Kentucky Esthetician Practice Test

Kentucky's regulations fix the acid strengths, pH and devices an esthetician may use; 23 of these 65 questions ask them.

Which three materials does 201 KAR 12:100 give as examples of non-porous material?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology or PSI Services LLC. Bank checked October 16, 2026.

Next step Esthetician tests for other statesThe same six topics in full: Georgia esthetics test

All 65 questions

Safety and infection control 23

  • A Kentucky esthetician nicks her own finger during a service. Under Section 17, what does she put on the wound once blood on the workstation is cleaned and the wound is washed? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 17(4)
  • A Kentucky esthetician washes her own facial towels and robes at the salon. What does Section 15 of 201 KAR 12:100 ask for? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 15(1)
  • A Kentucky facial bed is left wet for the contact time the manufacturer requires for disinfecting against all viruses, bacteria and fungi. Which two viruses does the regulation name? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 5(2)
  • A Kentucky licensee has tended her own cut and put gloves back on. What must she do before starting the service again? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 17(4)
  • A loose floor tile in a Kentucky salon could trip a client. What does 201 KAR 12:100 require of a condition that puts the consumer or the licensee at risk of harm? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 13
  • A service during which blood appeared is now complete. What does 201 KAR 12:100 require of the disposable items used in it? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 17(5)
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Safety and infection control, continued

  • A set of tweezers has sat in disinfectant for the full contact time on the label. What happens to the tweezers next under 201 KAR 12:100? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 3(6)
  • A wooden spatula cannot be cleaned and disinfected. How does 201 KAR 12:100 class such an item? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 10(1)
  • After a Kentucky facial, solution is left in a single use product container. What does the regulation say about it? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 12
  • After each use, how does the cleaning and disinfecting of a facial machine begin under Section 20 of 201 KAR 12:100? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 20(2)
  • Blood appears during a Kentucky service and the service stops. If possible, where is the injured area washed? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 17(2)
  • By Kentucky's definition, cleaning prepares non-porous items for disinfection by removing what may interfere with disinfection chemicals. Which list does the regulation give? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 1(1)
  • How may a device that the FDA designates a "medical device" be disinfected in a Kentucky facility? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 5(4)
  • How must chemicals be discarded in a Kentucky licensed facility? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 4(4)
  • The injury is on the client, and the Kentucky licensee has cleaned and dressed the area. What does the licensee do before going on with the service? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 17(3)
  • Kentucky's definition of "clean" names soap, detergent or a chemical cleaner. What must follow the cleaner? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 1(1)
  • Kentucky's infection control regulation sorts materials into two kinds. Which description fits the porous kind? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 1(6)
  • What does Kentucky's chemical safety rule require of every poisonous substance in a licensed facility? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 4(5)
  • What does Kentucky's regulation tell a licensee with a respiratory illness to consider, whether or not it has been diagnosed? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 18(2)
  • What is circulated through a microdermabrasion or facial machine to disinfect it in Kentucky? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 20(2)
  • What strength of sodium hypochlorite does Kentucky's definition of a disinfectant name for household chlorine bleach? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 1(4)
  • Which three materials does 201 KAR 12:100 give as examples of non-porous material? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 1(5)
  • With what does a Kentucky licensee cleanse the hands immediately before serving each patron? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 16(1)

