South Dakota Esthetician Practice Test

All 69 answers rest on South Dakota's own text: 59 on the rules in ARSD 20:42, 10 on the statute.

How often must electrical equipment be cleaned and disinfected under South Dakota's infection control rule?

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Exam mode: 25 questions, no time limit, 19 right to pass (75%).

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission or the NIC. Bank checked October 14, 2026.

Next step Esthetician tests for other statesThe whole NIC outline: Washington esthetics test

All 69 questions

Scientific concepts: infection control 19

  • A caddy holds the clean electrical equipment at an esthetics station. How often does ARSD 20:42:05:01 have the caddy disinfected? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • After disinfection, tweezers and other nonelectrical implements wait for the next client. What storage does ARSD 20:42:05:01 name? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • Before an implement goes into disinfectant in a South Dakota salon, what must already have been done to it? ARSD 20:42:01:01
  • For esthetics, what covers the headrest of a chair or a treatment table for each client in South Dakota? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • How are the contact points of equipment that cannot be immersed disinfected under South Dakota's rules? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • How must creams, fluids and powders be kept under ARSD 20:42:05:01? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • How often must electrical equipment be cleaned and disinfected under South Dakota's infection control rule? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • In what order does ARSD 20:42:05:01 have a multi-use item treated after use? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • South Dakota's rules say disinfection is exclusive to which kind of surface? ARSD 20:42:01:01
  • Tweezers have just been used on a client. Until they are cleaned and disinfected, what holds them under ARSD 20:42:04:01? ARSD 20:42:04:01
  • Under ARSD 20:42:05:01, when must an esthetician wash hands? ARSD 20:42:05:01
Show all 69 questions (58 more)

Scientific concepts: infection control, continued

  • What does ARSD 20:42:05:01 require once an orangewood stick or a cosmetic sponge has served one client? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • What makes a tool a "single-use item" under South Dakota's cosmetology rules? ARSD 20:42:01:01
  • When must waste containers be emptied under South Dakota's infection control rule? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • Where do used towels, robes and linens go under South Dakota's rule for individual licensees? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • Where does ARSD 20:42:05:01 say disinfectants must be? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • Which chemical agent meets the definition of "disinfectant" in ARSD 20:42:01:01? ARSD 20:42:01:01
  • Which infection control device is prohibited in South Dakota salons by ARSD 20:42:04:04.03? ARSD 20:42:04:04.03
  • Which is an allowed way to take a cream out of its jar in a South Dakota salon? ARSD 20:42:05:01

Scientific concepts: safety, blood exposure and chemicals 13

  • A client begins to bleed during a service. After stopping the service, what does South Dakota's blood exposure rule have the licensee do next? ARSD 20:42:05:06
  • After a blood exposure in a South Dakota salon, where do the single-use items from the station go? ARSD 20:42:05:06
  • An esthetician has cut a finger and finished the clean-up. If necessary, what covers the injured area before the return to service? ARSD 20:42:05:06
  • Antiseptic, eyewash, cold packs, topical antibiotic: which one is on the list for a salon's first aid kit in ARSD 20:42:04:04? ARSD 20:42:04:04
  • Besides its licenses, what must every South Dakota salon display in a prominent place? ARSD 20:42:04:10
  • What fire extinguisher must a South Dakota salon have for each 1,500 square feet it occupies? ARSD 20:42:04:04
  • What is used to pat an injured area dry under ARSD 20:42:05:06? ARSD 20:42:05:06
  • What must a salon restroom contain for hand washing under ARSD 20:42:04:01? ARSD 20:42:04:01
  • Where must supplies that contain caustic material be kept in a South Dakota salon? ARSD 20:42:04:08
  • Where must the blood exposure rules be posted in a South Dakota salon? ARSD 20:42:04:10.01
  • Which acid product is prohibited in South Dakota salons by ARSD 20:42:04:08.01? ARSD 20:42:04:08.01
  • Which hair removal product may a South Dakota salon or booth not use? ARSD 20:42:04:08.01
  • Which of these may a South Dakota salon or booth not use, under the product list in ARSD 20:42:04:08.01? ARSD 20:42:04:08.01

