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2025 Edition

Cosmetology Practice Test

Try our free Cosmetologist Practice Test to see the type of questions that are on a cosmetology licensing or certification test.  Most states require cosmetologists to take a two-part exam to become licensed or certified.  The first part is a written multiple-choice exam covering such subjects as skin structure, nail structure, haircutting, facials and sanitation.  The second part is a hands-on exam where a cosmetology candidate needs to demonstrate knowledge and skill in such things as haircutting, color application and manicure. 
 
 

1. Different levels of infection control are required in a salon. The lowest level of infection control is called ________.
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2. The second level of infection control that kills most microbes is called _______.
3. Suzy has completed a manicure. What should she do with the following implements: cotton, emery boards and orange wood stick?
4. Which of the following is true with regard to the use of Universal Precautions?
5. Communicable diseases are diseases that can be spread from one person to another. An example of a communicable disease is Hepatitis B (HBV). What part of the body does HBV affect?
6. John is putting his marcel irons away for the day. He accidentally burns himself. What should he do first?
7. When performing first aid procedures for a cut, using a tourniquet is not recommended. Why?
8. John is about to perform the Heimlich maneuver. When performing the Heimlich maneuver, all of the following steps are involved EXCEPT:
9. In what year was the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard created?
10. The technical name for the study of hair is _______
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11. What are the three stages of hair growth, in the correct order?
12. There are three parts of the hair strand. The outermost layer of the hair strand is called the _______.
13. Due to its ability to lather freely, this type of water is preferred for shampooing in the salon. What type of water is it?
14. Scott is performing a scalp analysis on a client. Scott notices bald areas with small black dots, some round scaly areas of dry skin and a couple puss-filled sores. What does the client likely present with?
15. Shampoos with a high ph level may cause hair to _________.
16. The Marcel iron was invented in 1875 by _______.
17. When using a stove heated Marcel iron, you must test the iron on this type paper to ensure the iron is not too hot for your client's hair:
18. If the ends of hair protrude over the top of the Marcel iron, the following may result:
19. When using a pressing comb, this part of the comb straightens the hair:
20. What are the three components of a pincurl?
21. Angela is performing a haircut. She looks down and notices that this finger controls the stationary blade of her shears. Which finger is it?
22. Katie's teacher tells her to elevate the hair when cutting. What is another word for elevation?
23. When cutting hair, there are two types of guides that can be used. What are they?
24. Marie is doing a consultation with her client. Her client says that she wants a "shag" haircut.
At what angle would Marie most likely elevate the hair while cutting?
25. In haircutting, a subsection of the hair is known as this.
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26. According to the color wheel, the three primary colors are:
27. Robert has lightened his client's hair. His client says that she feels her hair has brassy, orange tones. Robert decides to use a toner on his clients hair to neutralize the unwanted brassiness. According to the color wheel, what color toner should Robert apply to his client's hair?
28. All colors that contain aniline derivative tints require a _______ before application to determine if a client is sensitive to the chemicals.
29. Jane's son Jack wants a temporary color for a party he is going to. What type of temporary color would you recommend for him?
30. Permanent colors are able to:
31. What percentage of peroxide is found in a developer that states it is 20 volume?
32. Decolorizing hair and recolorizing it to the desired level and tone is called:
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33. When deciding how long a color should process, you should always refer to _______.
34. Sally has decided she wants a perm. However, she is running a low grade fever. How should her stylist proceed?
35. The overlap method of wrapping hair for a permanent wave service is also called a ______.
36. When wrapping hair for a permanent wave service, Janet's client has heavy density hair. What size partings should Janet take, to allow for even absorption of her permanent wave solution when it is applied to her client's hair?
37. Which bonds are broken and rearranged during a permanent wave solution?
38. Todd's client's hair is short. His client wants a perm. Todd needs to figure out if his client's hair is long enough to make a complete curl. To make a complete curl during a permanent wave service, the hair must wrap around the tool how many times?
39. A chemical relaxer permanently relaxes curly hair into a straighter configuration. The most common active ingredient in relaxers today is _______.
40. Kara, a client, wants a sodium hydroxide relaxer. During consultation, her stylist finds out Kara had an ammonium thioglycolate relaxer service done on her hair last week. How should Kara's stylist proceed?
41. Is the use of an overlapping relaxer recommended when performing a retouch relaxer service?
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42. Jill has rinsed her client's relaxer out. She needs to lower the ph level of the chemical relaxer. What kind of shampoo should Jill choose?
43. The skin has three main layers, the dermis, subcutaneous and the epidermis. The epidermis is the _______ layer of the skin.
44. Eric's teacher says that the ph of hair,skin and nails falls on the acid side of the ph scale. The ph of hair, skin and nails is _______.
45. When doing a client consultation before a facial, Erin notices the her client's face is a bit flaky on the sides while the center around the nose is oily. What skin type does the client most likely have?
46. The white half-moon shape at the base of the nail:
47. When referring to disorders of the nail, onychophagy is more commonly known as this:
48. While performing a manicure on a client, Tom cuts himself. What should he do immediately?
49. The epidermis contains five layers of skin: Stratum Corneum, Stratum Lucidum, Stratum Granulosum, Stratum Spinosum, and Stratum Germinativum. Which layer is the lowest where cell growth occurs through mitosis?
50. On average, how long does it take for a new nail to grow?

Quality starts with who wrote the material.
Our practice exam writer
s
:
Jennifer Gervais
 is a cosmetology instructor at The Salon Professional Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. Prior to TSPA, Jenn was a cosmetology instructor at Virginia College. Jenn has been a practicing cosemtologist for over 20 years.


Gabriela Feria
 is a cosmetology instructor at the Western Beauty Academy in Los Angeles, California. Gabriela has also taught cosmetology at the Los Angeles School District and prepared cosmetology students for the state cosmetology exam. She has been working in the cosmetology industry for over 20 years.
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