• 99 questions

Alabama Board of Cosmetology Practice Test

The Alabama Cosmetology Act and the Board rules in questions, with the code section behind every answer.

How long are Alabama cosmetology and esthetic apprentices allowed to complete training?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

Print covers the next 25 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 25 questions, no time limit, 18 right to pass (70%).

More options

Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering. Bank checked October 9, 2026.

Next step Another state's law: cosmetology tests by stateAnother Alabama test: permit practice test

All 99 questions

Licenses, examinations and training 29

  • A cosmetologist licensed in another state applies in Alabama on experience alone. How long must he or she have practiced as a licensee? Code of Alabama 34-7B-7(c)(1)
  • A licensed Alabama esthetician wants the esthetician/manicurist license. How many hours in nail technology are required? Code of Alabama 34-7B-22(a)
  • A licensed Alabama manicurist wants the manicurist/waxer license. How many hours in waxing are required? Code of Alabama 34-7B-23(a)
  • An Alabama applicant fails the prescribed examination. How many more attempts does the statute give before more school hours are required? Code of Alabama 34-7B-7(c)(2)
  • An Alabama cosmetology apprentice trains in a shop, not a school. What does the statute require? Code of Alabama 34-7B-18(a)(3)
  • An Alabama instructor applicant has one year of active shop experience. How many school hours must go with it? Code of Alabama 34-7B-24(a)(3)
  • By what day must an Alabama sponsor submit an apprentice's monthly and accumulated hours to the Board office? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-4-.01(12)
  • For how long must an Alabama licensee have been licensed in the field before sponsoring an apprentice? Code of Alabama 34-7B-16(c)
  • How large a bond must an applicant submit to operate a school in Alabama? Code of Alabama 34-7B-26(a)(1)
Show all 99 questions (90 more)

Licenses, examinations and training, continued

  • How long are Alabama cosmetology and esthetic apprentices allowed to complete training? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-4-.01(8)
  • How long does an Alabama student's permit to work in a shop last? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-5-.12(4)
  • How many changes of sponsor may an Alabama apprentice make during training? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-4-.01(6)
  • How many clock hours in a school of cosmetology does Alabama require of a cosmetologist applicant? Code of Alabama 34-7B-18(a)(3)
  • How many clock hours of manicure instruction does Alabama require of a manicurist applicant? Code of Alabama 34-7B-21(a)(3)
  • How many clock hours of skin care instruction does Alabama require of an esthetician applicant who trains in a school? Code of Alabama 34-7B-19(a)(3)
  • How much of the required school hours must an Alabama student complete before working in a shop when school is not in session? Code of Alabama 34-7B-15(c)
  • How much of the total course work may an Alabama school student take by distance learning? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-5-.03(2)
  • How much secondary school must an Alabama cosmetologist applicant have completed? Code of Alabama 34-7B-18(a)(2)
  • How much secondary school must an Alabama instructor applicant have completed? Code of Alabama 34-7B-24(a)(1)
  • How old must a person be to be examined or licensed as a cosmetologist in Alabama? Code of Alabama 34-7B-18(a)(1)
  • How soon may an Alabama candidate retake an examination while the eligibility period is still open? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-6-.01(4)
  • What grade is required to pass an Alabama licensure examination other than an instructor examination? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-6-.01(6)
  • What limit does Alabama put on the hours of a manicure apprentice? Code of Alabama 34-7B-21(a)(3)
  • What must an Alabama examination candidate receive before performing services for the public? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-6-.01(2)
  • What must the regular written and practical examinations held by Alabama schools include? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-5-.06(11)
  • Who furnishes the supplies and implements for an Alabama practical examination? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-6-.01(5)
  • With what must the Alabama licensure examination procedure be consistent under 34-7B-7? Code of Alabama 34-7B-7(c)(2)
  • Within how long of the original examination application date must an Alabama candidate pass all required examinations? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-6-.01(3)
  • Within how many days after an Alabama student completes training must the instructor certify a record of completion to the Board? Code of Alabama 34-7B-15(d)

Renewal, expiry and display 8

  • An Alabama license has been expired for more than four years. Besides fees and proof of prior licensure, what does reinstatement take? Code of Alabama 34-7B-14(c)
  • What is the longest any license issued by the Alabama Board may be valid? Code of Alabama 34-7B-14(a)
  • When do Alabama shop and other business licenses expire? Code of Alabama 34-7B-7(d)(2)
  • When does an Alabama cosmetologist's personal license expire? Code of Alabama 34-7B-7(c)(3)
  • When must an Alabama personal licensee tell the Board of a name or address change? Code of Alabama 34-7B-9(a)
  • Where must an active personal license be displayed in an Alabama shop? Code of Alabama 34-7B-7(c)(5)
  • Where must an Alabama business license be displayed? Code of Alabama 34-7B-7(d)(4)
  • Within how long after expiry may an Alabama license be reinstated by paying fees alone, with no examination? Code of Alabama 34-7B-14(b)

