A cloth towel has just been used on a client in a Pennsylvania salon. Where does it go?49 Pa. Code 7.93
A metal pusher falls on the floor during a Pennsylvania manicure. What must happen before it is used again?49 Pa. Code 7.94
A nail technician wants the precautions for storing a new solvent and what it must be kept apart from. Which section of the Safety Data Sheet lists them?OSHA: Hazard Communication Safety Data Sheets
A nipper draws a drop of blood from a client. What may a Pennsylvania licensee use to check the bleeding?49 Pa. Code 7.94
A Pennsylvania licensee believes a client has a contagious disease. When may the client be served?49 Pa. Code 7.97
A Pennsylvania licensee needs some of a cream or other semisolid product from its container. What does the rule have the licensee use?49 Pa. Code 7.94
A Pennsylvania licensee opens a new chemical product. Whose directions does the Board's rule say to follow?49 Pa. Code 7.96
A Pennsylvania nail technician renders a service outside the salon. What must the record kept at the employing salon show?49 Pa. Code 7.82
Show all 60 questions (52 more)
Rules, regulations and safety, continued
A Pennsylvania salon has a stack of cloth towels that have not been used. What must hold them?49 Pa. Code 7.93
At which two times does Pennsylvania have a salon employee who serves the public thoroughly cleanse the hands?49 Pa. Code 7.95
In Pennsylvania's list of minimum equipment for a nail technology salon, where are sanitized implements kept?49 Pa. Code 7.71b
The label of a hazardous chemical must carry pictograms, hazard and precautionary statements, the product identifier and supplier identification. Which other element is required?OSHA: Hazard Communication Standard Labels
What does Pennsylvania require of the electrical appliances in a salon?49 Pa. Code 7.101
What is the Pennsylvania rule for putting away nippers, scissors and other sharp implements?49 Pa. Code 7.91
When must a tool or instrument that has come into contact with a client be sanitized in a Pennsylvania salon?49 Pa. Code 7.92
Which fire extinguisher must a Pennsylvania nail technology salon have?49 Pa. Code 7.71b
Which of these belongs in the labeled first aid kit of a Pennsylvania nail technology salon?49 Pa. Code 7.71b
Which two supplies may not be used in a Pennsylvania salon at all?49 Pa. Code 7.94
Nail structure and nail analysis 9
A client's toenail is discolored, thick and crumbling from onychomycosis. What kind of condition is that?Wikipedia: Nail disease
A nail technician may be the first to notice a subtle change in a client's nail health. Who should evaluate a nail disease?Wikipedia: Nail disease
By what other name is the eponychium, the thickened layer of skin at the base of the nail, known?Wikipedia: Eponychium
Green nail syndrome discolors a nail from green to black. To which condition of the hands is it linked?Wikipedia: Green nail syndrome
The nail plate is strongly attached to the nail bed. What does the plate itself not contain?Wikipedia: Nail (anatomy)
Onycholysis is a loosening of the exposed nail from the nail bed. Where does it usually begin?Wikipedia: Nail disease
Paronychia is called acute or chronic by how long it lasts. Where is the dividing line?Wikipedia: Paronychia
Which nail conditions may require medical assistance instead of a salon service?Wikipedia: Nail disease
Which part of the nail unit produces the cells that become the nail plate?Wikipedia: Nail (anatomy)
Professional services 16
A bottle of polish is thick while it stands and flows freely once it is shaken. What is that property of its thickening agents called?Wikipedia: Nail polish
Before modern block buffers, what did nail buffing traditionally use?Wikipedia: Nail buffing
How far up the arm may a Pennsylvania nail technician's massage go?49 Pa. Code 7.1
How many arches does the human foot have?Wikipedia: Foot
The tibial nerve supplies the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calf. Of which nerve is it a branch?Wikipedia: Tibial nerve
What can be used on the cuticle in some cases in place of cuticle scissors?Wikipedia: Nail (anatomy)
What do the ultraviolet stabilizers in a nail polish do?Wikipedia: Nail polish
What forms the thenar eminence, the mound at the base of the thumb on the palm?Wikipedia: Thenar eminence
What is an emery board meant to do in a manicure?Wikipedia: Nail buffing
What kind of material is pumice, which is used in a pedicure on dry skin and calluses?Wikipedia: Pumice
Which joints lie where the digits meet the palm?Wikipedia: Hand
Which nail shape is like a square with rounded corners, which make it less breakable?Wikipedia: Nail art
Which tendon, the thickest in the human body, attaches the calf muscles to the heel bone?Wikipedia: Achilles tendon
Which three nerves innervate the hand?Wikipedia: Hand
Which two-headed muscle of the calf lies closer to the skin than the soleus?Wikipedia: Gastrocnemius muscle
