1.1 Current NY Esthetician Exam Facts & How to Use This Guide

Who Licenses New York Estheticians

In New York State, esthetician licensing is not handled by a national board — it is administered directly by the New York State Department of State (NYSDOS), Division of Licensing Services. This is the same state agency that licenses cosmetologists, nail specialists, natural hair stylists, waxing specialists, and appearance enhancement businesses under the umbrella term "appearance enhancement." The Division of Licensing Services publishes current requirements, fee schedules, and application instructions at https://dos.ny.gov/esthetics, and that page should be your first stop any time you want to confirm a detail against the official source rather than a third-party test-prep summary.

Because NYSDOS runs the program, "the exam" for an NY esthetician license is actually two exams, scheduled separately.

Two Separate Exams: Written and Practical

1. Written Exam — A multiple-choice exam built directly from the state-approved 600-hour pre-licensing curriculum (19 NYCRR §162.2, covered in the next section). Candidates are given a 2.5-hour time limit to complete it.

2. Practical Exam — A hands-on skills demonstration in which a candidate performs esthetics procedures under the observation of a state-approved examiner.

Both exams must be passed to become licensed, but they are booked as separate appointments, and many candidates end up taking them on different days.

How the Written Exam Is Scored

This is one of the most misunderstood facts about the NY exam, so it's worth stating precisely: the written exam is scored strictly pass/fail. NYSDOS does not report a numerical score to candidates, and the state has not published an official minimum percentage required to pass. You will not receive a "you scored 82%" result — you will simply be told whether you passed or failed.

You will see third-party test-prep sites and forums cite a passing threshold of "around 70%." Treat that number for what it is: an unofficial, third-party estimate based on typical NYSDOS-family licensing exams, not a published cutoff from the Department of State. Do not build your study strategy around hitting one exact percentage — build it around mastering the full curriculum, since you don't know in advance which questions from which topics you'll draw, and every content area listed in §162.2 is fair game.

A passing result on both exams (once written and practical are both passed and the rest of the application is complete) remains valid for 5 years from the date you pass.

Scheduling, Fees & Where to Apply

Both exams are scheduled online through the same New York State e-Licensing system, accessed with a NY.gov ID through "My NY.gov Online Services." You'll use this same online account to submit your license application, upload required documentation, pay fees, schedule your written and practical exam appointments, and later check your license status or process a renewal.

Fees are paid per-item as you move through the process — the application fee is separate from each exam fee, and both exam fees are separate from each other since the exams are scheduled independently. If you fail an exam and need to retake it, expect to pay that exam's fee again when you reschedule.

How This Study Guide Is Organized

This guide is built directly around the two things that determine whether you pass: the official 19 NYCRR §162.2 curriculum (what NYSDOS requires your school to teach you) and the practice-question bank categories used throughout this course (what you'll actually be quizzed on here). The chapters map like this:

• Chapter 1 (this chapter): Licensing law and exam logistics — GBL Article 27, 19 NYCRR Parts 160/162, exam format, fees, renewal, and discipline. Maps to the state-regulations practice-question category.
• Chapter 2: Infection control, sanitation, and safety — bloodborne pathogens, disinfection, OSHA, and the NY sanitary code (19 NYCRR Part 160). Maps to sanitation-safety.
• Chapters 3–4: Anatomy, physiology, and skin science — the integumentary system, skin typing, and disorders and diseases. Maps to skin-science.
• Chapters 5–8: Chemistry, equipment, facial and body treatments, hair removal, and makeup — the hands-on service curriculum. Maps to skin-care-services.
• Chapter 9: Business practices, ethics, and career skills. Maps to business-ethics.
• Chapter 10: Final review and exam-day strategy for both the written and practical exams.

Each section in this guide ends with a short quiz so you can check your understanding before moving on. Because the written exam draws from the full 600-hour curriculum rather than a narrow test-prep syllabus, resist the temptation to skip chapters that feel less "exam-like" (business practices, career skills) — NYSDOS structured the curriculum that way on purpose, and every named subject area in §162.2 can appear on your written exam.

Quick Reference: Key Exam Facts

Keep this table handy as you plan your study schedule — it condenses the logistics you'll need to confirm and act on before test day.

One logistics point worth internalizing now: because the written and practical exams are booked as separate appointments in the same online system, double-check your confirmation emails for each one individually — mixing up a written-exam confirmation with a practical-exam confirmation (wrong date, wrong location, wrong required materials) is an avoidable, entirely administrative way to lose a testing slot and have to pay that exam's fee again.