California Cosmetology Practice Exam

Here's something a lot of study guides still get wrong: California cosmetology licensing hasn't included a practical exam since January 1, 2022. If a guide describes a hands-on skills demonstration alongside the written test, it's describing a format that no longer exists.

Today it's written exam only, administered by PSI on behalf of the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology: 100 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest items, 120 minutes, available in English, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Simplified Chinese.

Before 2022, a shaky written score could still be offset by a strong practical demonstration. That safety net is gone. Every point that used to come from hands-on evaluation is now, functionally, riding on this one test. There's no separate skills check to fall back on if a particular knowledge area is weak.

What the 110 questions cover:

• State laws and regulations governing cosmetology practice
• Health, safety, and sanitation standards
• Hair services: cutting, coloring, chemical treatments
• Skin care and nail services
• Client safety and infection control

Ten of your 110 questions are unscored pretest items you can't identify in advance, so every question needs to be treated as if it counts, because from your side of the screen, it does.

Training programs still include hands-on instruction, it just isn't separately tested by the Board anymore. Confirm your study material reflects the current written-only format before relying on it. Fees and passing score details aren't published on the applicant page directly, check your PSI candidate handbook or call the Board at 800-952-5210.

Our practice questions target the same 110-question written format the real exam actually uses now.

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