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Key Facts: Nail Technician Exam

60 items

Written question count

Q-Net Craftsman-grade qualification standard

60 minutes

Written exam duration

Q-Net examination timetable / Craftsman-grade standard

60% (36/60)

Written and practical passing threshold

HRD Korea grading regulations

KRW 14,500

Written exam registration fee

Q-Net jmCd=7957 fee schedule (checked 2026-09-20)

KRW 17,200

Practical exam registration fee

Q-Net jmCd=7957 fee schedule (checked 2026-09-20)

2 years

Written pass exemption validity

National Technical Qualifications Act Enforcement Decree Art. 21

미용사(네일) is the official South Korean national technical qualification for nail technicians. The 2026 written paper consists of 60 four-choice questions in 60 minutes (passing score: 60/100), followed by an approximately 2-hour-30-minute work-type practical. Official Q-Net fees are KRW 14,500 written and KRW 17,200 practical. OpenExamPrep provides 99 independent English practice questions on nail care, enhancements, art, and 네일미용업 law.

Sample Nail Technician Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Nail Technician exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 99+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1The visible hard nail that is filed and coated during 네일미용 is composed mainly of which structural protein?

A.Collagen fibres that form the dermal papilla of the fingertip

B.Elastin sheets that make the lunula appear white

C.Melanin granules that give the nail bed its pink colour

D.Keratin, arranged as a layered nail plate (조갑판)

Explanation: The nail plate is a hard, translucent sheet of keratin produced by the matrix. Manicure, pedicure, and 네일 화장물 work are performed on this keratin plate, not on living dermis. Collagen, elastin, and melanin are important nearby tissues or pigments, but they are not the plate's main structural protein.

2Which part of the nail unit produces new nail-plate cells that then grow toward the free edge?

A.The hyponychium under the free edge

B.The nail matrix (조갑모)

C.The lateral nail fold only

D.The cuticle oil applied after a manicure

Explanation: The matrix is the generative tissue under the proximal nail fold. Damage or heavy pressure here can permanently distort plate growth. The hyponychium and lateral folds protect edges; they do not manufacture the plate.

3The whitish half-moon visible at the base of many thumbnails is the:

A.Free edge after it has been squared

B.Hyponychium after soaking

C.Lunula, the visible distal portion of the matrix

D.Nail groove created by the eponychium

Explanation: The lunula is the pale half-moon where the distal matrix shows through a thinner plate. It is most obvious on thumbs. It is not a soak-softened seal or a filed free edge, and it should not be scraped as if it were dead cuticle.

4During cuticle work, the living proximal skin that overlaps the nail plate is the eponychium. What is its main protective role?

A.It generates the entire free edge from the fingertip pulp

B.It stores pigment that colours gel polish

C.It replaces the nail bed after onycholysis

D.It helps seal the matrix area against debris and microbes

Explanation: The eponychium and the cuticle it sheds form a seal over the matrix. Over-cutting or forcing this living tissue open raises infection risk and can distort later growth. Safe manicure pushes only loosened dead cuticle after softening, without tearing the seal.

5Healthy nail-bed tissue (조갑상) immediately under the plate is important in service because it:

A.Is identical to the free edge and can be clipped without consequence

B.Is the only tissue that may legally receive injectable medicine in a nail shop

C.Produces all lunula pigment after a French manicure

D.Supplies the pink vascular appearance and must not be filed as if it were dead keratin

Explanation: The nail bed is living, vascular tissue attached to the underside of the plate. Pink colour is largely blood showing through. Filing, drilling, or prying into the bed is unsafe and outside cosmetic 네일미용. The plate, not the bed, is what the technician shapes.

6The free edge (자유연) is the portion of the nail plate that:

A.Lies entirely under the proximal fold and never receives polish

B.Extends beyond the fingertip and is the main area shaped by clipping or filing

C.Is another name for the matrix that produces keratin

D.Must be cut down to the hyponychium on every pedicure

Explanation: The free edge is the distal plate past the fingertip. Length and shape are created here. It should not be cut so short that the hyponychium is injured, and it is not the growth centre.

7A client presents with a hot, swollen, painful nail fold that may discharge pus. The safest 미용사(네일) action is to:

A.Push the fold back harder so product can seal the gap

B.Cover the area with an acrylic overlay to immobilise it

C.Stop cosmetic service on the affected nails and refer for medical care of suspected paronychia

D.Soak in boiling water to sterilise the tissue

Explanation: Paronychia is inflammation, often infection, of the nail-fold skin. It is an inflammatory problem outside cosmetic 네일미용. Continuing to push, overlay, or heat the tissue can worsen injury and spread contamination. Refuse or modify service and advise medical assessment.

8Thickened, crumbly, discoloured plate with debris under the nail is most consistent with a fungal nail infection (onychomycosis). What should the technician do?

A.File the debris aggressively so a tip can be glued on

B.Apply prescription antifungal cream from the shop's medicine drawer

C.Ignore it if the client wants gel colour the same day

D.Decline enhancement or invasive work on the affected nails and advise the client to seek medical advice

Explanation: Onychomycosis is a disease process, not a cosmetic stain. Filing and covering it can spread material to tools and other nails. 네일미용업 is care and decoration of nails without medicines or medical devices, so the technician does not treat the infection. Stop or strictly limit service and refer.

9Onycholysis is best described as:

A.Spoon-shaped concavity of the entire plate

B.White spots from minor matrix trauma only

C.Separation of the nail plate from the nail bed, often looking like a white or opaque distal area

D.Ingrowth of the lateral plate into the toe fold

Explanation: Onycholysis is plate lifting from the bed. The gap can trap moisture and debris and is a reason to avoid tight enhancements until the bed reattaches. It is not koilonychia, simple leuconychia, or an ingrown nail, though those may coexist.

