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NIC · PSI National · Texas · 2026 outlines

Walk into your
state board exam
knowing you'll pass.

Not every state uses the same exam, and the vendor on the door does not tell you which one you are sitting. NIC's national exam covers most states. Ten states use PSI's own National programme. California is one of them, and we build to that outline for seven — plus Tennessee, which sits the same core with a state block on top. Nevada and Pennsylvania share a Pearson VUE core. Nine states write their own outright. NICPrep builds each bank separately — domain by domain, from that exam's official outline. Check your state first, then buy the one you will actually sit.

Designed for a 95% pass rate when candidates complete the full prep with 20+ hours of practice.*

Built like a real assessment, not a question dump. Every test is checked statistically before it ships — no length-cue shortcuts, no answer-pattern hacks, no padding.

14-day unconditional refund · 60-day pass guarantee.**

14-day
unconditional refund
60-day
pass guarantee**
CIB
every question audited
Exam catalog

Exam prep for
every license.

Lifetime access. No subscriptions. No 30-day countdown. Each practice bank is built from its own exam's official outline — domain by domain, at the percentages that exam actually uses.

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NIC National · $49

The national exam most states sit.

Audited question bank, domain-stacked flashcards, a timed mock at the NIC's own pace, and full rationales on every question.

Every bank includes
  • Built to its own exam’s official outline, domain by domain
  • Full rationales on every question, including why the wrong answers are wrong
  • Timed exam mode at the real exam’s pace, plus study mode
  • Study tutor on every question — tap Explain — in 19 languages
  • Lifetime access · one checkout, one email unlock · no subscription
  • Free 10-question preview · no signup
Interactive Tutor · included with every product

A tutor on every question.
Not just an answer key.

Every question comes with a full rationale. When that isn’t enough — the concept is new, the wording is dense, you got it right by luck — tap Explain and the tutor talks you through it: why your answer was wrong, and what the right idea actually is. Ask it anything back, as many times as you need.

If English isn’t the language you learned this in, it teaches in yours, switched whenever you like. The questions stay in English, because that is how you will see them on exam day. Where enough candidates ask we translate the prep itself — so far Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian and Simplified Chinese, on the products that have it.

Included with every product · every question · 19 languages

Try the tutor on a free question →Tap Explain on any question. The tutor breaks the concept down in plain language — why your specific wrong answer was wrong, what the right idea actually is, and an example if it helps. Ask follow-ups in the same window; it stays on the question you are working on. Pick the language you think in and every explanation comes back in it. The questions and answer options stay in the edition language, because that is how you will see them on exam day. Included with every product.
The tutor speaks
  • Español Spanish
  • 한국어 Korean
  • 简体中文 Simplified Chinese
  • Русский Russian
  • Tiếng Việt Vietnamese
  • فارسی Persian (Farsi)
  • Shqip Albanian
  • العربية Arabic
  • বাংলা Bengali
  • Français French
  • Kreyòl Ayisyen Haitian Creole
  • עברית Hebrew
  • Italiano Italian
  • 日本語 Japanese
  • Kiswahili Swahili
  • Türkçe Turkish
  • བོད་སྐད་ Tibetan
  • नेपाली Nepali
  • Українська Ukrainian
Free preview · No signup

Try the real thing.

10 questions from the NIC Cosmetology bank and 10 terminology cards from the decks — the same items, the same rationales, the same study modes you get after checkout. No email, no signup.

Want the vocabulary without the quiz? Every term the written exams use, defined the way the exam frames it — searchable, filterable by exam, with a drill mode. No account, no email, no payment.
Free terminology reference →
Your skill profile

See exactly which domains are
costing you points.

Every question updates your domain-level profile. Study sessions auto-target your weakest areas — you don't have to decide what to work on next.

Next session 12 Anatomy questions (est. 18 min)

Cosmetology · Domain mastery

Updated 3 min ago
95%
Sanitation
92%
Infection Control
88%
Nail Services
81%
Business
78%
Hair Services
72%
Skin Care
65%
Chemistry
58%
Anatomy
Strong · 85+ Mid · 70–84 Weak · < 70
New · Rewards program

Pass the NIC. We pay you back.

Buy any modality, study, sit your NIC, post your celebration tagging us — and we send you $10–$20 cash back within 7 business days. We're not buying reviews. We want your story.

$10 Flashcards · $15 Practice Tests · $20 Full access

Learn how PassBack works → Already passed? Submit →
How to use

Three steps. Built into
every prep we offer.

01

Study

Work through questions by domain with instant rationales. The system surfaces your weak spots as you go.

02

Diagnose

Check your skill profile. Find the 2–3 domains that are actually costing you points, not the ones you think.

03

Simulate

Run the 90-minute timed mock. Repeat until your simulated score sits 10+ points above the real pass line.

Why our prep works

Built so candidates who finish the full prep walk in scoring above the pass line on their final mock — before they ever sit the real exam.

Calibration, not luck. Every practice test mirrors NIC domain weightings, every wrong answer comes with a rationale, and the timed mock runs on the same 90-minute clock you'll face at the testing center.

