

Log in to your ATI student account and open the assessment under My Results. Your percentage, proficiency level, category breakdown and Focused Review are usually available immediately or within a few hours of submission. Your school controls when results are released, so if you cannot see them, ask your instructor.

What is Focused Review and do I have to do it?

Focused Review is the remediation tool ATI generates after an exam: the topics you missed, linked to the relevant review module sections. Most programs require a minimum number of hours in Focused Review (often scaled to your level) and proof of completion, sometimes as active-learning templates. It is required by your school, not by ATI — but it is also the most efficient study you can do, because the topics it lists will reappear on the Comprehensive Predictor and the NCLEX.

Is the ATI proctored exam harder than the NCLEX?

Different rather than harder. ATI CMS exams test one content area in depth; the NCLEX samples across all of them and adapts its difficulty to you. Many students find individual ATI exams feel harder because the questions go deep into a single subject. The question style — priority, safety, clinical judgment — is deliberately similar, which is why programs use ATI results as an NCLEX readiness signal.

Where can I practise ATI-style questions?

Start with your program's ATI Practice Assessments A and B, then add original ATI-style questions with rationales for daily practice. Try our free practice quizzes in your subject, and see the study guides and full-length practice tests when you are ready for more.