A brush with natural bristles is a porous implement. What does OAC 4713-15-03 require after it has been used?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-03(B)
A client has a rash and visible swelling where the service is to be performed. What does OAC 4713-15-13 require before a barber serves that area?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-13(A)
A cloth is used to wipe up a spill of blood in an Ohio shop. Where does OAC 4713-15-03 send the cloth?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-03(D)(2)
A comb has touched blood. Under OAC 4713-1-01, the hospital level disinfectant used on it must also be registered as effective against what?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-1-01(E)(2)
A person gains immunity from a vaccination. How is adaptive immunity gained in that way described?Wikipedia, Immunity (medicine)
For how long must implements and surfaces stay in contact with a bleach solution under OAC 4713-15-03?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-03(A)(5)
How must used or unclean implements be kept in an Ohio shop under OAC 4713-15-01?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-01
How often must disinfectants be prepared fresh in an Ohio barber shop?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-03(A)(4)
Show all 60 questions (52 more)
Infection control and safety, continued
No clinic or hospital is near the shop. What does OSHA's medical services and first aid rule then require?29 CFR 1910.151(b)
Ohio lets a shop disinfect with a bleach solution. How is it mixed under OAC 4713-1-01?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-1-01(E)
Ohio's barber law defines infection control in three steps. Which is the first?Ohio Rev. Code 4709.01(J)
Scabies is an infestation by a parasite, the human itch mite. About how long do the mites generally survive away from human skin?CDC, About Scabies
What are rod-shaped bacteria called?Wikipedia, Bacteria (Morphology)
What does the CDC call the best way to prevent hepatitis B?CDC, Hepatitis B Basics
Where must clean and disinfected implements be stored under OAC 4713-15-03?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-03(E)
Anatomy and physiology 6
What is the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle?Wikipedia, Human hair growth
What is trichoptilosis?Wikipedia, Trichoptilosis
Which layer of the skin holds the nerve endings, sweat glands, oil glands and hair follicles?NCI SEER Training Modules, Anatomy of the Skin
Which part of a hair is its only living portion?Wikipedia, Hair (Description)
Which pigment dominates in black hair and brown hair?Wikipedia, Hair (Natural color)
Which yeast, living on skin with many oil glands, does MedlinePlus name among the possible causes of seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff)?MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Seborrheic dermatitis
Hair care services 18
A barber dusts the neck with talc after a haircut. How does OAC 4713-15-09 have the powder dispensed?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-09(A)
A blow-dried style holds because temporary hydrogen bonds form in each strand. What makes those bonds disappear?Wikipedia, Hair dryer
A cape was used on an earlier patron and has not been laundered. What does OAC 4713-15-05 require when it is put on the next patron?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-05
A client has fine, straight hair. Where do dermatologists say to apply conditioner?American Academy of Dermatology, Tips for healthy hair
A lye relaxer is labelled "base." What is the base?Wikipedia, Relaxer (Base and no base formulas)
A shave leaves a small nick. In which form may a styptic be used to arrest the bleeding in an Ohio shop?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-07
A straight razor has just been stropped on a porous strop. What does OAC 4713-15-03 require before it shaves a patron?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-03(F)
After each use, what is done to the shampoo bowl in an Ohio shop?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-04
Besides soap, what does a lather shaving cream include to keep the lather moisturised?Wikipedia, Shaving cream
How does a demi-permanent hair color differ from a permanent one?Wikipedia, Hair coloring (Demi-permanent synthetic dyes)
How does razor burn differ from pseudofolliculitis barbae (razor bumps)?Wikipedia, Pseudofolliculitis barbae
What does a hot oil treatment add to the hair, according to dermatologists?American Academy of Dermatology, Black hair: Tips for everyday care
What does a swiveling thumb ring add to a pair of hair-cutting shears?Wikipedia, Hair-cutting shears
When shaving soap is used, which tool works it up into a lather?Wikipedia, Shaving (Wet shaving)
Where do dermatologists say to apply shampoo?American Academy of Dermatology, Tips for healthy hair
Which curl does a curling iron with a smaller barrel typically create?Wikipedia, Hair iron (Curling iron)
Which is true of an acid perm, compared with a classic alkaline perm?Wikipedia, Permanent wave (Technical considerations)
Why does MedlinePlus say never to suture (sew) a hair piece onto the scalp?MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Hair loss
Product knowledge and chemistry 3
On the pH scale, what makes a water-based solution acidic?USGS Water Science School, pH and Water
Which sulfur-containing amino acid forms the disulfide bridges that give the keratin of hair its strength?Wikipedia, Keratin
Which surfactant is shampoo most often made with?Wikipedia, Shampoo
Implements, tools and equipment 9
