Montana Esthetician Practice Test

All 62 answers rest on Montana's own text: 51 on the Board's rules, 11 on the statute.

Montana's rules define disinfection as eliminating bacteria, viruses and organisms on what?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists or the NIC. Bank checked October 15, 2026.

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All 62 questions

Scientific concepts: infection control 16

  • A facial brush slips from the trolley to the floor of a Montana salon. What must happen before it is used again? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(e)
  • A Montana esthetician buys a disinfectant for her tweezers and extractors. Beside EPA registration, which three label claims does ARM 24.121.1511 ask for? ARM 24.121.1511(4)
  • A Montana esthetician has a discharging sore on an exposed part of her arm. What does the disease control rule say? ARM 24.121.1523(3)
  • A Montana esthetician shaping brows notices that the client has head lice. What does ARM 24.121.1523 require? ARM 24.121.1523(4)
  • A Montana esthetician uses an electrical device with a vacuum effect during a facial. How often must it be cleaned and disinfected? ARM 24.121.1511(7)
  • ARM 24.121.1501 lists what every premises must have. Which item on the list holds the clean towels and linens? ARM 24.121.1501(3)
  • The arm of a magnifying lamp is wiped with 70 percent alcohol in a Montana skin care room. What minimum contact time makes that a sanitizer under the rule? ARM 24.121.1511(5)(b)
  • Household bleach at one part per 100 sanitizes a nonimmersible steamer housing in Montana after how long a contact time? ARM 24.121.1511(5)(d)
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Scientific concepts: infection control, continued

  • Montana lists four sanitizers for equipment that cannot be immersed. Which of these is NOT on the list? ARM 24.121.1511(5)
  • Montana's rules define disinfection as eliminating bacteria, viruses and organisms on what? ARM 24.121.301(6)
  • Tweezers come off the waxing trolley with wax and hair on them. In Montana, what comes between removing the debris and disinfecting? ARM 24.121.1511(3)
  • What does Montana require of single service items? ARM 24.121.1511(14)
  • What must stand at the required sink of every Montana premises for washing and drying hands? ARM 24.121.1501(3)
  • Where do soiled towels go after a facial in a Montana salon? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(b)
  • Which items in a Montana skin care room must be thoroughly cleaned and put through approved sanitizing and disinfecting processes? ARM 24.121.1511(1)
  • Which storage place for disinfected comedone extractors meets ARM 24.121.1511(6)? ARM 24.121.1511(6)

Scientific concepts: safety, blood exposure and chemicals 11

  • A jar of mask stands open on a Montana esthetician's trolley. Which way of taking product from it does the rule allow? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(g)
  • A new Montana esthetician asks where to read the steps to take when a service draws blood. Where does the rule say they are? ARM 24.121.1522(4)
  • After extractions a Montana esthetician reaches for a powder astringent. What does ARM 24.121.1517 have her apply it with? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(i)
  • An esthetician sets up a body scrub station. Which of these is on Montana's list of items that may not be on the premises at all? ARM 24.121.1517(2)
  • An extraction makes a client's skin bleed. Under Montana's blood exposure rule, what is the wound cleaned with before it is covered? ARM 24.121.1522(1)
  • Between two steps of a facial, where does ARM 24.121.1517 say tweezers may not be placed? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(d)
  • The bleeding spot is on the client's cheek. How must the Montana esthetician be gloved to go on? ARM 24.121.1522(2)
  • The exfoliation chemicals of a Montana skin care studio are stored in its public restroom. Under ARM 24.121.1501, where in that room must they be? ARM 24.121.1501(5)
  • For which products must a Montana premises keep Safety Data Sheets and make them available to the public? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(f)
  • Toner is decanted from a bulk bottle into a spray bottle in a Montana salon. Which three things must the label of the new container show? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(h)
  • What happens to an implement or a piece of electrical equipment contaminated with blood under Montana's blood exposure rule? ARM 24.121.1522(3)

Skin care and services: exfoliation, microdermabrasion and scope 20

  • A client asks for permanent hair removal with an electrified needle. Which Montana license covers that practice? MCA 37-31-101(12)
  • A Montana esthetician wants to blend two exfoliating products for a stronger effect. What does the rule say? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(k)
  • A single-use plastic tip has just been used for microdermabrasion in Montana. What becomes of it? ARM 24.121.1509(3)(d)
  • A supplier offers four peel products. Which one is barred from Montana premises by ARM 24.121.1517(2)? ARM 24.121.1517(2)(e)
  • ARM 24.121.301 gives exfoliation a one-line meaning. Which is it? ARM 24.121.301(8)
  • Before offering microdermabrasion, a Montana licensee completes additional continuing education in that field. How many hours? ARM 24.121.418(1)(a)
  • By whose requirements are the filters of a Montana microdermabrasion machine changed? ARM 24.121.1509(3)(a)
  • Crystals travel from the machine to the skin and back. How must that circuit be built under ARM 24.121.1509? ARM 24.121.1509(3)(a)
  • Montana also sets a floor for the pH of an acid used in chemical exfoliation. The pH may be not less than what? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(j)
  • Montana asks for added training before a licensee offers microdermabrasion. What share of those required hours must be taught in theory? ARM 24.121.418(1)(b)
  • Montana limits its licenses to noninvasive procedures. Under the definition, what may never happen to the living cells beneath the stratum corneum? ARM 24.121.301(15)
  • On what condition does Montana allow abrasive tips on a microdermabrasion machine? ARM 24.121.1509(3)(c)
  • Under Montana's definition of esthetics, the chemical compounds used must be formulated for what? MCA 37-31-101(14)
  • What does ARM 24.121.1509 say about the make of a machine used for microdermabrasion? ARM 24.121.1509(3)(a)
  • What does Montana require of the solid or liquid abrasives used in a microdermabrasion machine? ARM 24.121.1509(3)(b)
  • What is the strongest acid concentration a Montana licensee may use for chemical exfoliation? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(j)
  • What must a Montana licensee obtain from the Board before offering mechanical exfoliation or microdermabrasion services? ARM 24.121.418(1)
  • Which description of microdermabrasion matches ARM 24.121.301? ARM 24.121.301(12)
  • Which hair removal does Montana's statute put inside esthetics? MCA 37-31-101(14)
  • Which of these does ARM 24.121.2310 list as unprofessional conduct for a Board licensee? ARM 24.121.2310(1)(d)

