NIC national, PSI National, Texas — different states use different exams. Pick yours below and practice the one you'll actually sit for. Study mode with full rationales, timed exam mode, lifetime access.
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10 questions from the 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.
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
Both exams run 110 items — but they don't test the same things in the same proportions. The NIC Cosmetology Theory Examination weights four domains as below, in CIB order, and every question in our NIC course is distributed at these exact percentages. California's April 2026 blueprint is weighted differently, and our CA course follows that one instead.
Infection control and safety practices · Human anatomy and physiology (hair, skin, nails, muscles, joints, nervous and circulatory systems) · Basic chemistry, pH, and chemical reactions used in Cosmetology.
Client consultation, analysis, and documentation · Tools, implements, electricals · Hair care principles (shampoo, conditioning, scalp, draping) · Hair design (cutting, styling, enhancements) · Chemical services (color, lightening, relaxers, waving).
Client consultation, analysis, and contraindications · Tools used for skin care · Basic facial · Hair removal · Makeup application · Electrical equipment.
Client consultation, analysis, and contraindications · Tools and implements · Basic manicure and pedicure · Application, maintenance, and removal of nail enhancements.
Source: NIC National Cosmetology Theory Examination CIB — effective July 2022. 110 items, 100 weighted, 90-minute time limit.
The California exam runs 100 scored items in 120 minutes against the BBC/PSI outline effective 1 April 2026, and needs 75% to pass. Safety and Infection Control is the largest block by a wide margin, while the service domains the NIC leans on compress to a few percent each. Studying NIC percentages for a California sitting spends your hours in the wrong proportions.
Disinfection, sterilisation and sanitation · Bloodborne pathogens and exposure incidents · Chemical safety and SDS · Salon and equipment standards. The single largest block on the exam.
Intake and history · Scalp, hair, skin and nail assessment · Contraindications and referral · Recommending services and home care.
Permanent waving · Relaxers and lanthionization · Chemistry of bond restructuring · Timing, processing and neutralising.
Level and tone · Developer volume and lift · Formulation and application · Corrective colour and lightening.
Waxing, threading and tweezing · Skin preparation and aftercare · Contraindications.
Manicure and pedicure procedure · Nail structure and disorders · Implements and enhancement basics.
Skin structure and conditions · Cleansing, exfoliation and masks · Facial procedure and contraindications.
Tinting and lifting · Extension application and removal · Eye-area contraindications.
Elevation, guides and sectioning · Cutting lines and graduation · Implements and tension.
Thermal and wet styling · Finishing and product use · Long-hair and updo technique.
Source: California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology / PSI content outline — effective April 1, 2026. 110 items, 100 scored, 120-minute time limit, 75% to pass. See PSI National Cosmetology prep →
Most cosmetology prep starts with generic textbook material and reshapes it into exam questions. NICPrep goes the opposite direction, and it does it once per exam. The NIC course is built from the official NIC Candidate Information Bulletin — every domain, every subtopic, every percentage weighting. The California course is built the same way from the April 2026 BBC/PSI content outline, which weights those domains differently. Texas prep is in production against the TDLR/PSI outline. Read about our construction standards →
1,100 NIC questions and 1,100 California questions, none inflated. We wrote every question type each outline supports, then expanded into scenario-based variations that mirror how these exams test judgment. No filler. No recycled school-quiz trivia. No padding — and nothing shared between the two banks, because the exams don't share a blueprint.
Both are available in Spanish, and the California course in Vietnamese and Korean too.
Domain-weighted distribution identical to the exam you picked — NIC percentages in the NIC course, the April 2026 California weightings in the CA course. Scenario-based judgment questions in that exam's style. Difficulty builds intentionally across the tests. Study mode rationales that teach. Timed simulation under the real clock: 90 minutes for the NIC, 120 for California.
If it's not in your exam's outline, it's not in that course — the NIC CIB for the NIC bank, the BBC/PSI outline for California. You study exactly what your exam tests, nothing more. Some prep sites advertise 2,000+ questions; past a certain point they're repeating concepts or testing trivia that won't appear on your exam. A bank that claims to cover every state's cosmetology exam at once is doing exactly that.
Textbooks teach Cosmetology. NICPrep teaches you how to answer NIC exam questions about Cosmetology — which is a different skill, and the one that determines whether you pass.
The 10-question preview is real exam content — not a teaser. Take it before you buy anything. You'll see the question style, the difficulty level, and which domains need the most work.
Work through all 1,100 questions in study mode with rationales on. Start with Test 1 and progress in order — the difficulty builds intentionally. Don't skip Scientific Concepts: it's 35% of the test, and most candidates underestimate the chemistry and anatomy detail required.
Switch to timed exam mode the day before your exam. 110 questions, 90 minutes, no hints. The score and per-domain breakdown will tell you if you're ready.
