Are you looking for information related to the Colorado State Board of Cosmetology Exam? This article has you covered. From registration to scheduling the exam, you will find all answers for the cosmetology exam here!
What are we delaying? Let us dive in to see where to start within the long process of receiving your Colorado cosmetology license.
Go straight to the practice test
The Start of the Registration Process
Step 1: CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR APPEARING IN THE COLORADO STATE COSMETOLOGY BOARD
You must check your eligibility before doing anything else. Eligibility to take the licensure exam in Colorado requires you to complete the following practical hours:
- Cosmetologist: 1500 hours (completed 50 credits).
- Barbering: 1500 hours (completed 50 credits).
- Manicurist 600 hours (completed 20 credits).
- Esthetician: 600 hours (completed 20 credits).
- Hair Stylist: 1200 hours (completed 40 credits).
- Permanent makeup certification: 132 hours along with esthetician or cosmetology license.
Apart from the required number of practical hours for the cosmetology exam, you must also:
- Graduate from a Colorado Cosmetology school.
Or
- Have a cosmetology license from another US state and be eligible to receive the cosmetology license through the reciprocity process.
Step 2: APPLY FOR THE COLORADO STATE BOARD of COSMETOLOGY EXAMINATIONS
After checking your eligibility to appear for the Colorado licensure examination, the next step is to fill the application form. You may mail the application or fill it out online.
If you want to apply online, you may complete your application process. You can pay for the online application with a credit or debit card.
The application fee is $28.00. It is important to note that the examination fees are different from the application fees. One could mistake the payment page and end up paying for the wrong section by mistake.
Step 3: PAY YOUR EXAM FEES
The Wisconsin Cosmetology examination fees are:
- Practical exam: $71.00.
- Written exam: $56.00.
No fees are refundable or transferable. You can take the exam within one year from the date of submitting your examination fees.
Step 4: SCHEDULE YOUR EXAM
After you submit your application you will receive an email in 48 hours. You will know whether your application has any errors or is approved.
If your application is approved, you will receive an email from the PSI (Professional Service Industry) regarding your confirmation notice. Once you receive your confirmation from PSI, you must appear for the practical examination.
Once you pass the practical exam, you can schedule and pay the fees for your written exam. Without passing the practical exam, you are not eligible to schedule the theory exam. You will have a year of time from the day you have passed your practical exam to schedule your written exam.
For the exam schedule, you can visit the PSI official website. You must create your account if you don’t have one. You must use your full legal name. The next step is to choose the nearest examination center near you.
If you want to schedule via telephone, you can call (855) 744-0312. You can call:
- Monday to Friday between 6 A.M. to 9 P.M.
- Saturday & Sunday between 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Step 5: ARRIVE AT THE EXAM CENTER ON EXAM DAY
You must arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled exam. You must carry two forms of identification with your signature on both documents. One of the IDs must carry your photograph.
The name in both the IDs should bear the same name as your application form.
Primary identification ID examples include:
- Any US-issued driver’s license.
- Any US state-issued identification card.
- US Govt. issued passport.
- US Govt. issued Alien Registration Card. The identification card must not be expired.
- US Govt. issued Military Identification Card.
Secondary identification ID examples include:
- Your credit card with your signature.
- Social security card.
Step 6: TAKE THE EXAM
The Colorado written examination is 100 minutes long. The questions consist of 85 scored questions and 15 pretest questions. Note that the writing is a closed-book examination.
The Colorado practical examination is around three to four hours long.
Step 7: RESULT ANALYSIS
In the written exam, you must score at least 70 percent to pass the licensing procedure. The non-scored questions will not be considered in the total examination time.
Step 8: RECEIVE YOUR COLORADO STATE BOARD COSMETOLOGY LICENSE
Once you pass the written and practical exams, you will receive your Colorado Cosmetology license. You can request a duplicate of your score by emailing scorereport@psionline.com.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Colorado Cosmetology Exams
HOW DO I APPLY FOR THE COLORADO BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY EXAMINATIONS?
The first step for applying for the Colorado Board of Cosmetology is to check your eligibility. Once you are eligible for the exam, you can apply online or with the postal system.
The online application allows you to submit every required document for the examination.
