1.1 Exam Format & Current Facts

1.1 Exam Format & Current Facts

Quick Answer: The Texas Class A Barber written exam is a closed-book, computer-based test delivered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). It contains 85 scored multiple-choice items to be completed in 90 minutes, plus 8 non-scored items in a separate 10-minute segment. The fee is $55 and you must score at least 70% to pass.

Every fact in this section comes from the Barber License Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) dated January 1, 2026, which PSI publishes for TDLR and which TDLR links from its barbering and cosmetology exam information page, plus TDLR's own pages. Numbers on unofficial websites are frequently wrong — popular "barber license" sites still claim a 75-question or 100-question exam, and older PSI bulletins still floating around the web give different fees and a different content outline. Pull the current CIB from TDLR's exam page before you pay, and treat that document as final if anything here ever disagrees with it.

Exam Facts at a Glance

Scored vs. Non-Scored Items

The exam actually presents 93 items in total, but only 85 of them count toward your score. The remaining 8 are non-scored pretest items — questions PSI is trying out for possible use on future exam forms. PSI collects statistics on how candidates perform on these items before deciding whether they are fair and reliable enough to become scored questions.

Two practical consequences follow. First, the non-scored items are delivered in their own 10-minute segment, so they do not eat into your 90 minutes for the scored portion. Second, you will never be told which items are non-scored, and pretest items are written to look exactly like real ones. The only sensible strategy is to treat every question as if it counts. Never skip an item on the theory that it might be a pretest question — there is no way to identify one, and guessing wrong about it costs real points.

The 70% Passing Standard

You must answer at least 70% of the 85 scored items correctly to pass. That works out to roughly 60 correct answers. Notice what this means for pacing: you can miss about 25 questions and still pass, so a handful of genuinely hard questions should never rattle you. Flag them, take your best answer, and keep moving.

With 90 minutes for 85 scored items, you have just over one minute per question — about 63 seconds on average. Barbering exam questions are short, single-best-answer multiple choice, and most candidates finish with time to spare. The risk is not running out of time; it is misreading a question by rushing. Budget one pass through all 85 items, then use remaining time to review flagged questions only.

The Content Blueprint

TDLR and PSI publish a fixed blueprint that tells you exactly how many of the 85 scored items come from each content domain. This blueprint is your single most important study-planning tool, because it tells you where the points are:

The CIB publishes item counts only; the share column is simply each count out of 85, rounded, so you can see the proportions at a glance.

Infection Control dominates the exam at 25 items — nearly 30% of everything that is scored. Add Shaving (15) and Licensing and Regulation (13) and just three domains account for 53 of the 85 items, well over 60% of the exam.

The allocation that surprises people runs the other way: the four "salon service" domains everyone enjoys practising — Haircoloring (6), Chemical Texture Services (6), Hair and Scalp Care (4) and Nail and Skin Care (4) — are worth only 20 items between them, less than Infection Control on its own. Texas law and sanitation, by contrast, are worth 38.

Candidates who fail usually do so because they spent their time on the haircutting and chemical services they enjoy practicing and neglected sanitation rules, disinfection procedures, and Texas-specific regulations. Study in proportion to the blueprint, not in proportion to what you like.

How Hard Is It, Really?

TDLR publishes pass and fail counts every fiscal year, and the Class A Barber written exam is genuinely difficult. In fiscal year 2025, 3,150 of 8,457 candidates passed the written exam — a 37.25% pass rate, with a further 1,518 no-shows. Fiscal year 2024 was 40.84%. The practical exam runs the other way: 2,669 of 2,972 candidates passed in FY2025, 89.80%.

Read those two numbers together and the strategy writes itself. Nearly nine in ten candidates can already do the work with their hands; fewer than four in ten can pass a closed-book theory test on it. The written exam is the real gate, and it rewards deliberate recall practice against the blueprint above — not more time on the floor.

Closed Book Means Closed Book

The written exam is closed book. No notes, textbooks, reference cards, phones, or smart devices are permitted while testing. Everything you need must be memorized — infection-control procedures, chemical safety rules, Texas licensing law, and the structure of the haircutting and shaving services. This is why recall practice (quizzing yourself) beats re-reading as a study method.

Where and How You Test

PSI offers two delivery channels:

• PSI test centers. Physical, proctored testing sites located across Texas and in other states. You sit at a PSI workstation in a monitored room.
• Remote online proctoring. You test from your own computer at home or another private location while a live remote proctor watches via webcam and monitors your screen. Your space must be private and clear of prohibited materials, and your computer must pass a system compatibility check before exam day.

Both options deliver the same exam, the same blueprint, and the same 70% standard. Choose the test center if your home internet is unreliable or you cannot guarantee a private room; choose remote proctoring if travel to a center is burdensome and your equipment is solid.

Languages and Scheduling

TDLR offers the Class A Barber examination in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Simplified Chinese in addition to English, at no extra cost. If you plan to test in a language other than English you must select it when you schedule; for any other language you may request a translation through PSI at your own expense, or bring a bound word-to-word translation dictionary containing no pictures or definitions. You schedule and pay through PSI, and if you need to move your appointment you must reschedule at least 2 days before your exam date to avoid losing your fee.

Common Traps About the Format

• Believing the exam is 100 questions. It is 85 scored items plus 8 non-scored; older prep materials often cite outdated formats.
• Assuming the 10-minute segment is optional. It is a required part of the testing session.
• Treating 70% as a curved grade. It is a fixed criterion — no curve rescues a weak performance.
• Studying only practical skills. The written exam never asks you to demonstrate a haircut; it asks you to recall rules, procedures, chemistry, and law.