6.1 Practical Exam Rules, Kit & the Basic Set-Up Segment

Who Administers the Practical, and How It Is Graded

Quick Answer: The Nevada nail technology practical is administered by the Nevada State Board of Cosmetology, not Pearson VUE, and it is graded Pass/Fail. NAC 644A.290 sets the standard for a nail technologist as "not less than 75 percent on the theory examination and a 'Pass' on the practical examination." There is no percentage score and no partial credit on the practical.

Where you test depends on your route:

The two Board offices are Las Vegas, 8945 West Russell Road, Suite 200 and Reno, 740 Del Monte Lane, Suite 12. Board hours are 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Thursday; reach the testing department at 702-508-0015, info@nvcosmo.com, or testing@nvcosmo.com. Do not call Pearson VUE about the practical — they deliver only the theory and law exams.

The Four Graded Segments

The Board's Nail Technology Practical Exam guide sets four segments. Each segment is timed and graded separately.

Before each segment you are given 2 minutes to set up. Do not begin any service until instructed. When a segment is finished — or when time expires — the examiner moves on, so step back to signal that you are done.

Exam Rules That Cause Failures

These rules come straight from the Board's practical guide, and several of them fail candidates outright:

• Incomplete kits will result in a failed segment. You are responsible for bringing every required supply. The examiner supplies nothing except the LED nail lamp.
• Sanitize your hands before accessing your kit and before starting all exam segments.
• The kit is considered a clean, dry, closed container for disinfected implements only, and items may not be returned to the kit once removed. The kit must remain closed for the duration of the exam.
• At the end of each segment you must properly clean and disinfect your station, placing all used items in the correct receptacles to demonstrate proper disposal of single-use items, soiled implements requiring disinfection, and soiled linens requiring laundering.
• Cheating is strictly prohibited and results in automatic failure.
• Talking is strictly prohibited and results in automatic failure. There is no model to talk to and no reason to speak to the examiner mid-segment — stepping back is how you communicate.

If You Drop an Implement

Dropping something is survivable; mishandling it is not. The published procedure is:

1. Stop the service immediately and do not use the dropped item.
2. Place the item in its appropriate receptacle.
3. Sanitize your hands.
4. Retrieve a clean, disinfected replacement from your kit and continue while maintaining proper infection control.

You are permitted to bring "extra" items in case an implement is dropped — and you should. This mirrors NAC 644A.740(1)(d), which requires any tool dropped on the floor or otherwise contaminated to go into a separate labeled container for soiled articles and not be used again until thoroughly disinfected.

The Kit: Container, Bags, and Labels

All supplies used throughout the exam must fit into a clear plastic container of approximately 16" x 16" x 16". Inside it:

• Gallon-size plastic bags labeled for each segment. Label each bag with the segment and service name in English.
• One sandwich-size plastic bag labeled "biohazard waste."
• Three paper bags labeled "Trash," "Soiled Linen," and "Items to be disinfected."

Every item in your kit must also be labeled in English. An unlabeled bottle is both a practical-exam problem and a live-salon violation — NAC 644A.755(8) requires all bottles and containers to be distinctly and correctly labeled with their contents.

Published Supply List

Provided by the exam proctor — do not pack it: the LED nail lamp. Odorless monomer will be provided for you if you are testing at the Board office.

Notice the pattern in mock products: the cuticle remover, the massage product, and the warm towel are mock items. The Board is grading your procedure, not the chemistry of a real service on a mannequin.

Segment 1 — Basic Set-Up (10 Minutes)

You have 10 minutes to prepare your workstation and set up the basic supplies used throughout your exam. During this time, you will set up your implements for the gel manicure.

Work in this order:

1. Sanitize your hands before you touch the kit.
2. Place the three labeled paper bags — Trash, Soiled Linen, Items to be disinfected — where you can reach them without crossing over clean supplies.
3. Place the biohazard waste bag where it is visible and reachable for the blood exposure segment.
4. Open the kit, remove the gel manicure gallon bag, and close the kit again. Remember: the kit stays closed, and nothing goes back in.
5. Lay out the gel manicure implements and products in order of use, keeping disinfected implements separated from anything used.
6. Position the mannequin hand and the hand sanitizer within reach.
7. Step back when the station is ready.

Set-up is not a warm-up — it is a graded segment. Examiners are watching whether disinfected implements stay separate from used ones, whether your labeled receptacles are correct and in English, and whether you sanitized your hands before touching anything.