677 hours of practice logged by candidates so far — the pass guarantee asks for 20.

Written from CIB

Every question is sourced from the official NIC Candidate Information Bulletin.

Domain weighting

Practice exam proportions mirror the real test, domain by domain.

Designed for 95%

The pass rate this prep system is built to support — when candidates complete it with 20+ hours of practice.*

14 + 60 day guarantee**

Unconditional refund within 14 days. Pass guarantee through day 60 — if you've put in 20+ hours and didn't pass, full refund.

Share your experience

Passed your NIC? Tell the next candidate.

We read every review. Thanks for sharing.
FAQ

Common questions.

How do I install NICPrep as an app?

Add NICPrep to your home screen for one-tap access — works on iOS Safari, Android Chrome, and desktop Chrome/Edge. See full install instructions →

Why 1,100 questions instead of 2,000+?

Because every NIC licensing exam has an exact number of questions — and there are only so many ways to legitimately test that material. Past a certain point, competitors are padding counts with repeats or off-exam trivia. We'd rather give you what you actually need.

How are the 10 tests structured?

Each test covers all domains at NIC-specified weightings. Tests 1–3 build foundation with recall-level questions. Tests 4–7 introduce application and scenario questions. Tests 8–10 mirror the real NIC exam — professional judgment and edge cases.

What if I have to stop mid-test?

Your progress is saved automatically. Every answer and every 30 seconds via the timer. When you return, you'll see a prompt to resume where you left off or start fresh. Saved per device for up to 7 days.

Do you have a mobile app?

No download needed — NICPrep works fully in any mobile browser. On iOS, tap share and "Add to Home Screen" to install with its own icon. On Android, tap the menu and "Add to Home Screen." Opens full screen with no browser chrome.

Can I study offline?

Yes. Once you've visited your exam pages while online, NICPrep caches everything locally — questions, flashcards, study mode, timed exam mode, and progress saving all work with no connection.

How many devices can I use?

Up to 3 devices using the same email address. Just enter your checkout email on the My Access page on each device — no account or password needed.

Does my access expire?

No. Pay once and the prep is yours permanently — no countdown, no renewal fees. Study at your own pace and return whenever you need to, including the night before your exam.

What is your money-back guarantee?

We offer two layers of protection. Within 14 days of purchase, you can request a full refund for any reason — no time logged required, no questions asked. Through day 60, our pass guarantee kicks in: if you've practiced at least 20 hours on the platform and didn't pass your NIC exam, email us and we'll refund you in full. The prep is designed to support a 95% pass rate when candidates complete it fully* — the guarantee covers the rest.

How are the questions built?

Every question is built directly from the official NIC Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) for that modality, cross-referenced against the NIC's official reference textbooks — the same materials NIC uses to write the actual exam.

Will this work for my state?

Twenty-nine states use the NIC National Theory Examination, and our NIC banks are built to its Candidate Information Bulletin. The other twenty-two do not: nine sit PSI's own National programme, Nevada and Pennsylvania share a Pearson VUE core, and ten states write their own — Texas, Illinois, Kansas, Connecticut and New York among them. We build three banks separately: the NIC one, the Texas TDLR/PSI one, and the PSI National form that seven states share — California, Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland and Michigan. For Hawaii, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Nevada, Pennsylvania and the nine other state-written exams the NIC banks cover the underlying science but not that exam's outline, so check the state guide before you buy.

Does California or Texas use the NIC exam?

No. Both run their own written exam through PSI, with their own content outlines and their own domain weightings. California's took effect 1 April 2026 and weights Safety and Infection Control at 30% for cosmetology; Texas is administered for TDLR. Studying a NIC bank for either one means practising the wrong proportions.

I already bought NIC prep but I'm testing in California. Can I use it?

The subject matter overlaps, so it's useful as supplementary study — but the blueprints differ enough that it shouldn't be your main prep. California weights Safety and Infection Control far more heavily and compresses the service domains the NIC leans on. For a California sitting, use the California prep.

What languages are these exams offered in?

PSI offers the California exams in English, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese and Simplified Chinese. Our own prep covers Spanish across ten products, Vietnamese across four, Korean across six and Simplified Chinese for TX Cosmetology — including every California product and every Texas product.

Is this available in other languages?

Yes. In Spanish (Español): NIC Cosmetology, Esthetics, Barber Styling and Hair Design, plus PSI National Cosmetology, PSI National Esthetician, PSI National Manicurist, CA Barber, TX Cosmetology, TX Class A Barber, TX Esthetician and TX Manicurist. In Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt): NIC Nail Technology, PSI National Cosmetology, PSI National Manicurist and TX Manicurist. In Korean (한국어): NIC Cosmetology, NIC Esthetics, PSI National Cosmetology, PSI National Esthetician, TX Cosmetology and TX Esthetician. In Simplified Chinese (简体中文): TX Cosmetology.

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Your NIC exam, decided.

Preview 10 real questions with rationales. If the format clicks, come back for the full bank — backed by a 14-day refund and a 60-day pass guarantee.**

Stay exam-ready.

2026 CIB changes, domain study tips, and new-modality launches — a few emails a month, no spam.