Skin care: exfoliation, acids and devices 23

  • A basic esthetician in Kentucky plans a peel. Which step is outside the limited chemical exfoliation that 201 KAR 12:280 allows her? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 5(3)
  • Above what concentration is any acid prohibited under Kentucky's rule on acids and chemical exfoliations? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 5(2)
  • At what strength and pH may a basic esthetician use an alpha hydroxy acid under 201 KAR 12:280? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 5(3)
  • Before applying a chemical exfoliant or using a microdermabrasion machine, what must a Kentucky licensee tell the client about the purpose of the procedure? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 7
  • Besides holding a cosmetologist or esthetician license, what must a person have done before performing dermaplaning for basic exfoliation in Kentucky? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 3(1)
  • Beyond which layer may no preparation, product, device or procedure pierce or penetrate the skin in the hands of a Kentucky licensee? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 8(1)
  • How deep may the normal and customary use of an approved microdermabrasion device remove skin in Kentucky? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 4(1)
  • In Kentucky's esthetic practices regulation, how much of the skin does basic exfoliation by dermaplaning remove? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 1(1)
  • Kentucky licensees keep current documentation of their cumulative experience in chemical exfoliation. Which item is part of it? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 5(5)
  • Kentucky prohibits lancets with one exception, for advanced extraction of impurities from the skin. Which lancet does 201 KAR 12:280 allow? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 3(2)
  • KRS 317A.130 lists services that no esthetician may perform unless a licensed physician supervises. Which service is on that list? KRS 317A.130(2)
  • Section 6 of 201 KAR 12:280 keeps one class of mechanical or electrical apparatus for use under a physician's immediate supervision. Which class? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 6
  • To be approved for use in Kentucky, a microdermabrasion device must be specifically labeled for what? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 4(1)
  • Up to what concentration does 201 KAR 12:280 list trichloroacetic acid (TCA) among the acids used only under direct supervision? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 5(2)
  • What does "direct supervision" mean in 201 KAR 12:280? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 1(3)
  • What does 201 KAR 12:280 say about the source of the products for a chemical exfoliation service? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 5(8)
  • When is a patch test given under Kentucky's rule on chemical exfoliation? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 5(9)
  • Which acid may be used in a Kentucky salon only under the direct supervision of a licensed health care practitioner? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 5(2)
  • Which dermaplane procedure calls for the direct supervision of a licensed physician in Kentucky? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 3(2)
  • Which energy sources does Kentucky's regulation bar a licensee from using to cut or alter human tissue? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 8(2)
  • Which is another name for microneedling in 201 KAR 12:280? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 1(7)
  • Which kind of system does Kentucky's definition of microdermabrasion name? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 1(6)
  • Who is a "health care practitioner" in Kentucky's esthetic practices regulation? 201 KAR 12:280, Section 1(4)

Makeup, lashes and hair removal 11

  • A contaminated wax pot has been dealt with as Kentucky's regulation requires. Which wax goes into it afterward? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 9(3)
  • A dropper is used to flush the eye during a Kentucky lash service. What must the dropper not do? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 19(6)
  • A supplier offers a Kentucky esthetician several kinds of wax. Which one does Section 21 of the infection control regulation prohibit? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 21
  • Debris is visible in a Kentucky salon's wax pot. What does 201 KAR 12:100 require? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 9(3)
  • How are eyelash extensions stored in a Kentucky facility? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 19(2)
  • In Kentucky's statutory definitions, what is threading? KRS 317A.010(21)
  • What does a Kentucky practitioner use to portion out lashes from a strip for one client's service? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 19(3)
  • When are eyelash stands, pallets and trays cleaned and disinfected in a Kentucky facility? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 19(1)
  • Where may tape for taping back eyelid skin or lashes be de-tacked under Kentucky's regulation? 201 KAR 12:100, Section 19(5)
  • Which lash services does Kentucky's definition of esthetic practices name? KRS 317A.010(7)
  • Which technique does Kentucky's statutory definition of makeup artistry include? KRS 317A.010(15)

