Montana Nail Technician Practice Test

Montana calls the license manicurist; all 57 answers rest on its administrative rules and Montana Code Title 37, chapter 31.

To take a Montana licensing examination under MCA 37-31-304, an applicant must be at least how old?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists or the NIC. Bank checked October 14, 2026.

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All 57 questions

Scientific concepts: infection control and safety 25

  • A client arrives with a contagious condition that can be transmitted through casual contact. What does ARM 24.121.1523 say? ARM 24.121.1523(1)
  • A cuticle pusher falls on the salon floor mid-service. What does Montana require before it is used again? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(e)
  • A Montana manicurist has a discharging sore on her forearm. When may she be on the licensed premises? ARM 24.121.1523(3)
  • A Montana manicurist has bandaged a cut on her own hand, in a place that can be covered. What must she wear? ARM 24.121.1522(2)
  • A Montana manicurist nicks her own finger during a service. Under ARM 24.121.1522, what happens before she returns to it? ARM 24.121.1522(1)
  • A Montana manicurist sanitizes a table lamp that cannot be immersed. If she uses alcohol, what strength and contact time does the rule ask? ARM 24.121.1511(5)(b)
  • A Montana salon stores chemicals used in its services in the public restroom. How must they be kept there? ARM 24.121.1501(5)
  • Acrylic liquid is poured from a bulk bottle into a smaller bottle for the station. What must the new container's label carry in Montana? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(h)
  • After debris is removed, what does Montana require before implements go into the disinfectant? ARM 24.121.1511(3)
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Scientific concepts: infection control and safety, continued

  • After the client leaves, used cotton and wipes go in the garbage. What kind of container does Montana require? ARM 24.121.1501(4)(a)
  • An inspector looks at the disinfectant a Montana salon mixes for its implements. How must such agents be kept? ARM 24.121.410(2)
  • Cotton stained with blood is left after a cut is cleaned. How does Montana's rule have it disposed of? ARM 24.121.1522(3)
  • The cut is on the client, not on the manicurist. What does Montana's blood exposure rule require the manicurist to wear? ARM 24.121.1522(2)
  • Every Montana premises needs one sink with hot and cold running water. Where must it be? ARM 24.121.1501(3)(a)
  • Household bleach may sanitize nonimmersible equipment in a Montana salon at which concentration and contact time? ARM 24.121.1511(5)(d)
  • How do Montana's rules define sterilization? ARM 24.121.301(17)
  • How large must the containers that hold sanitizing and disinfecting agents be in a Montana salon? ARM 24.121.1511(2)
  • How must Montana equipment and implements be disinfected under ARM 24.121.1511(4)? ARM 24.121.1511(4)
  • Setting out linens for the next client, what does Montana require of cloth towels? ARM 24.121.1511(13)
  • What does Montana require of the metal bits of an electric file? ARM 24.121.1511(10)
  • What must be done with the sanding band on an electric file mandrel in Montana? ARM 24.121.1511(9)
  • Where are soiled implements and equipment kept in a Montana salon? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(a)
  • Where do sanitized and disinfected implements go until the next client in Montana? ARM 24.121.1511(6)
  • Where must the blood exposure procedure of ARM 24.121.1522 be found in Montana? ARM 24.121.1522(4)
  • Who is entitled to see the Safety Data Sheets a Montana salon keeps for its products? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(f)

Nail service tools and prohibited items 7

  • A cuticle bleeds a little. Which item for stopping it is prohibited on Montana premises? ARM 24.121.1517(2)(c)
  • A metal bit made specifically for the natural nail is in the electric file. May it also be used on the acrylic surface covering a nail in Montana? ARM 24.121.1509(2)(b)
  • What paperwork must Montana premises keep for the equipment in service? ARM 24.121.1509(1)
  • Where may a Montana manicurist not put her nippers between uses? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(d)
  • Which electric file bits may touch the natural nail in Montana? ARM 24.121.1509(2)(a)
  • Which electric file machines may a Montana manicurist use? ARM 24.121.1509(2)
  • Which of these may a Montana licensee not use or possess in a licensed premises? ARM 24.121.1517(2)(b)

