9.4 PSI National Nail Technician Practical Test: Topic Areas and Rating Criteria

PSI National Nail Technician Practical Test: Topic Areas and Rating Criteria

More misinformation circulates about this test than about any other part of Georgia licensure. Older third-party guides describe six stations including a separate nail wrap station and a blood exposure simulation. That is not the current test. The Georgia Nail Technician Test Taker Guide, NAIL TECH v1.1 effective 8/1/2025, publishes five topic areas.

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1. The Five Topic Areas, in Order

The practical test is approximately 90 minutes in length. The fee is $64, and a test taker must score at least 70% to pass.

Topic areas 2, 3, and 4 each break into three timed blocks, and the proctor announces a warning before each block ends:

Knowing this structure matters. A candidate who spends the whole of topic area 4 sculpting and leaves nothing for clean-up loses a scored block, because clean-up is separately timed and separately scored.

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2. What Is Actually Being Scored

Each block carries the task criterion plus two constant criteria that repeat in every single block of every topic area:

• Adheres to workplace infection control precautions
• Adheres to workplace safety precautions

Count them: across the five topic areas there are eleven task criteria and twenty-two infection-control and safety criteria. PSI states the conclusion directly: "Scores are based on the test taker displaying a solid knowledge of workplace Infection Control and Safety Precautions."

PSI also states that there is no necessary or required style or technique a school must teach or a candidate must perform, and that all topic areas are observed in the manner a nail technician would normally complete the task. Evaluators answering a candidate question may say only one of two things: "Do the best with what you have" or "Demonstrate as you learned."

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|            THE INFECTION-CONTROL BEHAVIOURS BEING WATCHED                   |
|                                                                             |
|   • Cleaning hands before starting, and knowing WHEN hands become           |
|     contaminated during a service.                                          |
|   • Keeping the supply kit uncontaminated. The kit represents clean,        |
|     disinfected storage: do not return used items to it, do not leave       |
|     it open, do not reach in with soiled hands.                             |
|   • Knowing single-use from multi-use, and disposing of each correctly.     |
|   • Disinfecting work surfaces, and recognising when a surface has become   |
|     unhealthy and needs cleaning and disinfection again.                    |
|   • Dispensing product without contamination - no double dipping, no        |
|     contact between skin and dispensing tips.                               |
|   • Items set on a contaminated surface may NOT then be inserted into       |
|     product containers or touch the dispensing tips of bottles and jars.    |
|   • Keeping the client from becoming contaminated by the technician.        |
|   • Keeping containers in use free from contamination.                      |
|   • Making sure tools are clean and disinfected.                            |
|   • Handling a body fluid - blood, vomit, feces - without contaminating     |
|     yourself or others, if it occurs during a service.                      |
|                                                                             |
|            THE SAFETY BEHAVIOURS BEING WATCHED                              |
|                                                                             |
|   • Working understanding of federal and state workplace safety rules.      |
|   • No cross-contamination of chemicals and products on the workstation.    |
|   • Correct chemical mixing procedures, chemical storage, and SDS.          |
|   • Keeping the station free from injury risk: spills cleaned, dropped      |
|     items picked up, slip and trip risks reduced.                           |
|   • Tools and equipment in safe working order - no frayed or exposed        |
|     wires, no rusty metal.                                                  |
|   • Tools and equipment used in a safe manner.                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Note that blood exposure is not a separate station, but the capability is still assessed: PSI lists handling a body fluid among its infection-control expectations, so if bleeding occurs during your test you must manage it correctly within the running topic area.

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3. Kit, Supplies, and Labeling

There is no supply list. PSI states there are no supply lists or suggested supplies for the National Tests, and recommends bringing the equipment and supplies you would use in your own professional environment. There are no right or wrong supplies and no right or wrong technique for demonstrating a topic area.