While a natural nail is buffed, how much of the thickness of the nail plate should be removed at most?Wikipedia: Nail buffing
Nail enhancements 7
Besides an unusually strong, fruity odor, which sign suggests that a salon is still using MMA liquid?Wikipedia: Artificial nails
In the dip method the technician works in layers. What happens in each layer?Wikipedia: Artificial nails
Ordinary polish is usually built on nitrocellulose. Which polymer is usual in a gel nail varnish?Wikipedia: Nail polish
The powder of "acrylic" type artificial nails often includes PMMA. What is PMMA?Wikipedia: Poly(methyl methacrylate)
Which enhancement can also be used for quick nail repairs?Wikipedia: Artificial nails
Why are artificial nails usually forbidden in work where hand hygiene is important, such as patient care?Wikipedia: Artificial nails
Why is the natural nail buffed before a nail product or an artificial nail is applied?Wikipedia: Nail buffing
Pennsylvania law (state portion) 10
A Pennsylvania license has sat in escrow for five years without being renewed. What must the person do before receiving a license?Cosmetology Law, section 19
A person is cited in Pennsylvania for practicing without a license, a first offense. What does the Board's schedule of civil penalties set?49 Pa. Code 43b.5
After how many hours of nail technology instruction may a Pennsylvania applicant be permitted to take the written examination?Cosmetology Law, section 5
After the Board revokes a license, the Pennsylvania Cosmetology Law lets the person apply again only after what period, absent a court order?Cosmetology Law, section 13
For how long is a Pennsylvania temporary license valid?49 Pa. Code 7.32g
How many hours of instruction in nail technology must an applicant complete for the Pennsylvania nail technician license?Cosmetology Law, section 5
What does Pennsylvania say about the rental of booth space within a salon?49 Pa. Code 7.65
What is the youngest age at which Pennsylvania admits a person to the nail technician examination?49 Pa. Code 7.32f
What notice must each Pennsylvania salon display in a conspicuous place near its entrance?Cosmetology Law, section 18.1
Who may be the designated person in charge of a Pennsylvania nail technology salon in the owner's absence?49 Pa. Code 7.62
How this list was compiled: Outline: the Pennsylvania Cosmetology Content Outlines (current as of February 2026) and the Pennsylvania Cosmetology Candidate Handbook, published by Pearson VUE for the State Board of Cosmetology (https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/pa/cosmetology.html): Nail Technician (Manicurist) theory examination, 60 scored items (50 general, 10 state) and 15 pretest items, 1 hour 45 minutes, a scaled passing score of 75. Facts: 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7 and section 43b.5 (https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov), the Cosmetology Law, Act 86 of 1933 (https://www.palegis.us), OSHA's Hazard Communication quick cards 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 PA state board nails practice test follows the content outline for the Nail Technician (Manicurist) theory examination. It is not affiliated with the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology or Pearson VUE, and no question comes from the examination.
Read the full guide
What the PA nail technician theory exam covers
The content outline (current as of February 2026), opened October 16, 2026, weights the general part: rules, regulations and safety 30 to 40 percent, nail structure and nail analysis 15 to 20, professional services 30 to 40, nail enhancements 12 to 18.
The state portion
The state questions are referenced to 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7, the Cosmetology Law (Act 86 of 1933) and the schedule of civil penalties, and are not specific to a license type. Here they cover hours, age, temporary licenses, escrow, booth rental and penalties.
Powder puffs and styptic pencils are prohibited in a salon; bleeding is checked with a powdered or liquid astringent (49 Pa. Code 7.94).
Nail technology stops at the elbow and the knee: massage covers the hands, lower arms, feet and lower legs (49 Pa. Code 7.1).
A temporary license lasts 9 months and is worked under supervision (49 Pa. Code 7.32g).
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the PA nail technician state board exam?
The candidate handbook lists 75: 60 scored questions and 15 unscored pretest questions, with 1 hour 45 minutes allowed.
What score do you need to pass the Pennsylvania nail tech theory exam?
A scaled score of 75. The handbook says a scaled score is neither the number nor the percentage of questions answered correctly.
How many hours do you need for a nail technician license in PA?
200 hours of instruction in nail technology in a licensed school of cosmetology. The Cosmetology Law lets an applicant take the written examination after at least 150 of them (section 5).