820 IAC 3-1-15 puts one duty on the customer who sits down for a manicure. What is it?820 IAC 3-1-15
A porous nail file touches blood during a manicure in Indiana. What must happen to it?820 IAC 3-1-15
A whirlpool foot tub has just been used. After debris is removed and the tub is washed and filled with disinfectant solution, how long is it circulated?820 IAC 3-1-15
An implement has come in contact with blood. Which extra property must the disinfectant it is immersed in have, by 820 IAC 3-1-6?820 IAC 3-1-6
Before each customer, a pedicure basin is sprayed with a tuberculocidal disinfectant. What is the shortest contact time 820 IAC 3-1-15 gives, apart from the label's own?820 IAC 3-1-15
By OSHA, who is required to provide safety data sheets (SDS) for potentially hazardous salon products?OSHA, Health Hazards in Nail Salons: Chemical Hazards
How long does Indiana's manicuring rule say nonporous implements are fully immersed in the disinfectant?820 IAC 3-1-15
How often must the filter covers of a whirlpool foot tub be removed and cleaned in Indiana?820 IAC 3-1-15
Show all 60 questions (52 more)
Rules, regulations and safety, continued
If a waterless hand sanitizer is used before serving a customer in Indiana, how much alcohol must it contain?820 IAC 3-1-15
Under 820 IAC 3-1-10, where do soiled towels, linens and headbands go?820 IAC 3-1-10
Under 820 IAC 3-1-15, how are nonporous reusable implements precleaned before they go into the disinfectant?820 IAC 3-1-15
What does Indiana's manicuring rule require while chemicals are in use?820 IAC 3-1-15
What must be true of the manicure table before a customer is served, under 820 IAC 3-1-15?820 IAC 3-1-15
When is a manicure bowl cleaned with tuberculocidal disinfectant under 820 IAC 3-1-15?820 IAC 3-1-15
Where are clean towels kept in an Indiana salon, by 820 IAC 3-1-10?820 IAC 3-1-10
Which liquid does 820 IAC 3-1-15 say NOT to use when disinfecting a whirlpool foot tub?820 IAC 3-1-15
Which of these does Indiana's rule say must be thrown away after one use?820 IAC 3-1-15
Which sign must an Indiana salon display at its entrance, under 820 IAC 3-1-17?820 IAC 3-1-17
Nail structure and nail analysis 8
A client's nail is being shed, starting at the end nearest the cuticle. What is this condition called?Wikipedia, Onychomadesis
Pterygium unguis forms as a result of what?Wikipedia, Pterygium unguis
What are the nail grooves?Wikipedia, Nail (anatomy)
What is the cuticle of the nail made of?Wikipedia, Nail (anatomy)
What is the free margin of the nail?Wikipedia, Nail (anatomy)
What is the nail bed?Wikipedia, Nail (anatomy)
Which long-term health condition puts a client at higher risk of a fungal nail infection?MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Fungal nail infection
Which structure produces the cuticle?Wikipedia, Nail (anatomy)
Professional services 17
How far up the leg is skin care frequently provided in a pedicure?Wikipedia, Pedicure
How many bones make up the tarsus of one foot, the calcaneus and talus among them?Wikipedia, Tarsus (skeleton)
How many carpal bones are there in the two wrists together?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Appendicular Skeleton
How many phalanges does the thumb have, compared with each of the other fingers?Wikipedia, Phalanx bone
How may hot mittens be used in an Indiana manicure, under 820 IAC 3-1-15?820 IAC 3-1-15
In everyday speech, and even among medical professionals, what does the word cuticle usually refer to?Wikipedia, Cuticle
What is a nail drill?Wikipedia, Nail file
What makes an emery board both abrasive and flexible?Wikipedia, Nail file
Where does the fibula, or calf bone, lie?Wikipedia, Fibula
Which bone of the lower leg is also known as the shinbone?Wikipedia, Tibia
Which long bone runs from the shoulder to the elbow?Wikipedia, Humerus
Which muscle group straightens the leg at the knee?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Muscles of the Lower Extremity
Which nerve is the only one that passes through the carpal tunnel of the wrist?Wikipedia, Median nerve
Which nerve of the arm is the largest in the body left unprotected by muscle or bone, so that injury is common?Wikipedia, Ulnar nerve
Which nerve supplies the posterior portion of the upper limb, including the triceps brachii?Wikipedia, Radial nerve
Which two large bones form the forearm?Wikipedia, Radius (bone)
The word pedicure comes from two Latin words. What do they mean?Wikipedia, Pedicure
Nail enhancements 7
About how long can acrylic nails last without touch-ups?Wikipedia, Artificial nails
How do gel nails compare with acrylic or fiberglass nails in strength?Wikipedia, Artificial nails
