Texas Class A Barber Exam Flashcards

Q: How many questions are on the Texas Class A Barber written exam?

PSI delivers 93 items: 85 scored items in 90 minutes plus 8 non-scored pretest items in a separate 10-minute segment. You must answer 70% of the scored items correctly to pass. The exam is closed book and is offered at a PSI test center or by remote proctor, in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, or Simplified Chinese at no extra cost.

Q: What is the Texas Class A Barber pass rate?

TDLR's fiscal year 2025 statistics show 3,150 of 8,457 candidates passed the written exam (37.25%) and 2,669 of 2,972 passed the practical (89.80%). Fiscal year 2024 was similar at 34.86% written and 88.63% practical. The written exam, not the practical, is where most candidates fail.

Q: What topics are on the Texas Class A Barber written blueprint?

The PSI content outline lists eight areas with fixed item counts out of 85 scored items: Infection Control 25, Shaving 15, Licensing and Regulation 13, Haircutting and Hairstyling 12, Haircoloring 6, Chemical Texture Services 6, Hair and Scalp Care 4, and Nail and Skin Care 4. PSI publishes item counts rather than percentage weights.

Q: What happens if I fail the Texas barber exam?

You must wait 24 hours before scheduling again and cannot retake the exam the same day you failed it. TDLR exam eligibility lasts five years and you may test an unlimited number of times during that period, but a separate fee applies to every attempt: $55 for the written exam and $76 for the practical. Failing score reports include a diagnostic breakdown by topic area.

Q: What does the Texas barber practical exam involve?

The practical runs 3 hours 29 minutes for 163 total points, and 115 points (70%) are required to pass. Every procedure is performed on mannequins across eleven timed sections: pre-exam setup and disinfection, manicure, professional shave, blood exposure incident, facial, haircut, blow drying and thermal curling, chemical application preparation, permanent wave, single process color retouch, and end-of-exam disinfection. Tasks must be performed in the listed order to earn points.

Q: What training do I need before I can test?

You must be at least 17 and complete 1,000 hours of instruction at a barbering/cosmetology school licensed in Texas, plus pay TDLR a $50 non-refundable application fee. You may take the written exam after 900 hours; the practical is available only after all 1,000 hours are complete and you have passed the written exam.

Q: Which Texas laws and rules does the exam test?

The current authorities are Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1603 (the Barbering and Cosmetology Law) and 16 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 83, which PSI lists as exam references. House Bill 1560 consolidated the separate barber and cosmetology statutes into Chapter 1603, and the combined rules took effect in 16 TAC Chapter 83 on September 1, 2023. Study material that still cites Occupations Code Chapter 1601 or 16 TAC Chapter 82 is out of date.

Question 1

Minimum age and training hours for a Texas Class A Barber license

Accepted Answer

At least 17 years old with 1,000 hours of instruction at a barbering/cosmetology school licensed in Texas, plus a $50 non-refundable TDLR application fee. Hours are the gate for both exams.

Question 2

When can you sit for each Texas barber exam?

Accepted Answer

The written exam opens at 900 completed hours. The practical is available only after all 1,000 hours AND a passing written score. You cannot take them out of order.

Question 3

Which law and rules govern Texas barbering today?

Accepted Answer

Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1603 and 16 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 83, both listed as PSI exam references. The old barber-only Chapter 1601 and 16 TAC Chapter 82 were consolidated; material citing them is outdated.

Question 4

Class A Barber scope of practice (Occ. Code 1603.0011)

Accepted Answer

Cutting, coloring, styling, and treating hair; beard and mustache work; shaving the face or neck with any type of razor; facials and massage of the face, neck, shoulders, and arms; temporary hair removal; manicures and pedicures; hair weaving.

Question 5

Two things a Texas Class A Barber may NOT do

Accepted Answer

Apply semipermanent threadlike eyelash extensions, which 1603.0011(c) carves out of barbering, and use any product or procedure that contacts or penetrates the dermis, which rule 83.112(c) prohibits outright.