Foot baths, paraffin, artificial nails and scope 12

  • A cosmetic nail product contains a hazardous substance banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. May a Montana salon keep it on the shelf if it is never used? ARM 24.121.1517(2)(f)
  • A Montana foot bath basin has just been used. When must it be sanitized and disinfected? ARM 24.121.1511(12)
  • Every Montana license of this board is limited to noninvasive procedures. How does the rule define noninvasive? ARM 24.121.301(15)
  • How does Montana's rule have lotion dispensed from its container for a hand service? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(g)
  • How is a liquid or powder astringent applied in a Montana salon? ARM 24.121.1517(1)(i)
  • How must paraffin treatments be given in a Montana salon? ARM 24.121.1511(11)
  • May a Montana pedicure use live fish to take dead skin from the feet? ARM 24.121.1517(3)
  • Montana lists items a licensee may not use or possess. Which artificial nail product is on the list? ARM 24.121.1517(2)(d)
  • Montana's statute defines manicuring as care of the nails and of which parts of the body? MCA 37-31-101(15)
  • What record must a Montana licensee keep for foot equipment with a circulating or whirlpool effect? ARM 24.121.1511(7)(b)
  • When must the screens, tubing and other removable parts of a Montana foot bath, and the areas behind them, be done? ARM 24.121.1511(12)(a)
  • Which enhancement work must the content of a Montana manicuring course include? ARM 24.121.604(1)(e)

Montana license law (extra) 13

  • A Montana salon receives notice of inspection violations. How soon must the licensee respond? ARM 24.121.410(1)(a)
  • An inspector finds a prohibited monomer in a Montana salon. What may happen under ARM 24.121.410? ARM 24.121.410(3)
  • Apart from animals assisting people with disabilities, which animals may a Montana licensee choose to allow on the premises? ARM 24.121.407(3)(b)
  • Half of a Montana nail salon is sold to a new owner. What happens to the license issued to the previous owner? ARM 24.121.412(2)
  • How many hours must a course of study in manicuring run for a Montana license? MCA 37-31-304(6)
  • In Montana's rules, an "hour" of education in a school equals how much instructional time? ARM 24.121.301(10)
  • In which room may no services connected with a Montana licensed premises be conducted? ARM 24.121.407(1)
  • Montana law bars manicuring outside a licensed salon or shop, with exceptions. Which of these is one? MCA 37-31-301(2)(e)
  • To take a Montana licensing examination under MCA 37-31-304, an applicant must be at least how old? MCA 37-31-304(1)(a)
  • What does ARM 24.121.403 require for the display of a Montana license? ARM 24.121.403(1)
  • What does Montana say about carpet in the working areas of premises licensed on or after November 19, 2004? ARM 24.121.1501(2)
  • What minimum scores does Montana set on the NIC examinations? ARM 24.121.611(1)(a)
  • When may a Montana-licensed school make an enrolled student eligible to test? ARM 24.121.611(2)

How this list was compiled: Examination: the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists asks a manicurist applicant for the NIC Nail Technology theory and practical examinations at 75 percent or higher (manicurist checklist, https://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/cos/man-app-checklist.pdf; ARM 24.121.611). Outline of the theory examination: the National Nail Technology Theory Examination Candidate Information Bulletin of the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC), effective September 1, 2025 (https://prov-testing.github.io/nic_cib/nail_technology_national_theory_english_2025.html): 110 items, of which 100 are weighted, 90 minutes, eight domains. 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 2026-10-14. 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, the sample questions in its bulletin, a practice product, a textbook or a prep course.

How it works

This unofficial Montana nail technician practice test asks what Montana's own rules say on the national exam's subjects. 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

What the Montana manicurist exam is

Montana's manicurist checklist asks for the NIC Nail Technology theory and practical examinations. NIC's theory bulletin lists 110 questions, 100 of them scored, in 90 minutes. Its eight domains run from infection control and safety (15 percent) to nail enhancement services (20 percent).

What this bank asks

Twenty-five questions on infection control and safety, 7 on tools and prohibited items, 12 on foot baths, paraffin, artificial nails and scope, and 13 on license law, which the national outline does not list. Anatomy, nail disorders, product chemistry and enhancement steps have no Montana text and are not asked; the national manicure theory test on this site covers them.

  • Pumice stones, natural sponges, styptic pencils and MMA monomer may not be used or possessed on licensed premises (ARM 24.121.1517).
  • Alcohol sanitizes nonimmersible equipment only at 70 percent or stronger, with 20 minutes of contact (ARM 24.121.1511).
  • Foot bath screens, tubing and the areas behind them are done at the end of each business day (ARM 24.121.1511).

Questions and answers

How many hours is nail tech school in Montana?

400 hours. MCA 37-31-304 asks an applicant to practice manicuring for a course of study of at least 400 hours and a diploma from an authorized school, and the Board's rules count an hour as 50 minutes of instruction.

What score passes the Montana manicurist exam?

75 percent on each: ARM 24.121.611 sets that minimum score for the NIC theory examination and again for the practical examination.

Are these the real Montana nail technician exam questions?

No. Every question is our own, written from the Administrative Rules of Montana and the Montana Code and linked to its rule or section. Nothing comes from the examination or the sample questions in its bulletin.

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