Barber theory in the Board's eight topics, with California's own health and safety regulations behind most safety answers.
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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology or PSI Services LLC. Bank checked October 12, 2026.
16 CCR 988 keeps liquids, creams, gels and shampoos in clean, closed containers. What may powders be kept in?Title 16 CCR 988(a)
16 CCR 989 bars using a product in a manner that certain federal agencies disapprove. Which three does it name?Title 16 CCR 989(c)
A barber has head lice (pediculosis). Under 16 CCR 984, until when does it count as an infestation that can be passed to clients?Title 16 CCR 984(c)
A barber has influenza with a fever. Until when does 16 CCR 984 treat the illness as one that can be passed to a client?Title 16 CCR 984(c)
A barber wants to keep disinfected combs in a cloth pouch that cannot be disinfected. What does 16 CCR 979 say?Title 16 CCR 979(e)
A comb is a non-electrical tool. In which form does 16 CCR 977 say its disinfectant must be?Title 16 CCR 977, Disinfectant
A cordless clipper runs on a battery. How does 16 CCR 977 class it?Title 16 CCR 977, Electrical Tools
A neck duster has been used on one client. What does 16 CCR 986 require before it touches the next?Title 16 CCR 986(a)
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Safety and infection control, continued
After each shampoo, with what must the shampoo bowl be cleansed under 16 CCR 990?Title 16 CCR 990(b)
Besides soap and water, what does 16 CCR 983 accept for cleaning the hands before a service?Title 16 CCR 983(b)
Combs soak in disinfectant at a barber's station. What does 16 CCR 979 require of that solution at all times?Title 16 CCR 979(b)(1)
Shears are not soaked like combs. Once a pair is clean, what does 16 CCR 979 have done to it?Title 16 CCR 979(f)
What does 16 CCR 994 forbid an establishment to let build up?Title 16 CCR 994(b)
What does OSHA's rule on portable electric equipment say about plugging in a clipper with wet hands?29 CFR 1910.334(a)(5)(i)
What job does 16 CCR 985 give the sanitary neck strip?Title 16 CCR 985
Where must cut hair be disposed of in a California establishment that performs hair services?Title 16 CCR 978(a)(1)
Which used tool need not go into the container labeled "Soiled" that 16 CCR 980 requires?Title 16 CCR 980(c)
Client consultation and hair and skin analysis 8
A client has a red, swollen, painful bump on the neck that drains pus. What does the CDC say about telling by sight whether it is MRSA?CDC, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Basics
A client's hair has lost its sheen and feels dry. Which habit does MedlinePlus list among the causes of dry hair?MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Dry hair
After a test of a hair color, which signs do dermatologists say mean an allergic reaction to the dye?American Academy of Dermatology, Coloring and perming tips for healthier-looking hair
How do head lice get from one head to another?CDC, About Head Lice
The medical name of each kind of ringworm starts with "tinea." Which part of the body does tinea capitis infect?CDC, Ringworm Basics
Where on the scalp does hair often start to gray, by MedlinePlus?MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Aging changes in hair and nails
Which layer of a hair strand is the main source of its mechanical strength and holds the melanin that colors it?Wikipedia, Hair (Description)
Which layer of the skin does 16 CCR 977 call the living layer, just below the epidermis?Title 16 CCR 977, Dermis
Hairstyling 3
A client says it hurts while cornrows are being put in. What do dermatologists advise?American Academy of Dermatology, Black hair: Tips for everyday care
For how long at most do dermatologists say to wear a professional weave or hair extension?American Academy of Dermatology, How to stop damaging your hair
Hair is being pressed, or thermally straightened. Which temperature setting do dermatologists advise?American Academy of Dermatology, Black hair: Tips for everyday care
Haircutting 5
California's barbering curriculum teaches hair cutting with shears, razors, electrical clippers and trimmers, and thinning shears. For which kinds of cutting?Business and Professions Code 7362.5(b)(4)
What cross-section do the hair fibers of people with straight hair have?Wikipedia, Hair (Description)
What sets texturizing (thinning) shears apart from ordinary hair-cutting shears?Wikipedia, Hair-cutting shears
When do dermatologists say to comb textured hair or tight curls?American Academy of Dermatology, How to stop damaging your hair
Which jobs does an aerosol clipper spray do for the blades of a clipper?Wikipedia, Hair clipper (Maintenance)
Haircoloring 4
Dermatologists advise staying "on shade" when dyeing. Within how many shades of the natural color?American Academy of Dermatology, Coloring and perming tips for healthier-looking hair
In permanent hair color, what is the ammonia for?Wikipedia, Hair coloring (Permanent synthetic dyes)
Which oxidizing agent is used to bleach, or lighten, hair?Wikipedia, Hair coloring (Hair bleaching)
Why can a semi-permanent hair color not lighten the hair?Wikipedia, Hair coloring (Semi-permanent synthetic dyes)
Chemical texture services 4
A client feels excessive stinging and burning while perm solution is on the scalp. What do dermatologists advise?American Academy of Dermatology, Coloring and perming tips for healthier-looking hair
A client's hair was relaxed ten weeks ago and is due for a touch-up. Where do dermatologists say the relaxer goes?American Academy of Dermatology, Black hair: Tips for everyday care
In a cold wave, the waving lotion breaks the hair's disulfide bonds. What does the oxidation lotion that follows do?Wikipedia, Permanent wave (Cold wave)
What is the active chemical in a lye relaxer?Wikipedia, Relaxer (Alkaline and lye relaxers)
Skin care 3
How does 16 CCR 991 class the removal of skin by means of a razor-edged tool?Title 16 CCR 991(b)(5)
Which dandruff shampoo ingredient do dermatologists name as one that can make the scalp more sensitive to the sun?American Academy of Dermatology, How to treat dandruff
