All New Mexico beauty licenses in one place. New Mexico uses NIC theory and practical exams via PCS — a scaled score of 75 on each segment. Cosmetology runs 1,600 hours (esthetics 600, barber 1,600, manicurist 400). Biennial renewal, no CE for practitioners. Regulated by the NM Regulation and Licensing Department, Cosmetology Program, Santa Fe NM.
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New Mexico sits the NIC theory and practical papers through PCS at a scaled score of 75 on each segment under the board’s own rule, while PCS’s own materials list 70 — the two authorities disagree, and we study to the higher of them. Cosmetology runs 1,600 hours, esthetics 600, barbering 1,600 and manicuring 400.
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Built for the NIC Candidate Information BulletinPractice tests and flashcards together. One purchase, one email, instant access to both.
Built for the NIC Candidate Information BulletinPractice tests and flashcards together. One purchase, one email, instant access to both.
Built for the NIC Candidate Information BulletinPractice tests and flashcards together. One purchase, one email, instant access to both.
Built for the NIC Candidate Information BulletinEvery 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.
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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. New Mexico tests on the NIC exam, so this is the exam you'll sit. No email, no signup.
New Mexico · Cosmetology
1,600 hours at a Board-approved cosmetology school. NIC exams via PCS — a scaled score of 75 on each segment (Board rule; PCS lists 70 from Jan 2026). Biennial renewal, CE-free. NM Regulation and Licensing Department, Cosmetology Program, Santa Fe NM.
New Mexico uses NIC National Theory and Practical Examinations. NICPrep's cosmetology question bank is built from the NIC CIB — it covers the NIC portion; this state’s own component is tested separately. New Mexico scores in three segments — national practical, national theory written, and state law written — each requiring a minimum scaled score of 75 (NMAC 16.34.3.9). PCS, which administers the exam, lists a passing score of 70 effective January 2026 — published as a bare number, with no unit. The rule has not changed. NMAC 16.34.3.9, the section that sets the figure, carries the history note “Rp 16 NMAC 34.3.9, 6/16/2001; A, 7/16/2004; A, 10/4/2007” — last amended 4 October 2007, and nothing anywhere in Part 3 has been amended since 14 July 2018. The New Mexico Register shows Board filings in 2022–23 and none for 2026. So PCS’s 70 carries a date the rule does not have. It may be a vendor error or a scoring-platform convention; PCS does list 70 for cosmetology and barbering against 75 for body arts, which looks like a deliberate setting rather than a slipped digit, and it is still not the rule. Prepare for 75 either way. In New Mexico the passing score is fixed by rule, so the Board cannot lower it by policy without amending the rule — and the risk is one-sided: if the real cut is 70 and you studied to 75 you over-prepared, while if it is 75 and you studied to 70 you can sit the exam under-prepared and fail. Confirm with the Board if you want it in writing.
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Cosmo 1,600 · Esth 600 · Barber 1,600 · Nail 400 hours. Verify school approval at rld.nm.gov/cosmetology.
Apply at rld.nm.gov with proof of training completion, photo ID, and required fees.
New Mexico also requires a Jurisprudence Exam, launched from the application itself in the RLD licensing portal rather than scheduled with a testing vendor. Multiple attempts are allowed to reach a passing grade. Its length, time limit and passing standard are not published in the material we have read, so plan for it as a requirement rather than a known quantity.
The Board has contracted PCS. Contact PCS on (888) 822-3272 or cosandbar@pcshq.com for the practical; once your authorization to test arrives, schedule the theory with Iso-Quality (IQT), operated by Prometric, at www.IQTTesting.com. Theory and practical both required, plus the state law written segment. A minimum scaled score of 75 is required on each segment under NMAC 16.34.3.9, and a failed segment is retaken on its own. PCS lists 70 effective January 2026, but NMAC 16.34.3.9 was last amended 4 October 2007 and the Register shows no 2026 Board filing — prepare for 75, because studying to the higher figure costs nothing if the lower one turns out to be right.
CE-free. Biennial renewal. Confirm current fees at rld.nm.gov/cosmetology.
🇪🇸 NICPrep's cosmetology prep is also available in Spanish.
New Mexico · Esthetics
600 hours at a Board-approved school. NIC esthetics exams via PCS — a scaled score of 75 per segment (Board rule; PCS lists 70 from Jan 2026). Biennial renewal, CE-free.
New Mexico uses NIC National Esthetics Theory and Practical Examinations. NICPrep's esthetics question bank is built from the NIC Esthetics CIB — it covers the NIC portion; this state’s own component is tested separately. Each segment requires a minimum scaled score of 75 (NMAC 16.34.3.9).
New Mexico · Barber
1,600 hours at a Board-approved barber school. NIC Barber Styling exams via PCS — a scaled score of 75 per segment (Board rule; PCS lists 70 from Jan 2026). Biennial renewal, CE-free.
New Mexico uses NIC Barber Styling Theory and Practical Examinations. NICPrep's barber question bank is built from the NIC Barber Styling CIB — it covers the NIC portion; this state’s own component is tested separately. New Mexico scores in three segments — national practical, national theory written, and state law written — each requiring a minimum scaled score of 75 (NMAC 16.34.3.9). PCS, which administers the exam, lists a passing score of 70 effective January 2026 — published as a bare number, with no unit. The rule has not changed. NMAC 16.34.3.9, the section that sets the figure, carries the history note “Rp 16 NMAC 34.3.9, 6/16/2001; A, 7/16/2004; A, 10/4/2007” — last amended 4 October 2007, and nothing anywhere in Part 3 has been amended since 14 July 2018. The New Mexico Register shows Board filings in 2022–23 and none for 2026. So PCS’s 70 carries a date the rule does not have. It may be a vendor error or a scoring-platform convention; PCS does list 70 for cosmetology and barbering against 75 for body arts, which looks like a deliberate setting rather than a slipped digit, and it is still not the rule. Prepare for 75 either way. In New Mexico the passing score is fixed by rule, so the Board cannot lower it by policy without amending the rule — and the risk is one-sided: if the real cut is 70 and you studied to 75 you over-prepared, while if it is 75 and you studied to 70 you can sit the exam under-prepared and fail. Confirm with the Board if you want it in writing.
Ready to start studying? See pricing ↑
🇪🇸 NICPrep's barber styling prep is also available in Spanish.
New Mexico · Nail Technology
400 hours at a Board-approved school. NIC Nail Technology exams via PCS — a scaled score of 75 per segment (Board rule; PCS lists 70 from Jan 2026). Biennial renewal, CE-free.
New Mexico uses NIC National Nail Technology Theory and Practical Examinations. NICPrep's nail technology question bank is built from the NIC Nail Technology CIB — it covers the NIC portion; this state’s own component is tested separately. Each segment requires a minimum scaled score of 75 (NMAC 16.34.3.9).
Ready to start studying? See pricing ↑
🇻🇳 NICPrep's nail technology prep is also available in Vietnamese.
New Mexico uses NIC exams via PCS — a scaled score of 75 on each segment under the Board’s rule, with PCS listing 70 from January 2026. NICPrep is built from the NIC CIBs.
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