Skin care and services: exfoliation, wax, tools and scope 22

  • At a wedding held away from the salon, which skin service may a South Dakota licensee perform as a special event service? SDCL 36-15-54
  • Double-dipping has spoiled a pot of wax in a South Dakota esthetics room. What does ARSD 20:42:05:09 call for? ARSD 20:42:05:09
  • During a brow wax in South Dakota the used stick is laid on the trolley top. What follows under ARSD 20:42:05:09? ARSD 20:42:05:09
  • For what purpose may a South Dakota licensee apply massage movements, under the definition of "massaging"? ARSD 20:42:01:01
  • How deep may a chemical exfoliation preparation remove tissue in a South Dakota salon? ARSD 20:42:05:11
  • How many educational hours must a South Dakota licensee complete before operating a microdermabrasion machine? ARSD 20:42:08:07
  • How many times may each end of a wooden stick be dipped in the wax under ARSD 20:42:05:09? ARSD 20:42:05:09
  • In South Dakota's definitions, which term means using a scalpel or sharp, bladed instrument to remove the upper layers of the stratum corneum? ARSD 20:42:01:01
  • In South Dakota's rules, microdermabrasion exfoliates the uppermost layers of the stratum corneum using what? ARSD 20:42:01:01
  • What does "noninvasive" mean in South Dakota's statutory definition of esthetics? SDCL 36-15-2.2
  • What does ARSD 20:42:05:07 say about the crystals used in a microdermabrasion machine? ARSD 20:42:05:07
  • What grade must exfoliant products be under South Dakota's chemical exfoliation rule? ARSD 20:42:05:11
  • What seating must a South Dakota salon have for each licensee practicing esthetics on a client? ARSD 20:42:04:04
  • When may a South Dakota licensee mix or combine skin removal products? ARSD 20:42:05:01
  • When must a microdermabrasion tip be thrown away under South Dakota's rules? ARSD 20:42:05:07
  • Which equipment is prohibited in South Dakota salons by ARSD 20:42:04:04.03? ARSD 20:42:04:04.03
  • Which esthetics service requires the commission's certification of approved education to be displayed in the salon? ARSD 20:42:04:09.01
  • Which hair removal is within the practice of esthetics under SDCL 36-15-2.2? SDCL 36-15-2.2
  • Which is prohibited in a paraffin hydrating service under South Dakota's rules? ARSD 20:42:05:10
  • Which is required of a wax pot in a South Dakota salon? ARSD 20:42:05:09
  • Which of these is outside the practice of esthetics as SDCL 36-15-2.2 defines it? SDCL 36-15-2.2
  • Which statement about a microdermabrasion machine is in ARSD 20:42:04:04.02? ARSD 20:42:04:04.02

South Dakota licence and salon law 15

  • A South Dakota license has lapsed for more than five continuous years. Besides the fees, which is one way the rule allows it to be renewed? ARSD 20:42:03:13
  • A South Dakota salon also offers a service that is not a cosmetology practice. What must the salon do? ARSD 20:42:04:10.02
  • ARSD 20:42:03:06 sets a minimum of how many education hours for the esthetician license? ARSD 20:42:03:06
  • By what date each year must a South Dakota esthetician apply to renew? ARSD 20:42:03:12
  • How long after expiration does continued practice make a South Dakota licensee subject to disciplinary proceedings? ARSD 20:42:03:13
  • How many "no" marks on the inspection report fail a South Dakota salon or booth? ARSD 20:42:09:04
  • How often are South Dakota salons and booths inspected under ARSD 20:42:09:01? ARSD 20:42:09:01
  • How soon is a South Dakota salon re-inspected after a failed inspection? ARSD 20:42:09:05
  • Two estheticians may share one work station in a South Dakota salon provided that they do what? SDCL 36-15-51.3
  • What class of offense is operating a salon or booth without a license in South Dakota? SDCL 36-15-51
  • What is the youngest age at which SDCL 36-15-15 lets a person apply for an esthetician license? SDCL 36-15-15
  • Which client may a South Dakota licensee serve outside a licensed salon as a "limited mobility client"? SDCL 36-15-54
  • Which examination must a reciprocity applicant pass even when South Dakota waives the esthetics examination? SDCL 36-15-19.2
  • Which person is exempt from South Dakota's cosmetology chapter when exclusively engaged in his or her own profession? SDCL 36-15-16
  • While an esthetician is at work in South Dakota, where does ARSD 20:42:04:09 put that person's license? ARSD 20:42:04:09

