Michigan Nail Technician Practice Test

Michigan licenses nail technicians as manicurists; these 52 answers rest on its health and safety rules and Occupational Code.

A metal pusher came into contact with blood during a Michigan manicure. What is done with it?

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

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All 52 questions

Safety and infection control 29

  • A metal pusher came into contact with blood during a Michigan manicure. What is done with it? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179e(1)(c)
  • A Michigan licensee has a cut on her own hand. What does the rule require while she performs services? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179e(2)
  • A patron's bare arm rests on a manicure table. What must be done to the table after that use in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(5)
  • A patron's finger is cut and bleeds. What is the first step listed in Michigan's blood spill rule? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179e(1)(a)
  • Besides an item disinfected or sterilized under the rules, what counts as "clean" in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2101(1)(d)
  • For how long is a tool fully immersed in a wet sanitizer under Michigan's rule? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(1)(b)(i)
  • How are clean nonelectrical tools and supplies stored in a Michigan establishment? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171(2)(e)
  • How are towels machine washed under Michigan's rule? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(4)
  • How does Michigan's rule treat towels laundered through a commercial laundry service? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(4)(c)
  • How is a cream taken from its container under Michigan's rule? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(6)
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Safety and infection control, continued

  • How is blood spill waste disposed of in a Michigan establishment? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179e(1)(f)
  • How large must the covered waste containers of a Michigan establishment be? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171(1)(f)
  • In Michigan's cosmetology rules, a disinfectant is a substance registered as a disinfectant by which agency? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2101(1)(g)
  • Instead of full immersion, how may a non-electrical tool be disinfected in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(1)(b)(ii)
  • Of what must a table used for services to patrons be made, or in what must it be covered, in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171(1)(i)
  • R 338.2171a gives three steps, in order, for a non-electrical tool that was used on a patron. Which comes first? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(1)
  • What does Michigan's patron protection rule have a licensee apply to the hands before performing any cosmetology service? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171b(b)
  • What is a "wet sanitizer" in Michigan's rules? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2101(1)(r)
  • What may an ultraviolet ray electrical sanitizer be used for in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179g(1)(g)
  • When may a Michigan establishment skip disinfecting a waste container every 24 hours? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171(2)(c)
  • Where may a Michigan licensee not carry equipment, tools, implements or supplies? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179g(1)(e)
  • Where may an electric nail file with a cord not be stored in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(2)(c)
  • Which items are discarded at once if they are involved in a blood spill in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179e(1)(d)
  • Which tools must be sterilized, not only disinfected, after each use in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(3)
  • Which two methods of sterilizing does R 338.2171a allow? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(3)(b)
  • Who stops the bleeding and covers the wound under Michigan's blood spill rule? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179e(1)(b)
  • Whose standard for workplace first aid kits must the kit in a Michigan establishment meet? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171(1)(h)
  • With what does Michigan's rule have a floor soiled with blood cleaned? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179e(1)(e)
  • With which agency must a device be registered and listed to count as an autoclave under Michigan's rules? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2101(1)(b)

Nail care, pedicuring basins and prohibited practices 13

  • A Michigan pedicuring basin uses a liner that is disposed of after each patron and keeps water and skin off the basin. What must still be disinfected? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(8)
  • A pedicuring basin has a removable screen. What does Michigan's rule require for the screen after each use? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(7)(e)
  • How far may the nail plate be filed or buffed under Michigan's rule? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179g(1)(b)
  • How is a nail duster disinfected after each use in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(10)
  • How is the disinfectant used on a pedicuring basin after each use in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(7)(c)
  • Under Michigan's definition of manicuring services, the skin of which parts may be cleansed, massaged or beautified? MCL 339.1201(m)
  • What does Michigan's definition of manicuring services expressly leave out? MCL 339.1201(m)
  • What does Michigan's rule say about methyl methacrylate monomers? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179g(1)(a)
  • What is the first step in disinfecting a pedicuring basin after a patron has used it in Michigan? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2171a(7)
  • What may a Michigan manicurist do with a blade in the practice of manicuring or pedicuring? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179g(1)(h)
  • Which implements does Michigan's definition of "blade" name? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2101(1)(c)
  • Which nail cosmetic may a Michigan licensee not use? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179g(1)(c)
  • Which products may not be used to stop bleeding in a Michigan establishment? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2179g(1)(d)

