NYS Nail Specialty Written Exam Practice Test

New York bans pumice stones, chamois buffers and styptic pencils; 48 of 65 answers cite its own rules and law.

Which respirator must a New York owner keep at each nail workstation for the people who work there?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

Print covers the next 25 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 25 questions, no time limit.

More options

Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the New York Department of State or its Division of Licensing Services. Bank checked October 16, 2026.

Next step More nail theory: state board manicure testNail technician tests for other states

All 65 questions

Safety and health 11

  • A New York nail specialist pours acetone from a bulk container into a station bottle. Which equipment does the owner have to provide for that task? 19 NYCRR 160.11
  • A New York salon owner sets aside a smoking area for employees and clients. What does the rule on open sources of ignition require of it? 19 NYCRR 160.12
  • How are bottles of poisonous or corrosive substances kept in a New York salon? 19 NYCRR 160.26
  • How close to the point where chemicals are applied must a field-installed exhaust inlet sit at a New York nail station? 19 NYCRR 160.16
  • How many protective gloves must a New York owner supply at a nail workstation? 19 NYCRR 160.11
  • In what form may a New York salon owner keep the Safety Data Sheets that must be on file for inspection? 19 NYCRR 160.25
  • Liquid monomer has burned the skin of a worker, who wants to neutralize it with another product from the shelf. What does first aid for a chemical burn say? MedlinePlus: Chemical burn or reaction
Show all 65 questions (58 more)

Safety and health, continued

  • New York sets a floor under the outdoor air a nail salon's ventilation system must supply: the mechanical code's rate or, if greater, how much for each nail station? 19 NYCRR 160.16
  • Where does New York have a salon store its flammable and combustible chemicals? 19 NYCRR 160.25
  • Where may the chemicals used in a New York appearance enhancement business be mixed? 19 NYCRR 160.25
  • Which respirator must a New York owner keep at each nail workstation for the people who work there? 19 NYCRR 160.11

Infection control 14

  • A disposable sharp object has touched blood. Into what does the New York rule have it placed? 19 NYCRR 160.19
  • A New York licensee carries supplies to a service at a remote location. How are clean and used implements kept on the way there and back? 19 NYCRR 160.17
  • After a client, cuticle scissors are cleaned, rinsed and dried. How long are they then left in hospital grade disinfectant under the New York rule? 19 NYCRR 160.17
  • An implement that requires sterilization is not autoclaved. For how long does New York have it immersed in an EPA-registered liquid sterilant? 19 NYCRR 160.17
  • An inspector finds a styptic pencil in a station drawer of a New York salon. What does its presence in the workplace amount to? 19 NYCRR 160.18
  • Cotton has been pressed on a bleeding hangnail. Where does the New York rule on blood have that cotton go? 19 NYCRR 160.19
  • For how long must a New York owner or area renter keep the invoices of all sterilants and disinfectants used in the shop? 19 NYCRR 160.14
  • How do New York's appearance enhancement rules define disinfection? 19 NYCRR 160.1
  • In what form may a product for stopping the flow of blood be kept ready at a New York nail station? 19 NYCRR 160.19
  • What does New York require of an implement that is intended to penetrate the skin or enter pores? 19 NYCRR 160.17
  • When may a nail white pencil be used in a New York salon? 19 NYCRR 160.18
  • Which hand soap may be shared by more than one person in a New York salon? 19 NYCRR 160.18
  • Which of these is among the categories of hospital grade disinfectant that New York recognizes for implements and surfaces? 19 NYCRR 160.17
  • Which pair of items does New York prohibit in an appearance enhancement business? 19 NYCRR 160.18

Anatomy, nail and skin disorders 9

  • Chronic paronychia comes on gradually. What most often causes it? Wikipedia: Paronychia
  • Hepatitis B spreads through contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who has the virus. Which shared personal item is named as a risk? MedlinePlus: Hepatitis B
  • The opponens pollicis is one of the muscles of the thenar eminence at the base of the thumb. What does it do? Wikipedia: Thenar eminence
  • What can excessive strain on the tendons and ligaments of the feet result in? Wikipedia: Foot
  • What does the word onychosis mean? Wikipedia: Nail disease
  • What is the instep? Wikipedia: Foot
  • Which organism usually causes green nail syndrome? Wikipedia: Green nail syndrome
  • Which part of the nail unit is sometimes called "the quick"? Wikipedia: Hyponychium
  • Which term names the periodic shedding of one or more nails, in whole or in part? Wikipedia: Nail disease

Consultation, manicuring and pedicuring 8

  • A hand and arm massage is part of a manicure. Which massage may a New York nail specialist give? 19 NYCRR 160.27
  • A salon keeps one shared tub of melted paraffin. Why is dipping each client into it ruled out for professional services? Wikipedia: Manicure
  • During the consultation a client asks the nail specialist to treat a nail disease. How do New York's rules class that? 19 NYCRR 160.27
  • How often are finger bowls, pedicure bowls and footbaths cleaned, rinsed and disinfected in a New York salon? 19 NYCRR 160.18
  • What does a hot oil manicure do for the cuticles? Wikipedia: Manicure
  • What is the New York rule on using one emery board for several clients? 19 NYCRR 160.18
  • Which nail shape ends in a rounded point and makes the fingers appear longer? Wikipedia: Nail art
  • Which of these implements is prohibited in a New York salon? 19 NYCRR 160.18