Kentucky license law (extra) 8

  • A Kentucky esthetic salon belongs to an investor who holds no esthetician license. Who must be its manager at all times? KRS 317A.050(6)
  • A Kentucky esthetician is asked to serve a patient in a hospice inpatient unit. Besides the patient or a legal representative, whose permission must she have? KRS 317A.155(4)
  • A Kentucky esthetics student wants to know when school ends. How many hours of instruction in a licensed school does KRS 317A.050 set for the esthetician license? KRS 317A.050(4)
  • A physician attests in writing that a client's medical condition limits mobility so much that travel to a salon would be an undue burden. What does KRS 317A.155 allow a Kentucky esthetician to do? KRS 317A.155(3)
  • A violation occurs at a location where a Kentucky esthetician is working under a temporary event services permit. Who is liable for it? KRS 317A.050(20)
  • What must a Kentucky licensee provide on the head rest of each chair for each person, under KRS 317A.130? KRS 317A.130(1)
  • Which act belongs to Kentucky's "esthetic practices" when it is referred by or supervised by a medical professional? KRS 317A.010(7)
  • Which acts fall outside Kentucky's statutory "practice of cosmetology", esthetics included? KRS 317A.010(4)

How this list was compiled: Examination: the Esthetician Candidate Bulletin for the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology (version 1.3, effective 9/8/2026, published by PSI Services LLC and linked from the Board's exams page, https://kbc.ky.gov/exams/Pages/default.aspx; opened at https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/8566): the theory test is the PSI National Esthetician Theory test, 75 scored questions and 10 unscored, 90 minutes, 70 percent to pass, in six topics of 40, 19, 17, 3, 6 and 15 percent. Facts: 201 KAR 12:100 (infection control, health, and safety) and 201 KAR 12:280 (esthetic practices restrictions), each in the text effective December 2, 2025, and KRS 317A.010, 317A.050, 317A.130 and 317A.155, on the Kentucky General Assembly's site (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov). Each question names its section and links to it. Read 2026-10-16. Licence: Own work. Every question, wrong choice and explanation was written for this site from the public texts named. Nothing comes from a real examination, the sample questions of a bulletin, a practice product, a textbook or a prep course.

How it works

This unofficial Kentucky esthetician practice test is written from the Board's regulations on infection control and esthetic practices. It is not affiliated with the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology or PSI Services LLC and practices only part of the theory test.

Read the full guide

What the theory test weighs

By the bulletin (version 1.3, effective 9/8/2026), safety and infection control carry 40 percent of the scored questions, client consultation and skin analysis 19, skin care 17, makeup 3, eyelash and eyebrow 6 and hair removal 15.

How the 65 questions divide

201 KAR 12:100 supplies 23 questions on infection control and blood exposure. 201 KAR 12:280 and KRS 317A.130 supply 23 on exfoliation, acids, machines and devices. Eleven are on wax, lashes and makeup, and 8 on license law.

  • Unless a physician directly supervises, no exfoliating acid goes on skin that had microdermabrasion or microneedling within seven days (201 KAR 12:280, Section 5).
  • Waxing is performed on intact skin only, and nasal hair is never waxed (201 KAR 12:100, Sections 9 and 21).
  • Every esthetics facility keeps a sharps disposal container for lancets (201 KAR 12:100, Section 20).

Questions and answers

How many questions are on the Kentucky esthetician exam?

The bulletin gives the theory test 75 scored questions and 10 unscored experimental ones in 90 minutes, with at least 70 percent to pass. 201 KAR 12:030 sets the same 70 percent for the practical demonstration, which is performed on a mannequin head.

How many hours do you need to be an esthetician in Kentucky?

750 hours of instruction in a licensed school approved by the Board, then the examination (KRS 317A.050). The theory test is passed before the practical is scheduled, and a passing score is valid for six months.

Is there a Kentucky state law test for estheticians?

The Board's exams page and its bulletin name a theory test and a practical test, and no law test; the theory outline has no law topic. The eight license law questions here are extra practice on KRS Chapter 317A.

Are these the real Kentucky esthetician exam questions?

No. They are this site's own, written from 201 KAR 12:100, 201 KAR 12:280 and KRS Chapter 317A. Skin structure, disorders, consultation and massage are missing because no Kentucky text states them; the Georgia esthetician test here follows the same six topics in full.

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