1.4 Sitting the Virginia Exams with Prov: Registration, Fees, Results & Retakes
Key Takeaways
- DPOR contracted Prov, Inc. to administer the Virginia barber and cosmetology examinations effective January 1, 2025; PSI no longer administers them.
- The Prov written exam fee is $99 and the practical exam fee is $95, identical for a first attempt and a retake, against a regulatory ceiling of $225 per candidate in 18VAC41-20-60 C.
- The NIC Cosmetology Theory Examination is 90 minutes and contains 110 items of which 100 are scored, and the Virginia form embeds 10 Virginia state-law items.
- Passing one of the two exams exempts a candidate from retaking it only if both are passed within one year of the initial examination date (18VAC41-20-60 B).
- A Virginia temporary licence lasts 90 days, costs nothing, is issued one time only, and requires work under the direct supervision of a licensee in the same scope of practice.
1.4 Sitting the Virginia Exams with Prov: Registration, Fees, Results & Retakes
Exam logistics are worth points twice: a handful of Virginia state-law items test the licensure process directly, and knowing the format stops you burning minutes on test day.
The vendor changed — Prov, not PSI
DPOR contracted Prov, Inc. (Sandy, Utah) to administer the Board for Barbers and Cosmetology examinations effective January 1, 2025, with candidate registration opening December 10, 2024. Study material that still names PSI Services LLC as the Virginia vendor is out of date. Prov administers the full slate of Board exams, including NIC Cosmetology written and practical.
The exam a Virginia cosmetology candidate takes is the NIC National Cosmetology Theory Examination written by the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology, with Virginia's 10 state-law items included in the Virginia form.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Theory exam length | 90 minutes |
| Items on the theory exam | 110 total, of which 100 are scored |
| Virginia state-law items inside the theory form | 10 (English only) |
| Answer options per item | 4 (numbered 1–4 on screen) |
| Guessing penalty | None — always answer every item |
| Written exam fee (Prov) | $99, same for a retake |
| Practical exam fee (Prov) | $95, same for a retake |
| Regulatory fee ceiling (18VAC41-20-60 C) | $225 per candidate |
| Results | Emailed 24 hours after the test; sent electronically to DPOR |
Passing score. Neither 18VAC41-20 nor Prov's Candidate Information Bulletin publishes a fixed percentage cut score for the Virginia examinations. Results arrive as pass or fail. Treat any "you need exactly 75%" claim as unverified — the Board does not publish one.
Where and how you test
Prov operates 14 written testing centres in Virginia, five of which also deliver the practical examination. Both the written and the practical exam must be taken in Virginia. Public-school students may test at a Prov centre or at a school-coordinated spring testing event.
Registration runs through Prov's self-registration portal: select the certifying body VA – Barber & Cosmetology, select the licence (and language), complete the application questions, and upload a passport-style photograph. The application routes to your school or to the Board for approval; scheduling unlocks after approval.
Two documentation rules trip candidates up:
- Criminal convictions must be reported on a Criminal Conviction Form together with a State Police Report from every state of conviction, issued within the last three months of the application attestation, uploaded at registration. Adjudicated juvenile-court convictions of a minor need not be reported.
- An expired Virginia licence of more than two years requires the candidate to take both the written and the practical examinations again — the same outcome 18VAC41-20-180 B produces.
The examination deadlines in 18VAC41-20-60
This is the highest-value regulation in the section because it contains three separate clocks.
| Rule | Provision |
|---|---|
| Applicants for initial licensure must pass both a practical and a written examination approved by the Board | 18VAC41-20-60 A |
| A candidate who passes either exam is not required to take it again — provided both are passed within one year of the initial examination date | 18VAC41-20-60 B |
| The examination or re-examination fee is set by competitively negotiated contract and will not exceed $225 per candidate | 18VAC41-20-60 C |
| A candidate who does not apply for initial licensure within five years of passing both exams must retake both | 18VAC41-20-60 D |
| A candidate who does not pass a re-examination within one year of the initial examination date must submit a new application | 18VAC41-20-60 E |
Prov's own retake policy is generous — failed examinations may be retaken as often as necessary with no waiting period — but the one-year regulatory clock in subsection B still runs. A candidate cannot retake an exam already passed unless the Commonwealth requires it.
