The exam is not a general beauty quiz. Two topics carry most of the questions, and the published weights tell you where to spend your weeks.

How to pass the cosmetology written exam the first time

The paperwork rule is simpler than people fear and the arrival rule is stricter. Both are in the candidate bulletin.

What to bring to the test center, and what happens on exam day

Your failure notice holds the one piece of information that fixes the next attempt. Most people never use it.

Failed the written state board exam, what to do next

110 questions, 120 minutes, no practical exam, and a passing score the state does not publish. Here is every number California does publish.

The California cosmetology written exam, everything on one page

110 questions, 130 minutes, a published passing score of 70 percent, and a fifth of the exam is Texas law. Texas also still holds a practical exam.

The Texas cosmetology written exam, everything on one page

You can test in Spanish in both states. The published numbers say studying only in Spanish is the risk, not the exam language itself.

Taking the state board exam in Spanish, what changes and what does not

This topic is 28 to 50 percent of every written exam in California and Texas. It is the one place where studying harder changes your score most.

Infection control and disinfection, the biggest topic on the exam

The two states do not publish the same topic tree, and one of the differences is twenty questions wide.

State law questions, how California and Texas differ

Four licenses, four different exams. The esthetician exam is 40 percent infection control in California and the nail exam is 50 percent.

Barber, esthetics and nails, how the written exams differ

Two weeks is enough if the time goes where the questions are. Here is a day by day plan built from the state's own weights.

A two week study plan for the written exam

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Pick the license you are testing for. Each license is a different written exam, with its own topics and its own number of questions.

Haircutting, shaving and the safety rules for a barber shop.

Barber

The full license: hair, skin, nails and the safety rules that go with all three.

Cosmetology

Skin care, hair removal and makeup, plus the safety rules for a treatment room.

Esthetics

Manicuring, pedicuring and artificial nails.

Nails

A full timed paper for your state and license. No feedback until you hand it in, the same as the real test.

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The written exam, the topic weights and the pass rule are set per state.

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You can see which topics let you down. The correct answer, the explanation and the source for every question on this paper are part of the paid pass.

Every answer explained, with the pass

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California publishes its exam results by school and by language. We put them on the page for the exam you are taking, refreshed when the board publishes the next quarter.

State Board Pass draws every practice test by your own state's published topic weights, so your time goes where the points are. Safety and infection control is a quarter to a half of every paper, and that is where most of your questions come from.

Walk into the written exam knowing the paper.

Schools teach in English and the exam uses English terms, so every Spanish question keeps the English term in parentheses beside the Spanish one. You practice in the language you think in without losing the word you will read on the day.

Each question carries the rule section or the page its answer comes from, so you can check it yourself.

Every answer explained

In practice the answer is marked right or wrong the moment you pick it. In exam you see nothing until you send the paper, the same as on the day. You choose before the first question.

Practice or exam, you choose

The clock, the question count and the passing score match the bulletin for your state and license.

Timed, like the real paper

A practice test is drawn topic by topic in the shares your state's outline publishes, not spread evenly. A paper that is half safety is practiced half safety.

Your state's own weights

The same license is a different paper in every state: different topics, a different number of questions and a different pass rule. Pick the pair you are testing for.

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20 questions drawn by these weights. No account needed.

Spanish takers pass far less often than English takers on the same paper. The board checked the translation for bias and found almost nothing, and some schools that teach in Spanish tell students to take the exam in English. Our Spanish questions keep the English term in parentheses for that reason.

First-time written exam pass rates for every California beauty school in the board's quarterly report, by license.

California state board pass rates by school

The free practice test draws its questions by the same topic weights the state publishes.

You book with {vendor}, not with us, and not with the center. The state tells {vendor} you are eligible, then you pick a date, a center and a language. Bring the booking confirmation.

One valid government photo identification that has not expired, for example a state driver's license, a state identification card, a passport or a permanent resident card. The photograph must look like you and the name must match your registration. Arrive at least 30 minutes early, because arriving late can cost you the seat and the fee. Books, notes and materials of any kind stay out of the exam room.

Every {state} city with a written state board exam center: the address, how to book a seat and what to bring on the day.

Guides to the written exam