Michigan license law (extra) 10

  • A candidate passes the Michigan manicurist theory test in March. Until when does that score count toward a license? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2121a(2)
  • A Michigan manicurist license has lapsed for more than 3 years. Besides showing an active license in another state, how may the applicant qualify for relicensure? Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2121c(2)
  • A student begins manicurist training in Michigan in 2026. How many hours of training does the Occupational Code require? MCL 339.1209(d)
  • Instead of a school of cosmetology, where may the training for a Michigan manicurist license be completed? MCL 339.1209(d)
  • The Occupational Code sets a minimum age for a Michigan manicurist license. What is it? MCL 339.1209(a)
  • On whom may an individual perform cosmetology services in Michigan without a license? MCL 339.1203a(1)
  • When may a representative of the department enter and inspect a Michigan cosmetology establishment? MCL 339.1218(2)
  • Where may a manicurist's license be displayed in a Michigan cosmetology establishment? MCL 339.1204(2)(b)
  • Which cosmetology services may an individual licensed only as a manicurist perform in Michigan? MCL 339.1203a(3)
  • Which of these is a place outside a licensed establishment where the Occupational Code lets cosmetology services be performed? MCL 339.1217(b)

How this list was compiled: Outline: the Michigan Manicurist Test Taker Guide published by PSI Services LLC (version 1.2, effective 5/20/26; https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/645). The Manicurist Licensing Guide of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (revised 1/26/2026; linked from https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bpl/occ/prof/cosmetology) sends candidates to PSI for it. Michigan uses the PSI National Manicurist test: 60 scored questions and 5 unscored, 90 minutes, 45 of 60 points to pass, in four topics of 50, 18, 10 and 22 percent. Facts: the Cosmetology General Rules, Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2101 to R 338.2195, on the Department's administrative rules site (https://ars.apps.lara.state.mi.us/AdminCode/DownloadAdminCodeFile?FileName=R%20338.2101%20to%20R%20338.2195.pdf&ReturnHTML=True), and Article 12 of the Occupational Code, MCL 339.1201 to 339.1218, on the Michigan Legislature's site (https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-299-1980-12). Each question names its rule or 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 Michigan nail technician practice test asks what Michigan's own cosmetology rules and Occupational Code say. It is not affiliated with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, the Michigan Board of Cosmetology or PSI Services LLC.

Read the full guide

What the Michigan manicurist theory test is

Michigan uses the PSI National Manicurist test. PSI's Test Taker Guide (version 1.2, effective May 20, 2026) weights four topics: Safety and Infection Control 50 percent, Client Consultation and Nail Analysis 18, Skin Care 10 and Nail Care 22.

What this bank asks

Twenty-nine questions on safety and infection control and 13 on nail care, pedicuring basins and prohibited practices, from Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2101 to R 338.2179g and the Occupational Code's definition of manicuring services, and 10 extra on license law. Nail structure, disorders, chemistry and enhancement steps have no Michigan text and are not asked; the national manicure theory test on this site covers them.

  • A blade (razor, callus shaver, grater, credo blade) may not be used or even possessed in manicuring or pedicuring (R 338.2179g).
  • After a blood spill, tools are sterilized and porous items such as buffers and orangewood sticks are discarded (R 338.2179e).
  • An ultraviolet sanitizer may store disinfected tools but may not disinfect them (R 338.2179g).

Questions and answers

How many questions are on the Michigan manicurist theory test?

PSI's Test Taker Guide gives 60 scored questions and 5 unscored experimental ones in 90 minutes. A test taker needs at least 45 of the 60 points to pass, and under R 338.2121a a passing score is valid for 1 year.

How many hours is nail tech school in Michigan?

600 hours for anyone who begins training on or after July 1, 2024, and 400 for those who began earlier, or an apprenticeship of at least 6 months (MCL 339.1209). An applicant must be at least 17.

Is Michigan law on the manicurist exam?

No. PSI's outline has no state law topic, and the Test Taker Guide lists three nail textbooks as the references for its questions. The rules asked here are Michigan's own wording on the outline's safety and nail care lines.

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