10Onychocryptosis most often affects a hallux toenail. The technician should recognise it as:

A.A bruise confined to the lunula that always self-resolves in one day

B.A fungal powder that should be buffed off with a gloss file

C.Normal cuticle overgrowth that must be cut daily

D.An ingrown nail edge pressing into the lateral fold, which may be painful and can become inflammatory

Explanation: Onychocryptosis is an ingrown nail, commonly the big toe. Non-inflammatory cases may still need gentle, non-invasive cosmetic care or referral if pain is significant. If the fold is infected or draining, stop service. Q-Net notes that a non-inflammatory ingrown toenail may still be acceptable as a practical-exam model, which is not the same as treating a clinic infection in a salon.

About the Nail Technician Exam

Nail Technician (미용사(네일)) is South Korea's national technical qualification for nail specialists, administered by HRD Korea under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The written paper assesses 네일 화장물 적용 및 네일미용 관리. Licensed 네일미용업 work is the care and decoration of fingernails and toenails. The questions on this page are an independent English-language MCQ study adaptation by OpenExamPrep; they are not an official translation or format simulation.

Exam sponsor: HRD Korea (Q-Net) / Ministry of Health and Welfare (보건복지부). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

The written exam is one combined 60-question, 60-minute subject: 네일 화장물 적용 및 네일미용 관리 (no per-subject 과락). The practical is an approximately 2-hour-30-minute work-type assessment in 네일미용 실무. OpenExamPrep provides 99 practice questions covering the related technical and legal domains.

Time Limit

60 minutes for the written paper; approximately 2 hours 30 minutes for the work-type practical in 네일미용 실무

Passing Score

Written: 60 points or more out of 100 (at least 36 of 60 correct); Practical: 60 points or more out of 100

Exam / Certification Fees

KRW 14,500 written / KRW 17,200 practical (total KRW 31,700)

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Q-Net Nail technician (미용사(네일)) exam page (jmCd=7957) · Source checked 2026-09-20Official Korean title 미용사(네일), Q-Net English title Nail technician, MOHW as related ministry, HRD Korea administration, written fee KRW 14,500, practical fee KRW 17,200, 출제기준 2022.1.1–2026.12.31 and 2027.1.1–2031.12.31. Candidate TXT jmCd=8338 is not this qualification.
National Technical Qualifications Act Enforcement Rule [별표 8] · Source checked 2026-09-20Written subject: 네일 화장물 적용 및 네일미용 관리. Practical: 네일미용 실무.
Public Health Control Act Article 2 — 네일미용업 · Source checked 2026-09-20네일미용업: caring for and decorating fingernails and toenails.
Public Health Control Act Enforcement Rule Article 14(2)5 · Source checked 2026-09-20미용사(네일) work scope: care and decoration of fingernails and toenails.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

19 / 99 (19.2%)

Nail Anatomy and Disorders

Nail-unit structure and recognition of conditions that stop or modify service.

25 / 99 (25.3%)

Natural Nail Care (매니큐어·페디큐어)

Manicure and pedicure sequencing, shaping, cuticle work, and polish.

25 / 99 (25.3%)

Enhancements (인조네일)

Tips, gel, acrylic, overlay, and safe removal.

15 / 99 (15.2%)

Nail Art and Cosmetics

Design principles and cosmetic-product classification used in 네일미용업.

15 / 99 (15.2%)

Public Hygiene and Law (공중위생관리학)

공중위생관리법 네일미용업 licence, disinfection, and shop hygiene.

Preparing for the Nail Technician Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Written: 60 points or more out of 100 (at least 36 of 60 correct); Practical: 60 points or more out of 100
Assessment: The written exam is one combined 60-question, 60-minute subject: 네일 화장물 적용 및 네일미용 관리 (no per-subject 과락). The practical is an approximately 2-hour-30-minute work-type assessment in 네일미용 실무. OpenExamPrep provides 99 practice questions covering the related technical and legal domains.
Time limit: 60 minutes for the written paper; approximately 2 hours 30 minutes for the work-type practical in 네일미용 실무
Exam / certification fees: KRW 14,500 written / KRW 17,200 practical (total KRW 31,700) Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

Work through all 99 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Nail Technician: Suggested Study Strategy

1Treat the written paper as one 60-item exam: 36 correct answers are required.

2Learn infection-control and when to refuse service. Do not invent disease codes you cannot confirm.

3Study safe enhancement application and removal rather than brand-specific marketing claims.

4For the practical, use the current Q-Net 공개문제, including 2026 sitting notices.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Nail Technician (미용사(네일))?

It is a national technical qualification certified by HRD Korea under the Ministry of Health and Welfare for fingernail and toenail care and decoration. A municipal 미용사 licence is a separate step needed to open or work in 네일미용업.

How is the official examination structured?

The written exam is 60 four-choice questions in 60 minutes on 네일 화장물 적용 및 네일미용 관리. The passing standard is 60% with no per-subject 과락. Candidates who pass become eligible for the work-type practical (네일미용 실무).

What is the legal work scope?

공중위생관리법 시행규칙 Article 14(2)5 limits a 미용사(네일) licence to care and decoration of fingernails and toenails. Hair, facial, and makeup services require other 미용사 qualifications.

Are there prerequisites to register for this exam?

No. The Craftsman-grade / 상시 sitting has no age, education, or prior-experience prerequisites.

What are the official fees for the exam in 2026?

According to official Q-Net listings (jmCd=7957), the written fee is KRW 14,500 and the practical fee is KRW 17,200, totaling KRW 31,700.