Which Cosmetology Written Exam Does Your State Use? NIC, PSI, or a State Exam

Why the answer depends on your cosmetology board

NIC writes the National Cosmetology Theory Examination, but it does not run every state's licensing test. NIC says its exams are "administered by Test Administration companies and States upon approval and authorization of NIC." It gives its bulletins to the exam vendors and state boards, and they supply the state-specific details and the list of available languages.

Each board also chooses which exam to license with. Some use NIC's. Others contract PSI for its own national exam or give a state exam. That is why "the state board exam" can mean three different tests in three different states, and why the number of questions, the time limit, and the passing score you read online may not apply to you.

Nine states checked on October 28, 2026

Each row below rests on the state board's page or the vendor bulletin the board uses. Rules change, so recheck your state's current document before you rely on a row.

Two notes on the table. The Texas row comes from PSI's bulletin for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, so confirm it on TDLR's own site before you rely on it. And Georgia and Michigan print the same PSI outline as California, which is a different content outline from NIC's.

What applies if you test in 2027

The bulletins behind the table are 2025 or 2026 editions, and as of October 28, 2026, none of the documents checked announces a new exam or outline for 2027. NIC's theory bulletin is still the version effective July 1, 2022, and revised January 1, 2026. California's current PSI outline took effect on April 1, 2026, and Washington's move to Prov applied to exams after April 30, 2026. NIC's bulletin and several PSI guides tell you to check for the most current version before you test, so reopen your board's page when you book.

If your state is one of the NIC states, full cosmetology prep planned for launch follows the same four NIC domains, with Hair Care and Services and Scientific Concepts carrying the most questions.

States this guide could not confirm

Leaving a state off the table above does not mean it uses a non-NIC exam. It means an official source could not be confirmed for this guide on October 28, 2026:

• Florida: not confirmed for this guide. Check the Florida Board of Cosmetology's page and its testing vendor's current bulletin.
• New York: not confirmed for this guide. Check the Department of State's "Become a Cosmetologist" page. State regulations add that passing grades on New York's written and practical appearance enhancement exams count toward a license for five years (19 NYCRR 160.34).
• Ohio: the board runs its own examination center, which moved from Grove City to Dublin beginning in January 2026, but the pages opened did not say which written exam it gives.
• North Carolina: the board sends candidates to Prov to apply and to Prov's candidate bulletin for the registration steps. The board's pages did not name the written exam.
• Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Arizona, and other states: not checked yet, or no official page was found.

If your state is in this group, the three-step check below will answer the question for you in a few minutes.

A three-step check for any state's cosmetology written exam

1. Start at the board's own page. Look for the exam vendor's name and a link to the candidate bulletin or handbook. A board page is more current than any third-party list, this one included.
2. Open the vendor's current bulletin for your license type. Look for a line naming the exam's developer, such as "developed by the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC)." Check the date on the bulletin too.
3. Read the outline's title and structure. NIC's theory outline has four domains: Scientific Concepts, Hair Care and Services, Skin Care and Services, and Nail Care and Services. PSI's national outline has ten topic areas and starts with Safety and Infection Control. Texas's and Pennsylvania's exams add law and rules content.

Rhode Island shows why step 2 matters. Its vendor is PSI, yet its bulletin says the cosmetology exam is NIC's. California, Georgia, and Michigan also use PSI, but give PSI's own exam. The vendor's name alone does not tell you which test you will sit.

Why NIC's map is not proof of which exam a state uses

NIC's maps page lists each jurisdiction's board and exam providers, such as Prometric, PSI, Prov, D.L. Roope, and PCS. It does not say which exam each state gives, and the page was last modified on July 14, 2023. Some of its provider entries have since changed. As checked on October 28, 2026, it still listed D.L. Roope for Washington and Maine, while Washington's Department of Licensing says Prov took over in 2026 and Maine's 2026 bulletin names Prov. Georgia appears on the map with PSI, but Georgia gives PSI's national exam, not NIC's.

Use the map to find your board's website. Then let the board and its bulletin answer the exam question.

What changes if your state does not use the NIC exam

The skills overlap across every exam above. Infection control, chemistry, consultation, and hair, skin, and nail services appear in all of them. What changes is the weighting, the length, and the passing standard. PSI's national outline puts 30% on Safety and Infection Control, and Texas and Pennsylvania add state law. Passy builds its prep on NIC's outline, so the 850 practice questions planned for full cosmetology prep are tagged to NIC's four domains. In a PSI or state-exam state, treat them as topic practice and set your study hours by your own outline. The NIC vs PSI comparison shows how, and the California exam guide covers the largest PSI state in detail.

Passing standards vary even more, from scaled scores to percentages. The passing score guide lists them by state. If your state does use NIC, start with what the NIC theory exam covers.

Whichever exam you sit, rehearse the clock before test day. The timed 110-question, 90-minute mock exam planned for launch matches the NIC format. PSI's exam gives 120 minutes for its 110 questions and Pennsylvania's gives 2 hours 15 minutes for 135, so candidates in those states can work at a slower pace than the mock exam sets.