Which massage movement takes its name from a French word meaning "to skim" or "to touch lightly on"?Wikipedia, Effleurage
Shaving 12
An aftershave lotion may contain an antiseptic agent such as isopropyl alcohol. What two jobs does that agent do?Wikipedia, Shaving (Aftershave)
As the grind of a straight razor gets more hollow, how does the blade change?Wikipedia, Straight razor (Design criteria)
During a shave, what does the lather show the barber?Wikipedia, Shaving (Wet shaving)
How does a brushless shaving cream differ from a lather shaving cream?Wikipedia, Shaving cream
How does a styptic stop the bleeding from a small shaving nick?Wikipedia, Antihemorrhagic (Styptics)
On a straight razor, what is the "tension"?Wikipedia, Straight razor (Parts description)
On a straight razor, what is the point, also called the head or the nose?Wikipedia, Straight razor (Parts description)
To see fewer razor bumps, how many times at most do dermatologists say to go over one area with the razor?American Academy of Dermatology, Razor bump remedies for men with darker skin tones
What is barber's itch, as MedlinePlus describes it?MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Folliculitis
What is the back, or spine, of a straight razor?Wikipedia, Straight razor (Parts description)
Where does the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard place the containers for contaminated sharps, such as used blades?29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(iii)(A)(2)(i)
Why is a wet shave with a straight or safety razor generally done in more than one pass?Wikipedia, Shaving (Wet shaving)
California barber licence law 8
A barber apprentice has not yet been licensed after examination and has not failed it twice. When does the apprentice license expire?Business and Professions Code 7335(a)
A licensed California cosmetologist wants to sit the barber examination. Which course qualifies her?Business and Professions Code 7321.5(d)(4)
How long is the barbering course that Business and Professions Code 7362.5 sets?Business and Professions Code 7362.5(a)
How many hours of California's barbering curriculum go to shaving and trimming of the beard?Business and Professions Code 7362.5(b)(5)
May a barber apprentice ever be the only individual working in the establishment?Business and Professions Code 7332(b)
What does Business and Professions Code 7350 say about living in a room where barbering is practiced?Business and Professions Code 7350
Which of these does Business and Professions Code 7316(a) list in the practice of barbering?Business and Professions Code 7316(a)(1)
Which schooling must an applicant for the California barber examination have completed?Business and Professions Code 7321.5(b)
How this list was compiled: Outline: the Barber Theory Exam General Portion content outline in the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology Candidate Information Bulletin, April 2026, published for the Board by PSI Services LLC (https://test-takers.psiexams.com/cabacos). Facts: the Board's 2026 Barbering and Cosmetology Act and Regulations (Business and Professions Code sections 7301 and following; California Code of Regulations, title 16, sections 904 to 999; https://www.barbercosmo.ca.gov/laws_regs/act_regs.pdf); the OSHA standards 29 CFR 1910.1030 and 1910.334; public pages of the CDC and MedlinePlus; public pages of the American Academy of Dermatology on hair care, coloring, dandruff and razor bumps; and Wikipedia articles on hair, barber tools, shaving and hair chemistry. Each question names its section or page and links to it. Read 2026-10-12. Licence: Own work. Every question, wrong choice and explanation was written for this site from the public texts named. Nothing comes from the examination, from a testing vendor's practice product, from a textbook, a prep course or a question pool.
How it works
Unofficial practice for the California State Board of Barbering written test: our own questions on the eight topics of the Board's barber theory outline. This page is not affiliated with the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology or PSI Services LLC.
Read the full guide
What the California barber theory exam asks
The Board's Candidate Information Bulletin (April 2026; opened October 12, 2026) weights eight topics: safety and infection control 31 percent, client consultation and hair and skin analysis 15, hairstyling 5, haircutting 8, haircoloring 7, chemical texture services 7, skin care 5 and shaving 22.
Where California's own rules come in
Most safety questions cite Title 16, sections 977 to 995, the Board's health and safety regulations. Eight further questions ask barber licence law, which the outline does not list: the 1,000-hour course, apprentices and who may sit the examination.
Shears are not soaked: clean them, then spray or wipe with an EPA-registered disinfectant (16 CCR 979).
A barbering course is at least 1,000 hours, 200 of them on shaving and trimming of the beard (Business and Professions Code 7362.5).
Removing skin with a razor-edged tool is an invasive procedure, barred to every licensee (16 CCR 991).
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the California barber exam?
The bulletin gives 95 questions in 2 hours: 85 that are scored and 10 pretest questions that are not. A round on this page is shorter.
What score passes the California State Board barber written test?
The bulletin prints no percentage. Title 16, section 932 has the Board set passing scores by a criterion-referenced method, so a result here is a score with no pass or fail.
Are these the real California state board barbering questions?
No. Each was written for this page from the Board's 2026 Act and Regulations, OSHA rules and public pages of the CDC, MedlinePlus, the American Academy of Dermatology and Wikipedia. Nothing is taken from the examination or its reference textbooks.
What does this California barber practice test leave out?
Subjects of the outline that no public source states: the names and order of the shaving strokes, stretching the skin, cutting technique for each hair type, safe water temperature and hot towels.