Question 6

Texas barber license term and renewal CE

Accepted Answer

The license is valid two years. Renewal requires 4 hours of TDLR-approved continuing education: 1 hour sanitation, 1 hour human trafficking awareness, and 2 elective hours. Keep the completion certificate for two years.

Question 7

CE break for long-time Texas licensees

Accepted Answer

Hold a Texas license for at least 15 years and CE drops to 2 hours per renewal: 1 hour sanitation and 1 hour human trafficking awareness. Only the two elective hours are waived, never the two required subjects.

Question 8

Where must the health and safety rules be posted?

Accepted Answer

Occupations Code 1603.357 requires the barbering and cosmetology health and safety rules to be posted in every licensed establishment and school. A missing posted copy is an inspection finding.

Question 9

Cleaning vs. disinfecting under rule 83.100

Accepted Answer

Cleaning is washing with soap, detergent, or another adequate method to remove all visible debris. Disinfecting uses chemicals to destroy pathogens on hard, non-porous surfaces. Cleaning is not disinfection, and it must come first.

Question 10

Sterilizing vs. sanitizing in the Texas rules

Accepted Answer

Sterilize means eliminating all microorganisms with an autoclave or dry heat sterilizer. Sanitize means reducing microorganisms to a safe level with an ultraviolet sanitizer. A UV cabinet counts only as dry storage, never as disinfection.

Question 11

The only two department-approved disinfectants

Accepted Answer

An EPA-registered bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal disinfectant used per the manufacturer's instructions, or a chlorine bleach solution mixed under rule 83.101. Alcohol is not a department-approved disinfectant in Texas.

Question 12

Low-level bleach disinfection recipe

Accepted Answer

100 to 200 ppm: two teaspoons of household 5.25% bleach in one gallon of water, soak 10 minutes minimum. This is the everyday strength for cleaned implements and non-porous surfaces.

Question 13

High-level bleach disinfection recipe

Accepted Answer

1,000 ppm: one-third cup of household 5.25% bleach in one gallon of water, soak 20 minutes minimum. This is the strength named for spraying implements after a haircut or shave service.

Question 14

Blood and body fluid cleanup solution

Accepted Answer

5,000 ppm, also called a 10% bleach solution: one and three-quarters cups of household 5.25% bleach per gallon of water. A non-porous implement contacted by blood is immersed in it for 5 minutes.

Question 15

How often must disinfectant solution be replaced?

Accepted Answer

Immersion disinfectant is prepared fresh daily, or sooner if it becomes diluted or soiled. Bleach solution is mixed daily, kept in a closed covered container out of sunlight and away from other chemicals, and discarded at the end of the day.

Question 16

Why implements are cleaned before they are disinfected

Accepted Answer

EPA-registered disinfectants become inactivated and ineffective when contaminated with hair, dirt, and debris. Dropping a dirty comb into solution disinfects nothing, which is why visible debris must be removed first.

Question 17

Single-use vs. multi-use items

Accepted Answer

Multi-use items are hard, smooth, non-porous tools such as clippers, shears, combs, and tweezers that can be cleaned and disinfected. Single-use items are porous, such as cotton balls, tissues, orangewood sticks, and gauze, and must be discarded after one client.

Question 18

Handling a minor bleeding incident (rule 83.111)

Accepted Answer

Never touch a client's open sore or wound. Stop minor bleeding with powdered alum, styptic powder, or a liquid-type bandage applied with a disposable cotton-tipped instrument that is discarded immediately after use.

Question 19

A porous item contacts blood. What now?

Accepted Answer

It is immediately double-bagged and discarded in a closed trash container or biohazard box. Porous items can never be disinfected and returned to service, unlike non-porous tools that can be immersed in a 10% bleach solution for 5 minutes.

Question 20

When must a Texas practitioner refuse service?

Accepted Answer

When there is reason to believe the client has a contagious condition such as head lice, nits, ringworm, or conjunctivitis, or has inflamed, infected, broken, raised, or swollen skin or nail tissue, or an open wound in the service area.