What can MMA liquid monomer do to the natural nail?Wikipedia, Artificial nails
What is a soft gel tip, the gel extension that appeared around 2017?Wikipedia, Artificial nails
What seals a nail wrap of fabric onto the nail plate?Wikipedia, Artificial nails
Where is a full-cover tip, or press-on, glued?Wikipedia, Artificial nails
Which electric file bits does 820 IAC 3-1-15 say are thrown away after one use?820 IAC 3-1-15
Indiana state items 10
A salon is in the same building as a residence. What does Indiana Code 25-8-7-2 require of the site?Indiana Code 25-8-7-2
An applicant fails the Indiana manicurist examination. What does IC 25-8-11-5 allow?Indiana Code 25-8-11-5
An applicant from a jurisdiction with no manicurist license is given an initial provisional license in Indiana. Under whom must that person work?Indiana Code 25-8-11-8
How does Indiana Code 25-8-2-13 define manicuring?Indiana Code 25-8-2-13
How many hours of beauty culture education does Indiana require for a manicurist?Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Cosmetology and Barber Licensing Information
What does Indiana Code 25-8-11-7 forbid a licensed person to use?Indiana Code 25-8-11-7
What minimum age does IC 25-8-11-4 set for a manicurist license?Indiana Code 25-8-11-4
What minimum grade does Indiana Code 25-8-4-9 set for the licensing examination?Indiana Code 25-8-4-9
What must each workstation in an Indiana salon have, under 820 IAC 3-1-3?820 IAC 3-1-3
Which equipment must an Indiana salon practicing manicuring have at the least, by 820 IAC 3-1-16?820 IAC 3-1-16
How this list was compiled: Outline: the Candidate Information Bulletin for the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (effective 5/27/2025, published by PSI Services LLC, https://test-takers.psiexams.com/incos), content outline Nail Technician (Manicurist): 50 general items, 10 state items and 10 experimental items, 90 minutes, 75 percent correct to pass, in four areas of 35, 17, 33 and 15 percent; the same outline is posted by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency on its licensing information page (https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/cosmetology-and-barber-home/cosmetology-and-barber-licensing-information). Facts: 820 IAC 3-1 as amended effective July 22, 2026 (https://iar.iga.in.gov/code/current/820/3), Indiana Code 25-8 (https://iga.in.gov/laws/2026/ic/titles/25), the OSHA nail salon pages, the SEER Training Modules of the National Cancer Institute, MedlinePlus and Wikipedia articles. 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 real examination, a testing vendor, a textbook or a prep course.
How it works
This unofficial Indiana cosmetology nail practice test follows the Nail Technician (Manicurist) outline of the written licensing exam. It is not affiliated with the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency or PSI Services LLC.
Read the full guide
What the Indiana manicurist exam covers
The candidate bulletin (effective May 27, 2025; read October 12, 2026) gives four areas: Rules, Regulations and Safety 35 percent, Nail Structure and Nail Analysis 17, Professional Services 33 and Nail Enhancements 15, plus state items on Indiana law.
Indiana rules to know cold
820 IAC 3-1-15, as amended July 22, 2026, sets the manicuring steps: preclean with a scrub brush, immerse ten minutes, circulate whirlpool tubs ten minutes, clean filter covers daily. Indiana Code 25-8-11-7 bars MMA liquid monomer.
Sandpaper drill bits, pumice stones, emery boards and foam buffers are thrown away after one use (820 IAC 3-1-15).
Hand sanitizer counts only at seventy percent alcohol or more, for the technician and the customer alike (820 IAC 3-1-15).
Hot mittens need single use liners, and a whirlpool tub is never disinfected with alcohol (820 IAC 3-1-15).
Questions and answers
Is there an Indiana cosmetology nail module practice test?
This is one. Indiana licenses nail work under the manicurist license, and its written exam is the Nail Technician (Manicurist) test, which this bank follows. The cosmetologist outline also has a nails area, worth 5 percent, on the same topics.
How many questions are on the Indiana manicurist written exam?
The bulletin gives 50 general items, 10 state items and 10 experimental items that are not scored, with 90 minutes allowed and 75 percent correct to pass. Exam mode here asks 60 questions in 90 minutes.
Are these the real Indiana manicurist exam questions?
No. Every question is our own, written from 820 IAC 3-1, Indiana Code 25-8 and public pages such as OSHA's and MedlinePlus, each named under its answer. It is free, and nothing comes from the exam.