Scheduling, cancellation, and test-day admission
- Cancel or reschedule at least seven days before the appointment. Rescheduling is free inside that window; a no-show or a late cancellation forfeits the exam fees.
- Doors open at least 15 minutes before the appointment. If you arrive after the testing session has begun you will be turned away, forfeit your fees, and must reschedule.
- Identification: a current, valid, photo-bearing ID with your signature — driver's licence, state ID, public-school student ID, passport, or military ID. Your first, middle name or initial, and last name must match your admission documents exactly. Temporary IDs without a signature and expired IDs are not accepted. You also sign a test-centre log and are photographed. Refusing either means dismissal and forfeited fees.
- Prohibited in the testing room: cameras, recorders, cell phones, computers, pagers, tablets, music players, smart watches, radios, electronic games, translation dictionaries, and any other electronic or recording device — plus purses, notebooks, study materials, briefcases, backpacks, wallets, pens and pencils, and food. Bulky clothing, scarves, hoodies, vests, jackets, and non-religious headgear may have to be removed.
- Emergency closure of a test centre reschedules the exam at no charge.
On screen you get a Flag button for items to revisit (flagging does not affect scoring), a Summary view showing unanswered and flagged items, and a Comment button that routes a content concern to Prov's Test Development Department for processing within two weeks. Proctors may never answer content questions. A restroom break does not stop the clock.
Language options
Prov offers the NIC written CIB and exam in several languages. For cosmetology the published options are Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese in addition to English. Two constraints: all practical exams are administered only in English, and the Virginia state-law questions are provided only in English. Accommodation is also never granted purely for limited English comprehension.
Who examines you — 18VAC41-20-80
- Examinations are administered by the Board or the designated testing service, and the practical examination must be supervised by a chief examiner.
- Every examiner must hold a current Virginia licence in the profession, have three or more years of active experience, and be currently practising.
- No certified instructor who is currently teaching, no school owner, and no apprentice sponsor may serve as an examiner.
- A chief examiner additionally needs one year of active experience as an examiner. A licensed cosmetologist may examine any licence type included in the cosmetology profession.
- Examiners and chief examiners must attend training workshops sponsored by the Board or the testing service.
- Failure to comply with Board and testing-service procedures at an examination is a ground for denial of application (80 E) and, for licensees, discipline under 18VAC41-20-280 (17).
The 90-day temporary licence — 18VAC41-20-90
A temporary licence lets an exam-eligible applicant work under the direct supervision of a currently licensed individual while the licence is finalised.
- No fee.
- Valid 90 days, and no subsequent temporary licence will be issued — it is a one-time document.
- The supervisor normally holds a licence in the same scope of practice. Extensions: licensed cosmetologists may also supervise nail and waxing temporary licence holders; estheticians and master estheticians may supervise waxing temporary holders; master barbers may supervise barber temporary holders.
- It will not be issued where grounds exist to deny a licence under § 54.1-204 or 18VAC41-20-20.
- Continuing to practise after a temporary licence expires may be prosecuted and fined by the Commonwealth under §§ 54.1-111 A 1 and 54.1-202.
Prov handles the request: temporary permits are asked for during exam registration, require sponsorship information and signatures, and are forwarded to the Board for issuance once approved.
Which organisation administers the Virginia cosmetology licensing examinations, and since when?
A candidate passes the Virginia practical exam in March but fails the written exam three times, finally passing it 14 months after her first attempt. What does 18VAC41-20-60 require?
How long is a Virginia cosmetology temporary licence valid, and what does it cost?