Shops, mobile salons and inspections 15

  • An Alabama mobile salon runs out of potable fresh water during the day. What must happen? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-7-.05(2)
  • An Alabama shop is closed by Board action because of violations. What must it post outside? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.08(7)
  • An Alabama shop is located in a residence. How must it be separated from the living quarters? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.01(8)
  • Below what inspection score must an Alabama shop be re-inspected for compliance? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.08(5)
  • How close to the entrance must an Alabama shop's toilet facilities be if they are not on the premises? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.01(7)
  • How large must the sign be in an Alabama shop that has apprentices or student trainees serving the public? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-4-.01(11)
  • What inspection score does an Alabama shop with no license receive? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.08(3)
  • What must an Alabama mobile salon have and use when parked to give services? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-7-.03(6)
  • What must an Alabama shop keep readily available for employees and patrons? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.01(11)
  • What must the sign inside an Alabama mobile salon say? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-7-.03(5)
  • What use of an Alabama shop does rule 250-X-3-.01 prohibit outright? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.01(9)
  • When may an Alabama licensee perform a licensed service in a place the Board has not licensed? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.01(13)
  • Where must an Alabama shop post its most recent inspection report? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.01(10)
  • Which item must an Alabama shop that provides esthetics services have? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.03(4)
  • Who may operate a shop under the Alabama definition in 34-7B-1? Code of Alabama 34-7B-1(23)

Sanitation and product care 17

  • After use on a patron in an Alabama shop, where do implements, tools and soiled linens go? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(21)
  • An implement has touched blood in an Alabama shop. What must the label of the disinfectant used on it show? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(20)
  • How does the Alabama rule class roll on wax applicators? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(16)
  • How does the Alabama rule define a wet sanitizer? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(20)
  • How far from an open flame or electrical device must chemicals be mixed in an Alabama shop? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(24)
  • How must creams and bulk substances be removed from their containers in an Alabama shop? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(19)
  • How must disposable material that has touched blood or body fluids be disposed of in an Alabama shop? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(27)
  • How must sanitized instruments and sanitary disposable articles be stored in an Alabama shop? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(17)
  • How often must pedicure vats be cleansed and sanitized in an Alabama shop? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(30)
  • On which skin or scalp may an Alabama licensee not perform services? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(10)
  • What does Alabama rule 250-X-3-.02 say about styptic pencils? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(4)
  • What must an Alabama shop keep on the premises and replenish as necessary? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(34)
  • Where may an Alabama licensee not carry combs, brushes, tools or implements? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(29)
  • Where must flammable chemicals be stored in an Alabama shop? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(23)
  • Which animals may be in an Alabama shop besides guide or service animals? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(33)
  • Which marking must a nail drill carry to be acceptable in an Alabama shop? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(6)
  • Why must a sanitary cover be placed around the patron's neck during an Alabama cosmetology service? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(31)

Scope of practice and exemptions 11

  • How does the Alabama statute define threading? Code of Alabama 34-7B-1(26)
  • May an Alabama licensee perform a service the license held does not authorize? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.01(12)
  • To which layer of the skin does the Alabama rule confine the Board's scope of licensure? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(8)
  • What does 34-7B-12 say the Alabama chapter may not be construed to regulate? Code of Alabama 34-7B-12
  • What may an Alabama shampoo assistant do besides shampooing and cleansing? Code of Alabama 34-7B-1(22)
  • Where on the body may an Alabama manicurist/waxer wax? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(15)
  • Which areas may an Alabama manicurist massage under the statute's definition of manicure? Code of Alabama 34-7B-1(15)
  • Which barbers does Chapter 7B of the Alabama Code not apply to? Code of Alabama 34-7B-13(a)(8)
  • Which eyebrow tinting product may an Alabama licensee not use? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(11)
  • Which of these is outside the Alabama Board's regulatory authority, so no licensee may practice it? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(12)
  • Which retail setting is exempt from the Alabama chapter? Code of Alabama 34-7B-13(a)(6)

