1.3 The PSI National Esthetician Practical Examination
Key Takeaways
- The practical examination has five timed topic areas: workstation preparation (10 min), basic facial (25 min), eyebrow waxing and tweezing, makeup application (25 min), and end-of-day clean-up (10 min).
- Every topic area is scored on the same two criteria as the skill itself: adherence to workplace infection control precautions and adherence to workplace safety precautions.
- Services are demonstrated on a manikin under the updated PSI national practical; PSI's program guidance states that no models are allowed.
- Candidates supply their own closable kit no larger than 24 by 24 by 24 inches, plus two labeled disposal containers marked Single-use and Multi-use.
- The required basic facial steps are cleanse, mask, massage and moisturize, with a demonstrated steam-towel wring-out and temperature test; there is no required order.
A Safety Examination Wearing a Skills Costume
Candidates prepare for the practical as though it were a beauty competition. It is not. PSI states the scoring principle plainly: scores are based on the candidate displaying a solid knowledge of workplace infection control and safety precautions. There is no required style or technique a school must teach or a candidate must perform. Two of the three evaluation lines in every topic area are literally "adheres to workplace infection control precautions" and "adheres to workplace safety precautions." You can produce a beautiful facial and still fail by contaminating your kit.
The same 70% minimum from Rule 0440-01-.09(1) applies to the practical.
What You Bring
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Supply kit | One closable container holding every product, supply and piece of equipment needed. Dimensions must not exceed 24" x 24" x 24". |
| Disposal containers | Two, one labeled "Single-use" and one labeled "Multi-use". Every item used in the examination goes into one of them. |
| Manikin | One manikin is sufficient for the whole examination; the same manikin may be used across topic areas. |
| Product labeling | Products that would not require a Safety Data Sheet in a real business may be simulated with a self-created or actual label. Any product that would require an SDS must be presented in its original container with the manufacturer's label attached. |
| Identification | Your name and your school's name must be covered on your person and on your supplies. |
Electronics of any kind are prohibited in the testing facility. Personal timers are not allowed — the proctor keeps time and announces the five-minute warning. When the proctor says "please stop working," you stop immediately, stand quietly, and wait.
Under the updated PSI national practical, services are demonstrated on a manikin and PSI's program guidance states that no models are allowed. Test takers are not penalised for setting the manikin on the station before timing begins.
The Five Topic Areas
| # | Topic area | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Workstation Preparation | 10 minutes |
| 2 | Basic Facial | 25 minutes |
| 3 | Eyebrow Waxing and Tweezing | Varied timing |
| 4 | Makeup Application | 25 minutes |
| 5 | End of Day Clean Up | 10 minutes |
Topic Area 1 — Workstation Preparation (10 minutes)
You prepare a daily workstation from scratch. The evaluator is watching the order of operations: the surface is cleaned and disinfected before anything clean is placed on it, the kit stays closed except when you are actively drawing from it, and your hands are washed or sanitised before you begin. PSI's guidance treats the supply kit as the equivalent of the disinfected storage in a real esthetician's workstation — leaving it open, or returning a used item to it, is a contamination finding.
Topic Area 2 — Basic Facial (25 minutes)
This segment is broken into timed sub-blocks: set-up and client preparation, the facial itself, then clean-up. The required steps are cleanse, mask, massage and moisturize, and PSI states there is no specific order and no specific massage manipulations required. The moisturizer and the massage may be combined.
The one non-negotiable is the steam towel. A damp towel may be packed in a sealed bag, and you must demonstrate wringing the water out and testing the temperature — the standard demonstration is a test on the inside of the wrist before the towel goes anywhere near the face. Skipping the temperature test is a safety finding even if the towel is cool.
PSI also expects a gesture of analysis: for esthetic services, the candidate must show they would inspect the treatment area (the face) for abrasions or contraindications that would prevent service. You do not have to narrate a diagnosis; you have to demonstrate that you look before you touch.
Topic Area 3 — Eyebrow Waxing and Tweezing
PSI confirms the eyebrow waxing and tweezing topic area is identical for cosmetology and esthetics candidates. Critically, the evaluators are not looking for hairs to be removed. There is no need for hair on the manikin brow, and the "wax" may be a substitute such as petroleum jelly, cold cream or cholesterol cream. What is scored is safe bracing and sanitation — supporting the skin taut with the free hand, applying in the direction of growth and removing against it, never double-dipping the applicator, and disposing of used strips and applicators into the single-use container. A clean paper towel may be placed on the workstation for this topic area.
Each topic area should have its own supply bag. Universal supplies may remain on the workstation provided they are disinfected when needed.
Topic Area 4 — Makeup Application (25 minutes)
Ten minutes are allotted to set up the station and prepare the client, then the application itself. Scoring again centres on hygiene: decanting product onto a disposable artist's palette rather than working from the pan, single-use applicators and disposable mascara wands, and no returning a used applicator to a product container.
Topic Area 5 — End of Day Clean Up (10 minutes)
The closing segment tests the full decontamination cycle: multi-use implements cleaned with soap and water and placed into disinfectant, single-use items discarded into the correct labeled container, work surfaces cleaned and disinfected, and the station left in the condition Tennessee Rule 0440-02-.13(10) requires — all equipment, furnishings and work surfaces disinfected after service.
How Candidates Actually Lose Points
- Touching the face, then the kit, then a product, without re-sanitising hands.
- Double-dipping a wax applicator or a mask brush.
- Leaving the supply kit open on the workstation between tasks.
- Applying a steam towel without demonstrating the wring-out and temperature test.
- Mixing single-use and multi-use items in one disposal container.
- Failing to finish inside the topic-area time; no score is given for activities not completed within the allotted time.
During the eyebrow waxing and tweezing topic area, what are PSI evaluators primarily scoring?
What are the required steps of the basic facial on the PSI practical examination?
Which set of containers must a candidate bring to the PSI esthetician practical examination?
A candidate finishes the facial with time remaining, opens the supply kit, and drops the used mask brush back inside to keep the station tidy. How is this scored?