1.1 Exam Format & Current Facts

Exam Format and Current Facts

Quick answer: The current Tennessee PSI cosmetologist 1010 Test Taker Guide, v1.2 effective October 1, 2026, specifies 125 scored questions plus 15 unscored questions, or 140 theory items, with 180 minutes to complete the theory test. The separate practical examination is approximately 235 minutes. Tennessee requires at least 70% on each required examination, and theory must be passed before practical is scheduled. The current outline’s printed percentages add to 80%, so they cannot honestly be presented as a complete 100% distribution.

Who Tests and Who Licenses

The Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, within the Department of Commerce and Insurance, regulates cosmetology licensing and practice. PSI administers the examinations and supplies the test-registration, delivery and score-reporting instructions. Direct a scheduling or testing question to PSI; direct a licence-status, permitted-practice or Board-rule question to the Board.

There are two separate assessments: a computer-based theory examination of professional knowledge and a hands-on practical examination using the prescribed service tasks. Passing one does not replace the other. A passing report also is not itself a licence: complete the applicable licensing steps and confirm authorization before practising. Training routes and fees are discussed in the following sections; do not confuse them with examination content weights.

Current Theory Facts

The specific current content-outline statement says 125 scored and 15 non-scored questions. An older 125-total/115-scored/10-unscored description and its 120-minute time limit do not describe this version. A generic experimental-question paragraph in the guide is less specific than the credential’s current specific scored/unscored statement; use the latter for these exam facts.

What Unscored Questions Mean

Experimental or pretest questions allow the testing program to evaluate potential future items. They do not contribute to the reported score. Do not guess which items count or decide that an unfamiliar question is harmless to skip. Give every item a serious response and use the review functions while the examination remains active.

The arithmetic is straightforward: 125+15=140 items, and all 140 consume some of the available 180 minutes. The 70% passing standard must not be multiplied by 140 to invent a required correct-answer count, because 15 items are unscored. This section also does not infer an integer cut-score or rounding policy from 125×70%; follow PSI’s official result rather than treating editorial arithmetic as a scoring rule.

Timing, Review and Results

For planning only, 180 minutes divided by 140 items is about 1.286 minutes, or 77.14 seconds per item on average. This is not a separate timer for each question. Straightforward recall can take less time; a longer scenario can take more. Build a review reserve, monitor the total time and avoid spending an excessive share on one difficult item. Follow the tutorial and current instructions for reviewing answers before submitting the completed test.

The guide describes immediate on-screen results for computer testing and an official report emailed within 24 hours for online testing. Read the report and keep it; it controls your next administrative steps. A diagnostic report can help target weak areas after a non-passing result. Practice-set performance, including this guide’s quizzes, does not guarantee a passing official score.

Remote Delivery and a Test Center

The Tennessee Board and PSI portal describe test-center and remote options for theory and practical. Availability and technical arrangements are appointment-specific. Remote candidates must satisfy PSI’s current computer, camera, check-in, room and workspace requirements; follow the actual delivery tutorial and confirmation rather than assuming that any laptop or home room qualifies. The live portal’s mobile/second-camera instructions are particularly relevant to remote preparation.

At a test center, follow its arrival, identification, storage and security rules. In either mode, do not introduce unauthorized notes, reference materials, devices or assistance. A device required for an approved remote check-in/camera function is used only as PSI directs; that is not general permission to use a phone during the examination. Arrange accommodations through the designated approval process before testing.

The Practical Examination

The current guide describes the practical as approximately 235 minutes, with eleven timed topic areas. Its published task list includes initial workstation preparation, manicure, a formed nail enhancement, facial work, eyebrow waxing/tweezing, haircutting, chemical waving, hydroxide-relaxer application, colour lift, permanent-colour deposit and preparation for the next client.

This is a performance assessment: practise preparing and handling your kit, protecting the client/mannequin, keeping clean and used items separate, and responding correctly to contamination while completing the actual task. Safety and infection control matter throughout; they do not replace the other task criteria or guarantee a pass. Follow the current guide for products, manufacturer labels, permitted simulations, mannequin requirements, disposal containers and the evaluator’s timed instructions. The task durations are not a promise that the entire appointment, including administrative steps, takes exactly 235 minutes.

Ten Current Areas and the Percentage Discrepancy

The current v1.2 table names the following areas. The figures below reproduce what is actually printed; they are not a corrected complete blueprint.

The discrepancy is material: 24+16+2+2+8+10+3+3+6+6=80. It is not legitimate to silently turn each number into a share of 80 and call the resulting normalized figures official, add 20% to Tennessee law, or assume a missing digit in a particular category. A complete corrected allocation is unknown from this table alone. Confirm an updated outline with PSI before building a strictly proportional study schedule or interpreting percentages as exact question counts.

Build a Useful Study Plan Anyway

Review all ten named areas, including lash/brow safety and the separately named colour and texture areas. Diagnose weak competencies with mixed practice, then study the underlying principle and check it in another scenario. Keep Tennessee licensing and shop-law revision alongside this preparation without inventing a new weighted national-law category.

For example, a client requests a chemical wave after a previous relaxer. A sound response combines consultation, hair/scalp analysis, chemical history and compatibility, product instructions, and a decision to defer unsafe processing. It is not solved by knowing a domain percentage. Use the current official guide for examination logistics and the current Board rules for actual legal practice, while treating the complete 100% weight distribution as unresolved.

Sources checked October 30, 2026: PSI current cosmetologist 1010 guide v1.2, Tennessee Board examination information, and current licensing rules. Reopen the live PSI portal before your appointment because exam-owner instructions can change.