The HESI A2 is a closed-book exam. No reference material may be taken into the testing
room. This sheet is for study beforehand, nothing else.
Mathematics formulas
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1 kg = 2.2 lb
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1 inch = 2.54 cm
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1 L = 1000 mL; 1 g = 1000 mg
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1 tsp = 5 mL; 1 tbsp = 15 mL; 1 oz ≈ 30 mL
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°F = (°C × 9/5) + 32; °C = (°F − 32) × 5/9
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Dosage = (desired dose / stock dose) × volume
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Percentage change = (new − old) / old × 100
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Ratio and proportion: cross-multiply, then solve
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Mean = sum / count; median = middle value; mode = most frequent
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Order of operations: brackets, indices, division and multiplication, addition and subtraction
Anatomy and physiology facts
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Right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body
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Left ventricle has the thickest wall
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The pulmonary artery is the only artery carrying deoxygenated blood
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Sinoatrial node is the natural pacemaker; normal rate 60 to 100 bpm
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Capillaries are where gas and nutrient exchange happens
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Path: nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli
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Gas exchange occurs in the alveoli by diffusion
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The diaphragm contracts to draw air in
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Tidal volume is a normal breath, roughly 500 mL
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Most carbon dioxide is transported as bicarbonate
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Central nervous system is brain and spinal cord
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Depolarisation is sodium in; repolarisation is potassium out
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Insulin lowers glucose, glucagon raises it
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Thyroid hormones set metabolic rate, regulated by TSH
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The pituitary is the master gland
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Most absorption happens in the small intestine
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The liver makes bile; the gallbladder stores it
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The nephron is the functional unit of the kidney
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Skin is the largest organ
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Osteoblasts build bone, osteoclasts break it down
Biology facts
- Mitochondria produce ATP; ribosomes build proteins.
- Mitosis produces two identical cells; meiosis produces four with half the chromosomes.
- DNA pairs A with T and C with G. RNA replaces thymine with uracil.
- Dominant alleles are expressed when present; recessive only when both are.
- Macromolecules: carbohydrates for energy, lipids for storage and membranes, proteins for structure and enzymes, nucleic acids for information.
- pH below 7 is acidic, above 7 is basic, 7 is neutral.
Grammar and vocabulary rules
- Subject and verb must agree in number, however many words separate them.
- Affect is usually the verb, effect usually the noun.
- Its shows possession; it is is the only thing "it's" ever means.
- A comma goes before and, but or or when it joins two complete sentences.
- A semicolon joins two complete related sentences without a conjunction.
- Prefixes carry meaning: brady is slow, tachy is fast, hyper is above, hypo is below.
Rapid review
Read down this list daily in the final week
| Which chamber pumps blood to the body? |
Left ventricle. |
| Where does gas exchange occur? |
Alveoli of the lungs. |
| Which hormone lowers blood glucose? |
Insulin. |
| Pacemaker of the heart? |
Sinoatrial node. |
| Functional unit of the kidney? |
Nephron. |
| How many mL in a teaspoon? |
Five. |
| Convert 154 lb to kg. |
70 kg (divide by 2.2). |
| Organelle that produces ATP? |
Mitochondrion. |
| Which base replaces thymine in RNA? |
Uracil. |
| Affect or effect: "the drug will ___ her heart rate"? |
Affect. |
Reading a cheat sheet is recall practice, not question practice.
The full study guide explains the material behind
each of these, and the plan for the weeks before is
here.