A clipper has a grounding plug with three prongs, and the outlet has two slots. What does OSHA say about an adapter that interrupts the grounding connection?29 CFR 1910.334(a)(3)(iii)
A clipper plugs into a wall socket that delivers alternating current (AC). What is alternating current?Wikipedia, Alternating current
A small brush is used to clear hair out of a clipper. What does OAC 4713-15-15 require of that brush?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-15(E)
Hair and debris have been removed from a hot tool. How else may electrically-heated equipment be disinfected under OAC 4713-15-15?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-15(C)
How are clippers and trimmers disinfected after each use under OAC 4713-15-15?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-15(D)
How does a fuse protect an electrical circuit?Wikipedia, Fuse (electrical)
How far must totally nonabsorbent floor covering extend around a styling or shampoo chair in Ohio?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-10
What must an Ohio barber shop keep for all equipment in service, under OAC 4713-15-15?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-15(A)
Which part of a straight razor is the heel?Wikipedia, Straight razor (Parts description)
Skin care services 3
A facial cream comes in a jar. How is it taken from the jar in an Ohio shop under OAC 4713-15-06?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-15-06
Ohio's rules define "non-invasive" as confined to which cells of the skin?Ohio Adm. Code 4713-1-01(Z)
Petrissage is the kneading movement of a facial massage. With which part of the hand is it performed?Wikipedia, Petrissage
Rules and regulations 6
A graduate holds a temporary pre-examination work permit. How may that person practice barbering in Ohio?Ohio Rev. Code 4709.071(B)
An applicant holds no cosmetology or hair designer license. How many hours of board-approved training does the Ohio barber examination require?Ohio Rev. Code 4709.07(A)(5)
How old must an applicant for the Ohio barber examination be, and with what schooling?Ohio Rev. Code 4709.07(A)
On which date does every license issued under Ohio's barber chapter expire?Ohio Rev. Code 4709.11
To hold a shop license, in whose charge must an Ohio barber shop be?Ohio Rev. Code 4709.09(A)
Who may display a barber pole to advertise barber services in Ohio?Ohio Rev. Code 4709.02(D)
How this list was compiled: Outline: the Testing Information Packet (TIP), Barber Theory, of the Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board, 9/2025 revision (https://cos.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/cos/pathway-to-licensure/exams/barber-theory). Facts: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4709 and Ohio Administrative Code Chapters 4713-1 and 4713-15 on the state's code site (https://codes.ohio.gov); the OSHA standards 29 CFR 1910.151 and 1910.334; public pages of the CDC, MedlinePlus, the USGS and the NCI SEER training modules; public pages of the American Academy of Dermatology on hair care; and Wikipedia articles on hair, barber tools, shaving, hair chemistry and electricity. Each question names its section or page and links to it. Read 2026-10-12. Licence: Own work. Every question, wrong choice and explanation was written for this site from the public texts named. Nothing comes from the examination, from a textbook, a prep course or a question pool.
How it works
This unofficial Ohio State Barber Board practice test follows the Board's own Barber Theory Testing Information Packet: sixty of our questions, spread over its subject areas as the packet weights them. It is not affiliated with the Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board.
Read the full guide
What the Ohio barber theory exam covers
The Board's packet (9/2025 revision; opened October 12, 2026) gives 100 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes: infection control and safety 25 percent, anatomy and physiology 10, hair care services 30, product knowledge and chemistry 5, implements, tools and equipment 15, skin care services 5, rules and regulations 10.
Ohio law in the bank
For the rules area the Board's exams page points candidates to Revised Code 4709.02, 4709.09, 4709.13 and 4709.14 and to Administrative Code Chapter 4713-15. Those chapters answer the rules questions here and most of the infection control ones.
Bleach solution: one part bleach to nine parts cool or cold water, and ten minutes of contact (OAC 4713-1-01, 4713-15-03).
Styptics are liquid or powder only, put on with a single-use, disposable item (OAC 4713-15-07).
The barber examination takes 1,800 school hours, or 1,000 with a cosmetology or hair designer license (R.C. 4709.07).
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the Ohio barber theory exam?
The Board's Testing Information Packet gives 100 multiple choice questions and an allotted time of 90 minutes. A round on this page is shorter.
What is the passing score on the Ohio barber exam?
The packet prints none. Revised Code 4709.05 leaves the passing score to Board rule and says the minimum shall not exceed seventy-five per cent, so a result here is a score with no pass or fail.
Are these the questions from the real Ohio State Barber Board exam?
No. Each was written for this page from Ohio's code, OSHA rules and public pages of the CDC, MedlinePlus, the USGS, the American Academy of Dermatology and Wikipedia. Nothing comes from the examination or from the textbooks the packet lists.
Does this cover the Ohio barber practical exam?
No. The practical examination is hands-on and has its own packet. Also left out, for want of a public source: haircutting technique, the order of the shaving strokes and the steps of a facial.