For offline applications, you can print the application form and mail all the required documents to the following address:
PSI/Colorado Barber Cosmetology Program
PO Box 887
Wheat Ridge, CO 80034
www.psiexams.com, cocos@psionline.com, co.cos.brighttrac.com
(855) 229-9302 or (855) 744-0312
I CAN’T MAKE THE DATE/TIME OF MY EXAMINATION. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
If you cannot make it to the examination center on your scheduled day. You can reschedule your examination by submitting rescheduling fees.
WHICH EXAMINATION PROGRAM DOES THE COLORADO BOARD OF BARBERING AND COSMETOLOGY USE?
The state of Colorado uses the examinations provided by the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC).
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TAKE THE COLORADO STATE BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY EXAMS?
The fees for the Colorado State Board of Cosmetology is:
- Practical examination fees: $71.00.
- Written examination fees: $56.00.
If you are rescheduling your examination, you must pay the following fees:
- Practical examination fees: $66.00.
- Written examination fees: $51.00.
All the exam fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.
WHERE DO THE EXAMINATIONS TAKE PLACE?
There are two choices to choose from. If you want to appear for both written and practical exams at the same location, you may choose one of the following exam centers:
- Denver (Wheat Ridge).
- Fort Collins.
- Durango.
- Grand Junction.
- Colorado Springs.
If you are only appearing for the written examination, you can choose your exam center at:
- Denver (Centennial).
- Pueblo.
There are also out-of-state exam facilities for the written exam. For more details, you can visit at http://www.psiexams.com/.
HOW MANY HOURS OF PRACTICAL WORK DO I NEED TO QUALIFY FOR THE COLORADO STATE BOARD EXAMINATIONS?
To be eligible for the Colorado State Board Examination, you must complete the required number of practical hours:
- Cosmetologist: 1500 hours.
- Barbering: 1500 hours.
- Manicurist 600 hours.
- Esthetician: 600 hours.
- Hair Stylist: 1200 hours.
CAN I TAKE THE STATE BOARD EXAMINATIONS BEFORE I’VE COMPLETED THE REQUIRED HOURS?
No, the State Board requires you to complete a number of practical hours before being eligible for the exam. If you are transferring your license from another state, you must complete the required number of practical hours stated by the Colorado Cosmetology State Board.
HOW LONG IS THE COSMETOLOGY WRITTEN EXAMINATION?
The Colorado Cosmetology written examination is 100 minutes long. This includes both scored and unscored questions.
WHAT’S THE FORMAT OF THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION?
The written examination is in a computer-based format. Before starting the exam, you will be given a 15 minutes tutorial. These 15 minutes won’t be counted as part of the main examination time. The written exam is a closed-book examination.
The written exam focuses on the following topics:
- Safe working conditions and practices.
- Client consultation and professional conduct.
- Skin structure.
- Basic facials.
- Hair removal.
- Electricity and electrotherapy.
- Makeup.
- Basic knowledge of advanced treatments.
CAN I TAKE A PRACTICE TEST EXAM?
If you want to familiarize yourself with the questions you will face in the Cosmetology State Board examination, try our free cosmetology practice test paper.
HOW LONG IS THE COSMETOLOGY PRACTICAL EXAMINATION?
The Colorado practical cosmetology examination is around three to four hours long.
WHAT’S THE FORMAT OF THE PRACTICAL EXAMINATION?
The Colorado practical examination has the following topics:
- End of exam disinfection and safety criteria for the first client.
- Basic facial services.
- Make-up services.
- Exam set up and disinfection for the next client.
- Tweezers and waxing services.
- Skin cleansing process.
- Skin analysis with either face steaming, mask application, or moisturizer.
WHAT SCORES DO I NEED TO PASS BOTH PORTIONS OF THE COSMETOLOGY EXAM?
To pass your written exam, you need a minimum of a 70% score. You must qualify for your practical and written exams separately to take your cosmetology exam.
HOW MANY TIMES CAN I RETAKE THE STATE BOARD COSMETOLOGY EXAMINATIONS IF I FAIL?
If you fail your cosmetology license exam, you can retake your exam as many times as you want in the one year of duration from the day you registered.
You must take your exam in the gap of fourteen days in between the practical examination, and 30 days in between the written examination.
HOW DO I TRANSFER MY COSMETOLOGY LICENSE TO COLORADO?
If you have your cosmetology license from another state and want to transfer your cosmetology license to Colorado, you must apply for an endorsement application. Eligibility of the license transfer requires completing the necessary hours required by the state of Colorado, and your license from your home state should be in a good standing position.
Colorado Cosmetology State Board Exam Practice Test
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