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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.

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Infection Control & Safety

101 questions

101. A pedicure salon using whirlpool foot spas faces ongoing risk from Mycobacterium fortuitum and other waterborne organisms. The most effective infection-control practice combines:

a.Between every client: drain, scrub the bowl and any removable parts to remove debris, refill with clean water plus an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant, circulate for the labeled contact time, then drain and rinse; at end of day perform a longer disinfection cycle; at least weekly remove and clean the screen/filter; keep a written log of each cleaning✓

b.Filling each basin with hot tap water as the only sanitation step

c.Cleaning the visible bowl with dish soap only and skipping disinfection between clients

d.Once-a-month deep cleaning only

Whirlpool foot spas have generated some of the most serious salon outbreaks documented in California (Mycobacterium fortuitum boils, etc.) precisely because biofilm forms in the jets and screens. The BBC pedicure-equipment rules (CCR Title 16 §980.4) require a between-client procedure (drain, clean, refill with disinfectant, circulate for label contact time, rinse), a more rigorous end-of-day procedure, a weekly removal-and-cleaning of the screen/filter, and a written log signed by the licensee. Options B, C, and D miss steps and intervals and would fail an inspection and put clients at risk.

CCR Title 16 §980.4