A candidate believes part of a North Dakota board examination was affected by unfair practices. What does the rule require?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-25(4)
A North Dakota applicant fails the examination. What does N.D.C.C. 43-11-24 provide?N.D.C.C. 43-11-24(2)
A North Dakota esthetician misses the grandfather deadline. What training is then needed for an advanced esthetician license?N.D.C.C. 43-11-26.1(2)
A North Dakota student instructor has held a manicurist license for less than two years. How long is the training course?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16(3)
A student leaves a North Dakota school partway through. For how long do the completed hours stay on credit?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-07(3)
After two failed instructor examination attempts, what does North Dakota require before another try?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-04(6)
An applicant's original state did not require the national practical and theory examinations. Below what length of licensure does North Dakota then require examination?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-01.2
An apprentice leaves a North Dakota program and never returns to finish. When do the earned hours expire?N.D. Admin. Code 32-06-01-05(3)
An endorsement applicant has held an out-of-state license for eight months. What does N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-01.2 require?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-01.2
Show all 167 questions (158 more)
Licenses, examinations and training, continued
For a North Dakota license by endorsement without examination, how long must the out-of-state applicant have kept good standing before applying?N.D.C.C. 43-11-25(2)(a)
For how long after honorable discharge are veterans and their spouses exempt from examination in North Dakota?N.D.C.C. 43-11-25.2(4)
For how long are out-of-state school hours from an unfinished program credited in North Dakota?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-07(3)
How long is a North Dakota provisional license valid when issued to an active-duty military member?N.D.C.C. 43-11-25.2(3)
How many forms of identification must a North Dakota applicant give the board, and of what kind?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-03-09
How many hours is the student instructor course for someone licensed two or more years in North Dakota?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16(3)
How many hours of school training does North Dakota require in manicuring?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16(1)(b)
How many hours of training must a North Dakota school of cosmetology require in its cosmetology program?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16(1)(b)
How much credit toward advanced esthetics may a North Dakota esthetician or cosmetologist receive for earlier training?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16(2)
How much practice must a North Dakota cosmetologist show to obtain a master cosmetologist license?N.D.C.C. 43-11-26
How old must a student be to register in a North Dakota school of cosmetology?N.D.C.C. 43-11-19(1)
How soon after enrollment must a North Dakota school register a student with the board?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-06
In place of the supervised-work affidavit, what training may a North Dakota grandfather applicant for advanced esthetics show?N.D.C.C. 43-11-26.1(1)
May hours earned in a North Dakota registered apprenticeship be moved to a licensed school's program?N.D. Admin. Code 32-06-01-05(5)
Someone finished a program but never got licensed, and more than ten years have passed. What does North Dakota require?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-07(3)
Under N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-25, when may a school's student take a board examination?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-25(2)
Under North Dakota's grandfather provision, how many hours of supervised service work must the medical professional's affidavit certify?N.D.C.C. 43-11-26.1(1)
Until what date may an experienced North Dakota cosmetologist or esthetician apply for an advanced esthetician license under the grandfather provision?N.D.C.C. 43-11-26.1(1)
What education must a North Dakota cosmetology student have completed?N.D.C.C. 43-11-19(1)
What is the cap on curriculum hours an endorsement applicant can earn through work experience in North Dakota?N.D.C.C. 43-11-25(2)(b)
What is the minimum school training for advanced esthetics under N.D.C.C. 43-11-16?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16(1)(b)
What is the minimum training North Dakota law sets for an esthetics program?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16(1)(b)
What must a North Dakota apprentice trainer have besides board-approved educator training?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16.1(3)
What must a North Dakota cosmetology student achieve on the school's own final examination?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-25(1)
What must an applicant for a North Dakota instructor's license hold?N.D.C.C. 43-11-27(1)
What must an apprentice with a certificate of completion still pass for a North Dakota license?N.D. Admin. Code 32-06-01-11
What score must a candidate reach to be certified as passing a North Dakota board examination?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-25(2)
What share of a North Dakota school's didactic hours may be distance learning?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-18(1)
When is a North Dakota apprentice considered inactive?N.D. Admin. Code 32-06-01-05(1)
When may a North Dakota school let a student practice on a member of the public?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16(1)(g)
When work experience stands in for curriculum hours on a North Dakota endorsement application, what is the rate?N.D.C.C. 43-11-25(2)(b)
Where must a North Dakota applicant trained outside the United States send qualifications and credentials for review?N.D.C.C. 43-11-25.1
Which portions make up a North Dakota board examination for a cosmetologist?N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-25(2)
Who decides whether an applicant is qualified for admission to a North Dakota examination?N.D.C.C. 43-11-22
With which office must a North Dakota cosmetology apprenticeship program be registered?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(5)