Prohibited acts and penalties 12

  • An Alabama inspector finds banned equipment stored in a shop. What does the rule say about possession or storage? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(2)
  • How many written letters of public reprimand may serve as probable cause to seek revocation or suspension of an Alabama license? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-1-.11(2)
  • How much written notice of a hearing must the Alabama Board give before revoking or suspending a license? Code of Alabama 34-7B-10(b)(3)
  • In which county are Alabama Board disciplinary hearings held? Code of Alabama 34-7B-10(b)(3)
  • What is the largest administrative fine the Alabama Board may levy per violation? Code of Alabama 34-7B-10(c)
  • What is the largest fine 34-7B-7 sets for a corporation that violates the Alabama chapter? Code of Alabama 34-7B-7(a)
  • What is the penalty in 34-7B-7 for a person who practices in Alabama without a required license? Code of Alabama 34-7B-7(a)
  • What may an Alabama licensee not use in any practice of cosmetology or manicure under rule 250-X-3-.02(9)? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(9)
  • What may the Alabama Board deny if a shop owner is the subject of outstanding violations? Code of Alabama 34-7B-10(b)(2)
  • Which act is a ground for the Alabama Board to revoke or suspend a license under 34-7B-10? Code of Alabama 34-7B-10(b)(1)
  • Which nail product does Alabama rule 250-X-3-.02 forbid by name? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(5)
  • Which tools does the Alabama rule bar from use in providing services? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-3-.02(7)

The Board 7

  • How are the seven Alabama Board seats spread across the state? Code of Alabama 34-7B-2(b)
  • How long is a term on the Alabama Board, and how many terms may a person serve? Code of Alabama 34-7B-2(d)
  • How many persons sit on the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, and who appoints them? Code of Alabama 34-7B-2(a)
  • What makes a quorum of the Alabama Board? Code of Alabama 34-7B-4(c)
  • What may no member of the Alabama Board do under the examination rule? Ala. Admin. Code r. 250-X-6-.01(8)
  • Which seat on the Alabama Board is held by someone who is not a licensee? Code of Alabama 34-7B-2(a)
  • Who appoints the executive director of the Alabama Board? Code of Alabama 34-7B-5(a)

How this list was compiled: Code of Alabama 1975, Title 34, Chapter 7B (sections 34-7B-1 to 34-7B-30) and Alabama Administrative Code chapters 250-X-1 to 250-X-7, read in the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering's own copy, "Statutory Laws and Administrative Rules", posted May 15, 2026 and listed on the Board's Law page as the current text (https://www.aboc.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/2026-06/Rules%20and%20Regs%20Document%205.15.2026.pdf). Each question names its section or rule and links to that document. Read 2026-10-09. Licence: Own work. Every question, wrong choice and explanation was written for this site from the statute and rule text. Nothing comes from a testing vendor, a textbook, a prep course or an exam question pool.

How it works

Unofficial Alabama Board of Cosmetology practice test questions on state law: Code of Alabama Title 34, Chapter 7B and Administrative Code chapters 250-X-1 to 250-X-7, read in the Board's copy on October 9, 2026. No hair, skin or nail theory.

Read the full guide

What the Alabama questions cover

Training hours, apprenticeships and examination rules come first, then shops, mobile salons and inspections, and sanitation and product care from rule 250-X-3-.02. Smaller groups take renewal and display, scope of practice, penalties and the Board itself. Natural hair styling, which needs no Board license as of October 1, 2026 (34-7B-13(b)), is not asked.

What the Board publishes about its examination

Code of Alabama 34-7B-7 has applicants examined by a procedure consistent with the prescribed curriculum for schools, and rule 250-X-5-.06 has schools test on Board law and regulations. Rule 250-X-6-.01 sets seventy percent to pass, eighty for instructors, and twenty-four months to pass every part.

  • Personal licenses expire on the last day of the birth month in odd-numbered years; shop licenses on the last day of September (34-7B-7).
  • Styptic pencils, callous razors and methyl methacrylate are each barred by rule 250-X-3-.02.
  • A shop scoring under 80 at inspection is re-inspected, and an unlicensed shop scores zero (250-X-3-.08).

Questions and answers

Is there a free Alabama cosmetology practice test?

This is one on Alabama law: free questions on the Alabama Cosmetology Act and the Board's administrative rules, each with its section. The Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering has no hand in it.

What score do you need to pass the Alabama cosmetology exam?

Rule 250-X-6-.01 requires a grade of at least 70 percent on a licensure examination and at least 80 percent on an instructor examination. Exam mode on this page marks 25 law questions against the same 70 percent.

How many times can you take the Alabama cosmetology exam?

Code of Alabama 34-7B-7 entitles an applicant who fails to two additional attempts. After a third failure the Board directs more hours of school training before another try. Rule 250-X-6-.01 gives twenty-four months to pass every part.

Does this page have the written exam's theory questions?

It does not. Nothing here comes from the examination, and hair, skin and nail theory is left out. The bank was written from the Board's posted copy of the statute and rules, dated May 15, 2026.

More tests

Show 8 more

Browse Safety and Trades