How this list was compiled: Outline: the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission's Examinations page (https://dlr.sd.gov/cosmetology/exams.aspx) requires the NIC written theory examination for esthetics and, of all examinees, the South Dakota Cosmetology State Laws and Rules Examination, with a qualifying score of 75 percent; the National Esthetics Theory Examination bulletin of the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC), effective September 1, 2025 (https://prov-testing.github.io/nic_cib/esthetics_national_theory_english_2025.html), gives 110 items, of which 100 are weighted, 90 minutes, Scientific Concepts 55 percent and Skin Care and Services 45 percent. Facts: Administrative Rules of South Dakota article 20:42 (https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative/20:42) and South Dakota Codified Laws chapter 36-15 (https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/36-15), both on the South Dakota Legislature's site. Each question names its 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 a real examination, the sample questions in a bulletin, a textbook or a prep course.

How it works

This unofficial South Dakota esthetician practice test asks what the State's cosmetology statute and rules say. It is not affiliated with the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission, the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) or its test administrator.

Read the full guide

What the questions follow

NIC's bulletin for the written theory examination, effective September 1, 2025, weights Scientific Concepts at 55 percent and Skin Care and Services at 45 percent. The Laws and Rules examination is on SDCL chapter 36-15 and the rules in ARSD article 20:42.

How the 69 questions are split

Scientific Concepts holds 32 questions (19 on infection control, 13 on safety and blood exposure) and Skin Care and Services 22. The licence and the salon take 15 more.

  • Roll on wax is a prohibited product, and each end of a wax stick is dipped once (ARSD 20:42:04:08.01; 20:42:05:09).
  • Microdermabrasion and eyelash extensions each take 16 approved educational hours first (ARSD 20:42:08:07 and 20:42:08:09).
  • Esthetics stays in the nonliving cells of the stratum corneum and leaves out scalp treatments (SDCL 36-15-2.2).

Questions and answers

What exams does South Dakota require for an esthetician license?

Two: the NIC written theory examination for esthetics and the South Dakota Cosmetology State Laws and Rules Examination. The Commission's Examinations page sets the qualifying score at 75 percent.

How many questions are on the South Dakota esthetician exam?

NIC's bulletin gives the theory examination 110 items, 100 of them scored, in 90 minutes. The Commission prints no question count for the Laws and Rules examination, so the exam round of 25 here is this page's own length.

Does this South Dakota esthetician practice test cover the whole exam?

No. It covers what South Dakota's statute and rules state. Anatomy, skin disorders, chemistry and facial procedures are on NIC's outline and are not asked here. This site's Washington esthetics test follows the whole NIC outline.

Are these the real South Dakota esthetician exam questions?

No. Every question is our own, written from ARSD article 20:42 and SDCL chapter 36-15 and linked to its section. None comes from either examination or from the sample questions in NIC's bulletin.

How many hours does South Dakota require for an esthetician license?

A minimum of 600 hours of esthetics education, and an age of at least 18 (ARSD 20:42:03:06; SDCL 36-15-15). The license is renewed each year by the licensee's birth date (ARSD 20:42:03:12).

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