Question 21

Products and practices banned in Texas shops

Accepted Answer

Liquid monomeric methyl methacrylate (MMA), razor-type callus shavers such as credo blades, alum or astringents in stick or lump form (powder and liquid are fine), and formalin or formaldehyde fumigants.

Question 22

Pseudofolliculitis barbae vs. sycosis barbae

Accepted Answer

Pseudofolliculitis barbae is razor bumps from ingrown hairs, not an infection, and is managed by shaving with the grain and avoiding a close second pass. Sycosis barbae is a bacterial infection of the beard follicles: refuse service and refer to a physician.

Question 23

Tinea and pediculosis capitis in the barber chair

Accepted Answer

Tinea (ringworm) is a contagious fungal infection showing red ring-shaped patches; tinea capitis or barbae is a hard stop. Pediculosis capitis is head lice, also contagious. Both mean no service, disinfect anything touched, and refer the client out.

Question 24

A complete facial shave is divided into how many areas?

Accepted Answer

Fourteen shaving areas, worked in a set order. Your stance, the direction you stand, and the razor position change from area to area so the blade can travel with the grain of the beard.

Question 25

The four razor holding positions

Accepted Answer

Freehand, backhand, reverse freehand, and reverse backhand. The Texas practical asks you to demonstrate the freehand, backhand, and reverse freehand strokes on the mannequin after the second lather is applied.

Question 26

Which stroke covers the most shaving areas?

Accepted Answer

Freehand covers six of the fourteen areas, backhand four, and reverse freehand four. Reverse backhand is the least-used stroke, reserved for the neck behind the ear on the barber's opposite side.

Question 27

First-time-over vs. second-time-over shave

Accepted Answer

The first-time-over is the standard shave, stroking with the grain over fresh lather. The second-time-over re-lathers and shaves across or against the grain for a closer finish, and it is where irritation and ingrown hairs start.

Question 28

Preparing the face before the razor touches it

Accepted Answer

A steam towel softens the beard and relaxes the skin, then lather is massaged in to lift the hair. The Texas practical scores preparing the client, preparing the face, removing that first lather, and re-lathering before the shave begins.

Question 29

Why the free hand matters during a shave

Accepted Answer

The free hand stretches the skin taut against the direction of the stroke. Slack skin lets the blade catch, nick, or scrape. Never shave over moles, warts, skin tags, or inflamed skin.

Question 30

Razor requirements for the Texas practical

Accepted Answer

You must bring a disposable-blade straight razor with a blade installed. The blade is a single-use item discarded after the service, and the razor itself is cleaned and disinfected under rule 83.103 like other non-single-use implements.

Question 31

Client protection points scored during the shave

Accepted Answer

Draping must be maintained throughout the service, waste disposed of properly, contaminated items replaced, containers kept closed when not in use, the kit kept sanitary, and cross contamination avoided. Each is a separate scored safety criterion.

Question 32

Finishing a professional shave

Accepted Answer

Every trace of lather must be removed, a scored step in the Texas practical. A cool towel followed by an astringent, freshener, or toner then contracts the skin and soothes it.

Question 33

What elevation does to a haircut

Accepted Answer

Zero degrees is a blunt one-length cut that builds maximum weight, 45 degrees creates graduation and a stacked weight line, and 90 degrees produces uniform layers. Elevation decides where the weight sits.

Question 34

Stationary vs. traveling guideline

Accepted Answer

A stationary guide brings every section back to one fixed line, building length and weight such as in a blunt cut. A traveling (mobile) guide moves with each new section, producing layers or graduation.

Question 35

Clipper-over-comb vs. shear-over-comb

Accepted Answer

Both use the comb as the moving guide. Clipper-over-comb removes bulk quickly through the taper area; shear-over-comb refines and blends. The Texas practical scores clipper-over-comb from nape to parietal ridge, then shear-over-comb blending.