Within how many days of finishing the program must a North Dakota instructor applicant pass all required examinations?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-04(5)
Renewal, continuing education and legacy status 16
A North Dakota establishment license expired fourteen months ago. What must the holder do?N.D.C.C. 43-11-29.1(4)
A North Dakota license expired four months ago. What does reinstatement take?N.D.C.C. 43-11-29(3)
A North Dakota license expired two years ago. Besides the late fee and renewal fee, what must the holder show?N.D.C.C. 43-11-29(4)
By what date each year does the North Dakota board post any mandatory continuing education topics?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-01(7)
How far ahead of the license's expiration must a North Dakota licensee apply for legacy status?N.D.C.C. 43-11-28(7)
How long must a license have been active before its holder may ask for legacy status in North Dakota?N.D.C.C. 43-11-28(7)
How many hours of board-approved continuing education must a North Dakota cosmetologist complete each year once the requirement begins?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-01(7)
How much continuing education credit does North Dakota allow each year for general trade show attendance?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-01(7)
How much continuing education does a North Dakota instructor owe each year?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-03
On what date does a North Dakota cosmetologist license expire?N.D.C.C. 43-11-29(1)
To which of these North Dakota licenses can legacy status apply?N.D.C.C. 43-11-28(7)
What happens when a North Dakota license has gone unrenewed for more than five years?N.D.C.C. 43-11-29(5)
What is the yearly continuing education requirement for a North Dakota advanced esthetician?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-08(1)
What may the holder of a North Dakota legacy status license not do?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-09(2)
What must a North Dakota licensee do after moving to a new home address?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-01(5)
With which renewal cycle does annual continuing education begin for North Dakota licensees?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-01(7)
Establishments and inspections 26
A North Dakota cosmetologist serves only the residents of an exempt care facility. What notice does the rule require?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-15
A North Dakota establishment is about to move to a new address. What must it do?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-01
A North Dakota establishment is closing for good. What does the rule require?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-11
A North Dakota establishment leases space for massage therapy. What separation does the rule require?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-10.1(1)
A North Dakota establishment leases space to a barber. How must that space be separated?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-10.1(3)
A North Dakota salon owner also employs a tattoo artist. How must the tattooing tools be kept when not in use?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-07(2)
For how long must a North Dakota establishment keep records of clients who receive advanced esthetic procedures?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-10.2(5)
How long must a North Dakota establishment keep documented hour records for master license applications after an employee leaves?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-07(1)
How many minor violations can lead an inspector to mark a North Dakota inspection report for reinspection?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-15
How must a North Dakota establishment be separated from living or sleeping quarters?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-02(1)
How soon must a serious adverse event from an advanced esthetic procedure be reported to the North Dakota board?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-10.2(8)
In which of these may a North Dakota establishment not be located?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-02(1)
May advanced esthetic procedures be performed outside a licensed establishment in North Dakota?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-14
May the North Dakota board inspect an independent licensee's suite when the licensee is away?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-10(2)
Must the North Dakota board give notice before an authorized inspection?N.D.C.C. 43-11-37(6)
To whom may a North Dakota independent licensee license be issued?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-10(1)
What must a North Dakota apprenticeship establishment post in its reception area?N.D.C.C. 43-11-16.1(6)
What must accompany every application for a North Dakota establishment license?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-02
What must the sign of a North Dakota establishment show?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-09
When does a North Dakota nursing home need no establishment license for cosmetology services?N.D.C.C. 43-11-15.1
When must the board be told that a North Dakota establishment has changed its name?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-01
Where must a North Dakota independent licensee display the individual and independent licensee licenses?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-10(2)
Which item must be in the kit of a North Dakota licensee who serves a client outside an establishment?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-14
Which of these makes a North Dakota establishment subject to additional inspections under N.D.C.C. 43-11-37?N.D.C.C. 43-11-37(3)
Who may own a cosmetology establishment in North Dakota?N.D.C.C. 43-11-15(1)
Who tells the North Dakota board that a licensee is practicing outside the establishment?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-14
Cleaning and disinfecting 34
A client is cut during a service in North Dakota. After stopping the service, what is the licensee's next step?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-07.1
A North Dakota licensee has cut a finger and treated it. What covers the injury before the service resumes?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-07.1
A North Dakota salon uses liners in its pedicure tubs. What does that change about cleaning?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(11)