What is specified:

• A closable container ("supply kit") with everything needed for all topic areas. Suggested dimensions not exceeding 24 inches wide by 24 long by 24 high, so it fits under the table when not in use.
• Two containers to dispose of used items — one marked "single use," one marked "multi use." All items used in the test are categorically disposed of in one of these two.
• Chemical products that would be required on a business SDS must be used from the original container with an original manufacturer's label attached, or from a container with the manufacturer's label attached.
• Products not grouped as dangerous chemicals by OSHA may be fictitious — a self-created or actual label attached, with another substance inside to simulate the product.
• Labeling must be in large print, legible, and clearly visible for the evaluator to observe.
• Disinfectant containers must have the manufacturer's label attached and legible, and the disinfectant must have virucidal, bactericidal, and fungicidal properties listed on that label.
• Monomer must be factory-sealed and manufacturer-labeled as "low odor" or "odorless." Product not meeting this is not allowed into the testing room.
• Absolutely no aerosols are allowed into the testing area.

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4. Georgia's Attire Requirement

Georgia adds a state-specific rule that PSI enforces at the door: candidates must arrive in neat, clean, professional attire. Uniforms are not required, but you must wear a sleeved smock or lab coat and closed-toe shoes. A candidate who is not in compliance will be dismissed from the test session and required to reschedule and pay for a future test. This is not a scoring deduction; it is a dismissal, and the $64 is not refundable or transferable.

This mirrors Rule 240-4-.03(3), which requires practitioners to wear appropriate protective clothing and footwear during clinical services.

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5. Conduct Rules That End a Test

• No electronics of any kind in the testing facility. A candidate found with a prohibited device has the test stopped, must leave immediately, and a report goes to the governing authority.
• No personal timers. A proctor monitors time.
• Stop working immediately when the proctor says "please stop working." Work completed after that instruction is not scored, and activities not completed within a topic area's time limit receive no score.
• Do not observe other test takers. PSI treats this as a form of cheating, with consequences up to dismissal.
• Cover your name and any school name on your person and supplies.
• Do not assist another candidate in any way.
• Conflict of interest: an evaluator may not score a candidate who is a current employee, employer, co-worker, relative, or otherwise personally or financially connected. If you recognise your evaluator in any of those roles, notify the site proctor or supervisor immediately — a scored test conducted in violation of this policy may be voided.
• Leaving the room for an emergency or restroom requires signing out and back in; time continues to elapse and missed instructions are not repeated.

[!IMPORTANT] There is no review process for the practical test. The Comments link during the theory test is the only review mechanism PSI offers, and it applies to theory only. Score questions and concerns go to PSI Customer Service.

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6. Preparing for Each Topic Area

Topic 1 — Workstation Preparation (10 min). Prepare the daily workstation: clean and disinfect the surface, lay a clean covering, set out the two labeled disposal containers, arrange disinfected implements from clean storage without contaminating them, and confirm labeled products are within reach. Stand quietly when finished.

Topic 2 — Basic Manicure (20 min). Five minutes to prepare station and client, ten to perform, five to clean up. File in one direction, care for the cuticle without cutting living tissue, and keep every implement's journey traceable from clean source to correct disposal container.

Topic 3 — Nail Tip Application (20 min). Same 5-10-5 structure. Fit sidewall to sidewall without force, apply adhesive to the well, rock the tip down to exclude air, cut to length, reduce the well, and blend flush without filing the natural plate.

Topic 4 — Nail Enhancement Using a Form (30 min). Five to prepare, twenty to apply, five to clean up. Fit the form securely under the free edge, keep primer and product clear of living tissue, build the structure with a controlled bead sequence, and manage the extended time without abandoning the clean-up block.

Topic 5 — Workstation Preparation for Next Client (10 min). Complete the clean-up of the workstation so it is genuinely ready for another client. At the very end, PSI instructs candidates to make sure the floor is clear of debris, the workstation has been cleaned with disinfectant, all brought items are cleared, and trash and supplies are returned to the kit to be carried out — then raise a hand and wait for the proctor to sign off the work area.