What California changed
California uses PSI exams administered through the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (BBC), not NIC directly. On April 1, 2026, PSI rolled out updated content outlines for all three license types. The domain structure changed:
Manicurist exam: Safety and Infection Control went to 50% of the exam. Skin Care was added as a brand-new topic category. The exam is 60 scored questions in 90 minutes, 75% passing (45 correct).
Esthetics exam: Safety and Infection Control increased to 40%. The exam is 75 scored questions plus 10 pretest items, 90 minutes, 75% passing (57 correct).
Cosmetology exam: 100 scored questions plus 10 pretest items, 120 minutes, 70% passing (70 correct). The reweighting here was less dramatic but still shifted toward safety.
No practical exam in California
As a reminder: California eliminated the practical exam for all BBC license types on January 1, 2022 (Senate Bill 803). You only need to pass the written exam. If you're studying practical procedures for a California exam, you don't need to — but the written exam tests your knowledge of those procedures conceptually.
What to do
If you're a California candidate, your prep should be heavily weighted toward Safety and Infection Control. For nail tech candidates especially, this is now half the exam — more than any single service topic. Know cross-contamination prevention, single-use vs. multi-use item rules, blood exposure protocol, and proper disposal procedures cold.
Study materials built before April 2026 won't reflect this reweighting. Check that your practice tests match the new proportions. The official PSI content outline is available through the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.
For full California licensing details — hours, fees, application steps — see our California licensing guide.