NIC vs PSI Cosmetology Theory Exams: How the Two National Outlines Differ

Which states use each exam, as checked on October 28, 2026

There is no single "cosmetology state board exam." Two organizations publish national cosmetology theory exams, and each state board picks one or gives its own. Official board or vendor pages confirmed the following on October 28, 2026:

• NIC National Cosmetology Theory Examination: Washington, Wisconsin, Maine, and Rhode Island. Washington's Department of Licensing says Prov replaced Prometric for exams after April 30, 2026, and offers "the same" NIC exams.
• PSI national cosmetology theory test: California (since July 1, 2022), Georgia, and Michigan.
• State-specific exams: Texas and Pennsylvania use outlines of their own.

The vendor's name does not tell you which exam you will sit. PSI administers both kinds: its Rhode Island bulletin says that state's cosmetology licensure exam is developed and administered by NIC. Many other states were not confirmed. The guide to which written exam your state uses explains how to check yours in three steps.

The NIC and PSI cosmetology theory exams side by side

Every row comes from the bulletins listed in this guide's sources. Recheck them before you test, because both programs revised their materials in 2026.

The passing score guide explains why a scaled 75.00 and a 70% are not the same kind of number.

For 2027 test dates. As of October 28, 2026, neither NIC nor PSI had posted a newer outline than the ones in the table, so both columns describe the exams to plan for in 2027 unless your board or vendor publishes an update. If you are in an NIC state, the mock exam in full cosmetology prep, planned for launch, follows the NIC column: 110 questions in 90 minutes.

How the two outlines carve up the same content

Both are licensure exams for the same profession, so the content overlaps heavily. The weights do not. The second column below is Passy's rough mapping, not an official crosswalk.

Add up PSI's four hair areas and you get 27%, against NIC's 45% for Hair Care and Services. PSI's skin-related areas (skin care, eyelash and eyebrow, hair removal) total 16%, against NIC's 10%. The biggest shift is the move toward safety and consultation, which together make up almost half of PSI's test.

California's Board memo of November 21, 2025, shows how much the PSI outline moved from its 2020 version: haircutting fell from 12% to 3%, haircoloring became its own 10% area, and eyelash and eyebrow appeared at 4%. Study guides written before 2026 can still show the old weights.

Re-weighting your study time if your state uses PSI

A simple starting point is to split your study hours in proportion to the published weights, then shift time toward your weak areas. The weights describe the share of questions, not how hard each topic is. Here is the split for a fictional 50-hour plan:

The contrast is the lesson. A PSI candidate who studies cutting and styling as hard as an NIC candidate overspends there and underspends on safety, consultation, hair removal, and lash and brow services. An NIC candidate who studies from a PSI-based course does the reverse. A PSI candidate using NIC-based material can still steer it: domain-by-domain practice planned for full cosmetology prep lets you lean on Scientific Concepts, where NIC puts infection control, to cover PSI's 30% safety area.

Which Passy pages apply to both exams

Most Passy teaching pages cover topics on both outlines: infection control, blood exposure, OSHA, EPA and safety data sheets, consultation and preliminary tests, haircolor, chemical texture, skin, hair removal, and nails. Start from the NIC theory exam content guide for the domain map. California candidates should also read the California written exam guide for that state's rules.

A few things are NIC-only. The 90-minute pace, the four-domain weights, and the NIC exam-room rules do not carry over to PSI. Passy's free practice questions and study planner are built on the four NIC domains, and so is full cosmetology prep planned for launch, with 850 questions and 540 flashcards. If your state uses the NIC exam, map your test date onto the four NIC theory domains and adjust the hours from there. If it uses PSI, the table above is a better guide to where your hours should go.