A North Dakota salon uses multiuse capes with a neck strip as a barrier. How often must those capes be laundered?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-09
After disinfectant has circulated through a piped pedicure tub for the contact time, what comes next in North Dakota?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(11)
After implements have soaked for the required contact time, what does North Dakota's rule say to do with them?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-10
Besides service animals, which animals does North Dakota's rule permit in a licensed establishment or school?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-13
Debris is found in a wax pot in a North Dakota salon. What must be done?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(3)
How are padded brushes disinfected under North Dakota's rule?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(4)
How are shears and razors disinfected under N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-10?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-10
How does North Dakota's rule treat porous items?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-02-01
How often must a shampoo bowl be cleansed and disinfected in North Dakota?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-04
How often must solid waste be collected from a North Dakota establishment?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-05
How often must wastewater from a portable sink be emptied while the sink is in use in North Dakota?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-05
What are the three steps of North Dakota's method of disinfection, in order?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-10
What does North Dakota's rule call reusing the same spatula or applicator in a product?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(2)
What does North Dakota's rule say about neck brushes?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(10)
What does North Dakota's rule say about ultraviolet light as a way to disinfect?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-02-01
What may not be kept in a drawer where tools and implements are stored in a North Dakota salon?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(12)
What must a North Dakota licensee wear when waxing or tweezing?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(3)
What must each handwashing sink in a North Dakota establishment have?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-12
What must the owner or manager keep posted in every North Dakota establishment and school?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-01
When may a North Dakota licensee use hand sanitizer in place of washing with soap and water?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-06(1)
When may self-sealing sterilization pouches be used to store tools in North Dakota?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(12)
Where are carpeting and rugs allowed in a North Dakota establishment?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-04
Where do soiled towels and capes go until they are laundered in a North Dakota establishment?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-09
Where may tools or instruments not be carried in a North Dakota establishment?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-06(2)
Where must the blood exposure procedure poster hang in a North Dakota establishment?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-07.1
Where must the fire extinguisher be in a North Dakota establishment or school?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-03
Which agency must have registered a disinfectant used in a North Dakota establishment?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-02-01
Which North Dakota establishments must have a ventilation system that meets local building code, whatever else the code says?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-03
Which of these must be in the first-aid kit of every North Dakota establishment?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-07
Which roll-on wax does North Dakota's rule allow?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(3)
Whose approval does the North Dakota board need for its rules of cleaning and disinfecting?N.D.C.C. 43-11-11
Scope of practice and exemptions 21
A cosmetic peel is within North Dakota esthetics when its alpha hydroxy acid concentration is below what figure?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(12)
Before using a nonablative device, what must a North Dakota advanced esthetician give the board?N.D.C.C. 43-11-26.2
Below what concentration of trichloroacetic acid does a peel stay within North Dakota esthetics?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(12)
For whom may a person practice cosmetology in North Dakota without the chapter applying at all?N.D.C.C. 43-11-02(1)
How does North Dakota law define noninvasive care?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(22)
How far does massage reach under North Dakota's definition of manicuring?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(15)
May a North Dakota licensee give an injection if an approved health care provider supervises?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(15)
Under N.D.C.C. 43-11-01, threading does not include the use of what?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(27)
What does an advanced needling procedure require of a North Dakota advanced esthetician?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-08(3)
What is the ceiling on beta hydroxy acid in a peel a North Dakota esthetician may use?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(12)
What is the longest needle or cone a cosmetic needling device may have under North Dakota's rules?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-02-01
What is the practice of cosmetology, manicuring or esthetics limited to under N.D.C.C. 43-11-27.2?N.D.C.C. 43-11-27.2
What may a North Dakota instructor do on a patron at a school?N.D.C.C. 43-11-27(2)
When are retail sales staff who demonstrate cosmetics exempt from North Dakota's cosmetology chapter?N.D.C.C. 43-11-02(4)
Which license does shampooing require under North Dakota's rules?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-02-01
Which of these does North Dakota's definition of advanced esthetics include?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(3)
Which of these is outside North Dakota's definition of cosmetology?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(10)