Tips, wraps, extensions and gel nails 8

  • Ethyl methacrylate is used for artificial nails. Which effects can it have on the people who work with it? Wikipedia: Artificial nails
  • In nail art, what is stamping? Wikipedia: Nail art
  • New York law defines an ultraviolet nail drying device by the radiation it emits. In which wavelength interval? General Business Law 404-c
  • Suppose the health commissioner determines that ultraviolet nail drying devices pose a health hazard to users. What must a New York nail business then do? General Business Law 404-c
  • What decides whether a gel nail has a high-gloss finish or a matte one? Wikipedia: Artificial nails
  • What is the penalty for a first violation of New York's ban on monomeric methyl methacrylate? General Business Law 404-a
  • Which service does New York law expressly include in the practice of nail specialty? General Business Law 400
  • Which subject is given the most hours in New York's 250-hour nail specialty curriculum? 19 NYCRR 162.1

Business practices and license law 15

  • A candidate passes the New York written examination but not yet the practical. For how long may the passing grade be applied toward licensure? 19 NYCRR 160.34
  • A New York license application comes with a certificate showing freedom from infectious or communicable disease. How recent must the certificate be? General Business Law 406
  • A New York licensee serves clients at remote locations. For how long are the records of those services kept at the licensed business location? 19 NYCRR 160.8
  • A New York owner employs the equivalent of two to five full-time workers who provide nail specialty services. What security for wages must the owner maintain? 19 NYCRR 160.9
  • An applicant has met every New York requirement except passing an examination and receives a temporary license. When does it expire? 19 NYCRR 160.5
  • Cosmetics sold at retail to consumers must bear a list of ingredients. In what order are the ingredients named? FDA: Nail Care Products
  • The curriculum for a New York nail specialist trainee totals how many hours? 19 NYCRR 162.6
  • How can a registered nail specialty trainee qualify for the New York license without the 250-hour school course? General Business Law 406
  • How many hours does New York's curriculum for nail specialists total? 19 NYCRR 162.1
  • How old must a person be to apply for a New York license to practice nail specialty? General Business Law 406
  • What is the civil penalty for a first violation of practicing nail specialty in New York without a license? General Business Law 412
  • What must a New York owner conspicuously post about the services performed at the business? 19 NYCRR 160.10
  • When does a New York appearance enhancement license expire? General Business Law 408
  • Which examinations does New York law set for the license to practice nail specialty? General Business Law 407
  • Which sign must be posted, readily visible to practitioners and the public, in a New York business that permits nail specialty? 19 NYCRR 160.10

How this list was compiled: Outline: the New York Department of State's Nail Specialty licensing page (https://dos.ny.gov/get-nail-specialty-license) says the written examination is multiple-choice and based on the pre-licensing curriculum, with 2 1/2 hours allowed and results reported as passed or failed; the curriculum is 19 NYCRR 162.1 (250 hours, fifteen subjects). Facts: 19 NYCRR Parts 160 and 162, read in the copy kept by the Legal Information Institute (https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/new-york/title-19/chapter-V/subchapter-A); General Business Law Article 27, read in a public copy and linked at the New York State Senate's site (https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/GBS/A27); MedlinePlus, the FDA's Nail Care Products page and Wikipedia articles. Each question names its section or page 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 the real examination, a testing vendor, a textbook or a prep course.

How it works

This unofficial practice test for the NYS nail specialty written exam follows the subjects of the State's 250-hour curriculum, on which the exam is based. It is not affiliated with the New York Department of State.

Read the full guide

What the NYS nail specialty written exam is based on

The Department of State's licensing page, opened October 16, 2026, says the written exam is multiple-choice, based on the pre-licensing curriculum, with 2 1/2 hours allowed. The curriculum (19 NYCRR 162.1) lists fifteen subjects, grouped here into six.

What this bank covers, and what it leaves thin

Safety, infection control and license law are asked from New York's own regulation and statute. Tips, wraps, extensions and gel nails hold 107 of the curriculum's 250 hours, but their steps are textbook and practical-exam material, so only eight questions touch them.

  • A nail salon's ventilation must supply at least 50 cubic feet of outdoor air a minute for each nail station (19 NYCRR 160.16).
  • Cuticle scissors soak in hospital grade disinfectant for at least 10 minutes; a liquid sterilant takes 10 hours (19 NYCRR 160.17).
  • A license lasts four years, and a passed examination counts toward licensure for five (General Business Law 408; 19 NYCRR 160.34).

Questions and answers

How many questions are on the NYS nail specialty written exam?

The Department of State does not publish the count or a pass mark. Results come back as passed or failed, with no numerical score.

Does this cover the New York nail specialty practical exam?

No. New York law asks for a practical and a written examination (General Business Law 407). The Department posts the practical's procedures, supply list and evaluated tasks on its own site.

Is a nail technician license in New York the same as nail specialty?

Yes. New York's name for the license is nail specialty: services to cut, shape or enhance the nails of the hands or feet, including applying and removing sculptured or artificial nails (General Business Law 400).

Are these the real NYS nail specialty exam questions?

No. Every question is our own, written from 19 NYCRR Parts 160 and 162, General Business Law Article 27 and public pages such as MedlinePlus and Wikipedia, each named under its answer.

More tests

Show 8 more

Browse Safety and Trades