Because the NIC exam has an exact number of testable concepts — and there are only so many ways to legitimately test that material. We wrote every high-quality, exam-relevant question the CIB supports. Past a certain point, competitors are repeating concepts or testing trivia that won't appear on your exam. We'd rather give you what you actually need.
Your progress is saved automatically. Every time you answer a question, your answers, current position, and remaining time are saved to your browser. When you return to the same test, you'll see a prompt to resume where you left off or start fresh. Progress is saved per device.
No. NICPrep works fully in any mobile browser on iPhone or Android. On iOS, tap the share icon and "Add to Home Screen" to install it with its own icon, just like an app. On Android, tap the browser menu and "Add to Home Screen." It opens full screen with no browser chrome.
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 internet connection. An offline banner appears at the top of the page so you always know your connection status.
You can access your purchased products on up to 3 devices using the same email address. Just enter your checkout email on the access page on each device — no account or password needed.
No. You pay once and the course is yours permanently — no 30-day countdown, no renewal fees, no extensions to purchase. Study at your own pace and come back whenever you need to.
Two layers. Within 14 days, full refund for any reason — no conditions. Through day 60, full refund if you completed all 10 practice tests, logged 20+ hours on the platform, sat for the NIC exam, and didn't pass. See full details in our terms.
The Candidate Information Bulletin is the official NIC document that defines exactly what is tested on your exam — every domain, subtopic, and percentage weighting. Every question in our courses is built directly from the CIB for that modality, cross-referenced against the NIC's official references. More on how we build questions →
Most U.S. states use the NIC National Theory Examination, and our NIC course is built to its Candidate Information Bulletin. California runs its own exam and we build that separately, to the April 2026 BBC/PSI outline. Texas cosmetology prep is in production. If you're not sure which exam your state uses, check the state guide below before you buy.
Yes — and you're not alone. Failing the written exam almost never means you don't know Cosmetology. It usually means you weren't prepared for how NIC asks questions. The detailed rationales for every answer are specifically useful here: they show you exactly why answers are right or wrong, so your retake targets the real gap instead of covering the same ground that didn't work the first time.
No. This is theory (written) exam prep only. The practical exam is hands-on and developed through your school training. A strong theory foundation does directly support practical performance — understanding the why behind every procedure makes the how more intuitive.
No. California sits PSI's National exam, on the ten-domain outline seven states share. Both cover infection control, anatomy, chemistry and services, but the weightings differ sharply — Safety and Infection Control is 30% of the California exam, and service domains like Haircutting compress to about 3%. The California exam also runs 120 minutes against the NIC's 90.
It's useful as supplementary study since the subject matter overlaps, but it shouldn't be your main prep. You'd be practising NIC proportions for an exam weighted differently. For a California sitting, use the PSI National Cosmetology course.
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.
Yes. The Interactive Tutor explains any question, the rationale behind it and every term in your language, and answers your follow-up questions the same way. The languages it speaks — each in its own name and in English — are listed in the Study in your language section on this page. It is included with every product on your account — all of the languages, not one you have to choose between, and you can switch whenever you like. The questions and the answer options stay in English, because those are the words you will read on exam day.
No, and that is on purpose. The tutor explains in your language; the question and the four options stay in English, so you learn to recognise the exact wording you will see at the testing centre. If you want the questions themselves in your language, that is a different product: the fully translated editions in Spanish (Español), Korean (한국어), Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) and Simplified Chinese (简体中文), on the products that have one.
No. Every language the tutor speaks comes with every product, so you can move between them mid-session — read a rationale in Spanish, ask the follow-up in English, check a term in Vietnamese. There is nothing to buy and nothing to switch on: choose the language in the tutor panel and it answers in it.
Ask one question: which language will you sit the exam in? If your state offers the exam in your language and you plan to take it that way, choose the translated edition where this product has one — the questions match what you will see. If you will sit it in English, take the English edition and set the tutor to your language: the questions stay in English, the teaching is in your language, and every word you have to recognise on exam day is one you have already practised. Your state guide says which languages your state examines in.
Sí. Nuestro examen de práctica de cosmetología está disponible completamente en español, con terminología alineada al examen oficial de NIC que se administra en español. 1,100 preguntas de práctica en 10 exámenes, con explicaciones completas en español para cada respuesta.
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🌐 Your Interactive Tutor speaks 19 languages. Español, Tiếng Việt, 한국어, Русский, العربية and 14 more — choose yours in the tutor panel once you are in, and switch whenever you like. Included with every product; there is nothing extra to buy.
Every state has its own training hours, exam vendor, and renewal cadence. Browse the most-requested cosmetology guides — or open the full state map.
2026 CIB changes, domain study tips, and new-modality launches — a few emails a month, no spam.