Montana license law (extra) 15

  • A booth renter works in a Montana salon. What do the Board's rules require of the areas she maintains, such as her cart and retail shelf? ARM 24.121.403(2)
  • A bride asks a Montana esthetician to do her makeup at the wedding venue. When does the statute allow practice outside a licensed salon? MCA 37-31-301(2)
  • A licensed Montana cosmetologist wants an esthetics license. Besides applying and paying the fee, what does the statute ask? MCA 37-31-304(7)
  • A Montana booth rental license is not renewed within one year of its most recent renewal date. What follows? MCA 37-31-309(2)
  • A Montana esthetician sees unsafe practice by another licensee. What do the Board's rules expect of her? ARM 24.121.2310(1)(c)
  • A Montana licensee refuses to let an inspector in during business hours. What does the statute say of the refusal? MCA 37-31-312(1)
  • An esthetician from a state without substantially equivalent requirements has not completed a qualifying course. How many hours of licensed work must she attest to in Montana? ARM 24.121.616(1)
  • An esthetician licensed in another state applies in Montana. When does the board issue a license without examination under MCA 37-31-304? MCA 37-31-304(1)
  • An inspector removes a prohibited product from a Montana salon. Within how many days of being told the disposal costs must the licensee pay them? ARM 24.121.410(3)
  • Another business, outside the Board's scopes of practice, shares a Montana licensed premises. How must its area be set apart? ARM 24.121.407(2)
  • How often do department inspectors make on-site inspections of Montana licensed premises, and with what notice? ARM 24.121.410(1)
  • In ARM 24.121.301, what is a booth renter's standing in the salon where she works? ARM 24.121.301(3)
  • MCA 37-31-304 sets the length of the esthetics course a license applicant must have completed. How long? MCA 37-31-304(7)
  • MCA 37-31-331 lists the cases in which a license may be refused, revoked or suspended. Which of these is among them? MCA 37-31-331(1)
  • Montana's statute asks an examination applicant for a high school diploma or its equivalent. What may an applicant without one do? MCA 37-31-304(1)

How this list was compiled: Examination: the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists asks an esthetician applicant for the NIC Esthetician theory and practical examinations at 75 percent or higher (esthetician checklist, https://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/cos/skn-app-checklist.pdf; ARM 24.121.611). Outline of the theory examination: the National Esthetics Theory Examination bulletin of the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC), effective September 1, 2025 (https://prov-testing.github.io/nic_cib/esthetics_national_theory_english_2025.html): 110 items, of which 100 are weighted, 90 minutes, Scientific Concepts 55 percent and Skin Care and Services 45 percent. Facts: Administrative Rules of Montana, Title 24, chapter 121, in the versions in effect on rules.mt.gov, and Montana Code Annotated 2025, Title 37, chapter 31, on mca.legmt.gov. Each question names its rule or section and links to it. Read 2026-10-15. 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 in a bulletin, a practice product, a textbook or a prep course.

How it works

This unofficial Montana esthetician practice test asks what Montana's rules and statute say on NIC's theory outline. It is not affiliated with the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists or the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC).

Read the full guide

How NIC weights Montana's theory exam

Montana uses NIC's theory examination for estheticians. In the bulletin effective September 1, 2025, 55 percent of the items are Scientific Concepts and 45 percent are Skin Care and Services.

How the 62 questions are split

Sixteen questions are on infection control and 11 on blood exposure, safety and chemicals. Chemical exfoliation, microdermabrasion and the scope of esthetics have 20, and Montana license law has 15.

  • Acids for chemical exfoliation stay at 30 percent or less, with a pH of not less than 3.0 (ARM 24.121.1517).
  • Microdermabrasion takes a Board endorsement and 50 more hours of continuing education first (ARM 24.121.418).
  • When the wound is on the client, gloves go on both hands (ARM 24.121.1522).

Questions and answers

How long is the Montana esthetician theory exam, and what passes?

Ninety minutes for 110 items, of which 100 count, by NIC's bulletin. Montana's rule sets the minimum score at 75 percent on the theory examination and 75 percent on the practical (ARM 24.121.611).

Does Montana have a jurisprudence exam for estheticians?

No. ARM 24.121.611 asks for the NIC theory and practical examinations only, and the Board's esthetician checklist lists no Montana law test. The practical is hands-on and has no questions on this page.

Which parts of the NIC theory exam does this Montana test cover?

The lines Montana's rules speak to: infection control, blood exposure, chemicals, exfoliation and microdermabrasion. For anatomy, skin disorders and chemistry, the Washington esthetics test on this site follows the outline from end to end.

Are these questions from the actual Montana esthetician test?

No. They are our own, drawn from the Administrative Rules of Montana, Title 24, chapter 121, and Montana Code Annotated Title 37, chapter 31, with a link under every answer. No question is taken from NIC's examination or the samples in its bulletin.

What are the requirements for an esthetician license in Montana?

A course of study of at least 650 hours at an authorized school, at age 18 or older, with a high school diploma or its equivalent (MCA 37-31-304). A licensed cosmetologist may instead pass the esthetics examination.

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