Browse all questions

The figures these questions turn on, laid out by section on dense colour pages you can print: Cosmetology State Board Theory Exam cheat sheet PDF — $9.99 →

Own the complete Cosmetology State Board guide — PDF + EPUB, $14.99 →

Every question with its answer and explanation — study by topic or all at once.

The California Board of Barbering & Cosmetology (BBC) Cosmetologist written exam is 110 multiple-choice questions (100 of them scored) in two hours, taken at a PSI testing center for $35. The Board publishes no passing percentage — 16 CCR §932(b) sets the cut score by a criterion-referenced method.

California requires a separate license for each track: Cosmetologist (1,000 training hours), Barber (1,500 hours), Esthetician (600 hours), and Manicurist (400 hours). All four take the same written exam format administered by BBC, with a $35 application fee under Business & Professions Code §7314. Practical exams were replaced in 2020 by the more rigorous written-only model. PrepPass has 484 free practice questions across the 7 BBC topics — chemistry, hair/skin/nail care, ethics & CA law, anatomy, infection control, business, and safety — with statute citations on every answer. The written exam is offered in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese. PSI typically schedules within 1–2 weeks of application approval.

All topics Anatomy & Sciences Chemistry & Products Electricity & Equipment Infection Control & Safety Ethics & California Law Hair Services Skin & Nail Services

Skin & Nail Services

53 questions

51. A pedicure client is in her third trimester of pregnancy and asks for a paraffin foot dip. The most appropriate response is to:

a.Skip the paraffin if she has uncontrolled diabetes, vascular disease, fragile or broken skin in the area, neuropathy that makes her unable to feel temperature, or active infection in the foot, regardless of pregnancy; otherwise proceed with paraffin tested for safe temperature on the practitioner's wrist and with a single-use plastic liner so no client's skin touches the tank wax✓

b.Refuse all pedicure services to every pregnant client

c.Heat the paraffin much hotter than usual to compensate for her reduced sensitivity

d.Reuse the paraffin between clients because it is hot enough to sterilize itself

True contraindications to paraffin are not pregnancy itself but the medical conditions that make heated wax dangerous: uncontrolled diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy, fragile or broken skin in the treatment area, and active local infection. If none of these apply, paraffin is safe in pregnancy. The wax must be tested on the practitioner's wrist for safe temperature, applied via a single-use plastic liner so client skin never touches tank wax, and the used wax discarded with the liner (paraffin is NOT self-sterilizing, option D). Refusing every pregnant client (option B) is over-broad and may even raise discrimination issues. Manicurists work under CCR Title 16 §980.3.

CCR Title 16 §980.3

52. Which pairing correctly distinguishes TINEA PEDIS from ONYCHOMYCOSIS?

a.Tinea pedis is in the nail and onychomycosis is in the skin

b.Both are bacterial infections of the foot and are identical

c.TINEA PEDIS ('athlete's foot') is a fungal infection of the SKIN of the feet, presenting as itching, peeling, scaling, fissuring, often between the toes; ONYCHOMYCOSIS is a fungal infection of the NAIL PLATE, presenting as thickened, yellow-brown, crumbling, lifted nails; both are contraindications for routine pedicure service and require physician referral✓

d.Tinea pedis is an injury bruise; onychomycosis is a vitamin deficiency

TINEA PEDIS is dermatophyte infection of the SKIN of the feet (interdigital scaling, itching, fissuring, sometimes vesicles). ONYCHOMYCOSIS is dermatophyte (or sometimes yeast/mold) infection of the NAIL PLATE (thickened, discolored, crumbling, lifted nails over weeks to months). Both are infectious and both are contraindications to routine pedicure service in California: the licensee may not diagnose or treat either condition, must decline the service over the affected area, and must refer the client to a physician (CCR Title 16 §980.3 and BBC scope). Options A, B, and D confuse the categories or reverse the anatomy.

CCR Title 16 §980.3

53. A client asks the difference between SCULPTURED acrylic nails, a TIP-WITH-OVERLAY, and DIP-POWDER nails. The technician should explain that:

a.SCULPTURED acrylic builds the entire extension on a paper form using liquid monomer plus polymer powder. A TIP-WITH-OVERLAY glues a plastic tip to the free edge of the natural nail and then coats the whole nail with acrylic, gel, or dip product. DIP POWDER bonds a colored polymer powder to the nail with a cyanoacrylate-based resin, sealed with a top resin and an activator; no UV/LED lamp is used. Each differs in chemistry, durability, and removal method✓

b.All three are identical and only the price varies

c.Sculptured is the cheapest because no product is used

d.All three use the same liquid-and-powder system but different file sizes

SCULPTURED acrylic uses a paper form taped under the natural nail and builds the entire extension out of monomer-and-polymer acrylic, no plastic tip required. TIP-WITH-OVERLAY glues a pre-formed plastic tip to the free edge, then overlays with acrylic, gel, or dip product for strength. DIP POWDER applies a cyanoacrylate-based base resin to the nail, dips it into a colored polymer powder, repeats for layers, then seals with top resin and an activator that catalyzes the chemistry; no UV/LED lamp is needed (unlike gel polish). Each method differs in chemistry, durability, and removal. Manicurists work under CCR Title 16 §980.3. Options B, C, and D collapse the distinctions or invent facts.

CCR Title 16 §980.3