Which of these may oversee a North Dakota advanced esthetician under N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-08?N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-08(5)
Which tools for removing skin does North Dakota's rule prohibit?N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11(15)
Who among North Dakota's board licensees may perform an ablative esthetic procedure?N.D.C.C. 43-11-01(1)
Who may provide cosmetology services in a North Dakota hospital or nursing home under the exemption in N.D.C.C. 43-11-02?N.D.C.C. 43-11-02(5)
Violations, complaints and discipline 15
A North Dakota licensee offers a service outside the licensee's scope of practice. What does N.D.C.C. 43-11-31 make of that?N.D.C.C. 43-11-31
A North Dakota school promotes its services without saying students perform them. After notice and hearing, what must the board do?N.D.C.C. 43-11-18
For what may a North Dakota variance never be used?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-03-07
How does North Dakota law class willfully practicing cosmetology without the required license?N.D.C.C. 43-11-35
How does North Dakota's rule treat complaints filed with the board?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-03-10(1)
The North Dakota board finds no probable cause on a complaint. What happens?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-03-10(4)
On proof of a violation, what may the North Dakota board do to a license under N.D.C.C. 43-11-30?N.D.C.C. 43-11-30
Under N.D.C.C. 43-11-13, what may an individual not do with an unlicensed person?N.D.C.C. 43-11-13
Under which chapter are North Dakota board hearings conducted?N.D.C.C. 43-11-32
What duty does a North Dakota licensee have during a board investigation?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-03-10(3)
What follows when a North Dakota licensee refuses to allow a board inspection?N.D.C.C. 43-11-39
What form must a complaint to the North Dakota board take?N.D. Admin. Code 32-01-03-10(1)
What name must appear in a North Dakota establishment's promotion of its services?N.D. Admin. Code 32-03-01-09.1
Where is an appeal taken from a North Dakota board action refusing, suspending or revoking a license?N.D.C.C. 43-11-34
Which of these is a ground for the North Dakota board to deny an application or discipline a licensee?N.D.C.C. 43-11-31
The Board 10
At least how many licensed cosmetologists must the North Dakota board include?N.D.C.C. 43-11-04
How long is a term on the North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology?N.D.C.C. 43-11-03
How many members sit on the North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology?N.D.C.C. 43-11-03
How often must the North Dakota board meet?N.D.C.C. 43-11-08
What does N.D.C.C. 43-11-10.1 require before a material change to the practice act is enacted?N.D.C.C. 43-11-10.1
What experience must each member of the North Dakota board have?N.D.C.C. 43-11-04
What makes a quorum of the North Dakota board?N.D.C.C. 43-11-08
What must every license issued by the North Dakota board carry?N.D.C.C. 43-11-14
What standing do the North Dakota board's books and records have?N.D.C.C. 43-11-10
Which officers do the members of the North Dakota board elect each year?N.D.C.C. 43-11-05(1)
How this list was compiled: North Dakota Century Code chapter 43-11, Cosmetologists (sections 43-11-01 to 43-11-39), on the Legislative Assembly's own site (https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t43c11.pdf); and North Dakota Administrative Code title 32, State Board of Cosmetology, chapters 32-01-01 to 32-06-01 as amended effective January 1, 2026, on the same site (https://ndlegis.gov/information/acdata/pdf/32-02-01.pdf and the other chapter files). Each question names its section and links to the document it is in. Read 2026-10-12. Licence: Own work. Every question, wrong choice and explanation was written for this site from the statute and rule text. Nothing comes from a testing vendor, a textbook, a prep course or an exam question pool.
How it works
This unofficial North Dakota cosmetology rules and regulations practice test asks state law only: Century Code chapter 43-11 and Administrative Code title 32 as amended January 1, 2026, read October 12, 2026. Hair, skin and nail theory is left out.
Read the full guide
What the North Dakota questions cover
Licensing leads: school hours, endorsement, apprenticeships, and the advanced esthetician license with its grandfather deadline of December 31, 2027. Cleaning and disinfecting comes from the rule chapter every establishment must keep posted. Then come establishments and independent licensees, renewal and continuing education, scope of practice, complaints and the Board.
Where the law test sits among North Dakota's examinations
The Board's rule gives each board examination a theoretical portion, a state laws, rules and regulations portion and a practical portion (N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-25). The law examination returns later: a license expired more than one year, and under five, is reinstated only with proof of passing it (N.D.C.C. 43-11-29).
A license issued by the Board expires on December 31 (N.D.C.C. 43-11-29).
Ultraviolet light boxes, neck brushes and credo blades are each barred by the cleaning rules (N.D. Admin. Code 32-02-01-11).
Continuing education starts with the 2028 renewal cycle, at four hours a year for most licensees (N.D. Admin. Code 32-05-01-01).
Questions and answers
Is there a free ND cosmetology rules and regulations practice test?
This page is one. Every question is free and shows the section of North Dakota law behind its answer. The North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology had no part in it.
What score passes the North Dakota cosmetology laws and rules exam?
At least seventy-five percent, the mark the Board's rule sets for a board examination (N.D. Admin. Code 32-04-01-25). The rule prints no question count, so a scored round of 25 here is this page's own length.
Is this a North Dakota cosmetology practice test for the whole state board exam?
No. It covers the state laws, rules and regulations portion. The Board's students page lists two more examinations, national theory and national practical, and their hair, skin and nail questions are not here.
Are these the real North Dakota law exam questions?
No. None comes from the examination or from a question pool. The statute and the rules were both read on the Legislative Assembly's own site, ndlegis.gov.