Question 36

Freehand clipper cutting and arching

Accepted Answer

Freehand clipper cutting works the clipper directly against the head without a comb, used throughout the nape. Arching outlines the hair around and behind the ears. Both are three-point procedure steps in the Texas practical haircut.

Question 37

Why the parietal ridge is the key landmark

Accepted Answer

It is the widest part of the head, where the top surface meets the sides. Taper work runs from the nape up to the parietal ridge, and the top is cut from it, so blending problems usually show up right at that line.

Question 38

Cross-checking a finished haircut

Accepted Answer

Recheck the cut using partings that run opposite to the ones you cut on. Balance is explicitly scored in Texas: both sides must match in length and weight before you clean the loose hair from the mannequin and sweep the floor.

Question 39

Two safety steps in thermal curling

Accepted Answer

Test the iron's temperature on a damp towel or tissue before it goes near hair, and place a comb between the iron and the scalp while forming the curl. Both testing the iron and protecting the scalp are scored steps.

Question 40

Level vs. tone in haircoloring

Accepted Answer

Level is lightness or darkness on the 1 (black) to 10 (lightest blond) scale. Tone is the warmth or coolness of the color. Judge the level first, because tone can only correct a result you have already lifted or deposited correctly.

Question 41

Patch test vs. strand test

Accepted Answer

The patch (predisposition) test goes on the skin 24 to 48 hours before an aniline derivative tint to screen for an allergic reaction. The strand test is done on hair to predict processing time and final color. Texas scores both in the practical.

Question 42

Developer volume and how much it lifts

Accepted Answer

10 volume deposits with little to no lift, 20 volume lifts one to two levels, 30 volume two to three, and 40 volume three to four. Higher volume swells the cuticle more, so it lifts faster and damages more.

Question 43

How a single process color retouch is applied

Accepted Answer

Product goes on the new growth only, then is blended. Overlapping onto previously colored hair causes banding, breakage, and a visible line of demarcation. Keep chemicals off the client's facial skin and ears.

Question 44

The chemistry of a permanent wave

Accepted Answer

Waving lotion, usually ammonium thioglycolate, breaks the disulfide bonds by reduction so the hair takes the shape of the rod. The neutralizer rebuilds those bonds by oxidation. Skip or shortcut the neutralizer and the curl relaxes out.

Question 45

What sets curl size, and how you check development

Accepted Answer

Rod diameter sets curl size, not the strength of the lotion: a smaller rod gives a tighter curl. A test curl, unwound partway, shows whether a firm S-shape has formed before you neutralize.

Question 46

Hydroxide relaxers vs. thio relaxers

Accepted Answer

Hydroxide relaxers (sodium hydroxide lye, guanidine hydroxide no-lye) break bonds permanently and are stopped with a neutralizing or acid-balanced shampoo. Thio relaxers use a separate neutralizer. Never apply one system over the other, and protect the scalp and hairline with base cream first.

Question 47

The three layers of the hair shaft

Accepted Answer

Cuticle, the overlapping protective scales; cortex, roughly 90% of the hair's weight, holding the melanin and the disulfide bonds every chemical service targets; and medulla, the central core, often absent in fine or naturally blond hair.

Question 48

The hair growth cycle

Accepted Answer

Anagen is active growth and lasts roughly three to five years on the scalp, catagen is a brief transition, and telogen is the resting phase that ends in shedding. Only anagen hair is actively growing, which is why regrowth timing varies by client.

Question 49

Where the nail is actually made

Accepted Answer

The matrix, tucked under the eponychium at the base, produces the nail plate; injuring it deforms the nail permanently. The nail bed is the skin the plate slides across, and the free edge is the part extending past the fingertip.

Question 50

The five massage manipulations used in a facial

Accepted Answer

Effleurage (light stroking, which opens and closes the massage), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (percussion), friction, and vibration. The Texas practical requires demonstrating at least one manipulation, and no procedure may penetrate the dermis.

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