1.1 Current Exam Facts

Washington's nail license is easy to misname, and that mix-up shows up on applications, exam registrations, and shop conversations. Get the identity, the two-exam structure, the passing standard, and the vendor right on the first pass so you do not waste a testing window or apply under the wrong credential.

Why These Facts Matter

The Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) does not write a Washington-only theory test for this license. It uses the NIC National Nail Technology exams and then layers Washington passing, expiration, and retake rules on top. If you study only salon skills and ignore the exam mechanics, you can perform well in clinic and still stall the application because a score expired, a retake was attempted too soon, or you registered under the wrong name.

A student at a Tacoma school who tells a front-desk manager "I am testing for my nail technician license" is using the everyday name. The license DOL will print says Manicurist. Both names point to the same credential. The statute, the fee table, and the application all use manicurist.

Official Title Versus Everyday Name

Under RCW 18.16, the official Washington license title is Manicurist. The National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) and most textbooks use nail technician or nail technology. Washington did not create a second license. One person, one scope, one license.

That naming split has practical consequences:

• School transcripts and NIC candidate information bulletins (CIBs) will say nail technology.
• DOL applications, WAC fee tables, and the printed wall license will say manicurist.
• A Washington cosmetologist may perform basic manicuring and pedicuring but not the application and removal of sculptured or otherwise artificial nails. Acrylics, gels, tips, and similar enhancements require the manicurist license.

If a Shoreline salon owner asks whether your "nail tech" card covers acrylic fills, the legal answer is: the manicurist license covers the full practice of manicuring, including artificial nails. A cosmetology-only license does not. You will study that scope in Chapter 2; for this chapter, remember that exam registration, DOL forms, and NIC all describe the same career.

Who Regulates You

DOL has an advisory board, but DOL issues the license. You do not apply to NIC for a Washington credential. You sit NIC exams through the current vendor, then you apply to DOL.

The Two Exams You Must Pass

Washington requires both a written (theory) exam and a practical (performance) exam. Since October 1, 2013, DOL has used NIC Practical and NIC Written for this license, with a 75% passing standard. WAC 308-20-120 restates that as a scaled score of 75 on both the written and the performance examinations.

You cannot skip one exam because you are already good at nails. A candidate who nails the practical in a Spokane testing room still has no license until the theory exam is also at 75 and the hours are complete.

Written exam: NIC National Nail Technology Theory

The current Candidate Information Bulletin is effective September 1, 2025 and was revised March 1, 2026. The theory exam contains:

• 110 items total
• 100 scored items
• 10 pretest items that do not count toward the score
• 90 minutes of testing time

Pretest items are mixed in. You will not be told which 10 are unscored. Treat every item as live. The domains in later chapters of this guide — infection control, anatomy, chemistry, pre-service, tools, manicure and pedicure, enhancements, and post-service — are the NIC theory blueprint, not a Washington-only outline.

Ninety minutes for 110 items is a pacing problem as much as a knowledge problem. That is about 49 seconds per item if you use the full clock. Flag and return; do not donate five minutes to a chemistry item you can revisit.

Practical exam: NIC National Nail Technology Practical

The practical is a timed, proctored performance exam. The CIB effective September 1, 2025 (revised March 1, 2026) organizes seven core domains:

1. Work area and client prep / set up (15 minutes)
2. Basic water manicure and polish (20 minutes) plus polish removal (5 minutes)
3. New client work area (10 minutes)
4. Full-well nail tip application and blending (15 minutes)
5. Sculptured nail (20 minutes) — low-odor monomer, factory sealed
6. Removal of sculptured nail (20 minutes)
7. Blood exposure procedure (individual)

Washington does not substitute a state practical for this NIC practical. You still follow Washington sanitation law in the salon after you are licensed; on exam day you follow the NIC CIB, including labeled containers (To be disinfected, Soiled linens, Trash), English labels, EPA-registered disinfectant wipes (sprays are not allowed in testing), and a full mannequin hand with no removable digits.

Passing Score and What 75 Means

WAC 308-20-120 requires a scaled score of 75 on both exams. DOL's historical table for October 1, 2013 to the present matches that: NIC Practical and NIC Written, 75%.

A scaled score is not 75 questions correct out of 110. Because 10 items are pretest, only 100 items are scored, and NIC converts raw performance to a scaled score. Your job is to clear 75 on each exam independently. A 90 on theory does not average with a 70 on practical.

Scenario: Jordan finishes a 600-hour program in Kent, scores 82 on theory in June, and scores 71 on the practical the same week. Jordan has one passing result and one failing result. Jordan may retake the practical — not more than once per day under WAC 308-20-122 — and must still hold a valid passing theory score when applying.

How Long a Passing Result Lasts

WAC 308-20-120(6) is the expiration rule students forget. Exam results expire three years from the exam date. If you pass theory in August 2026 and wait until September 2029 to pass the practical and apply, the theory result is gone. You retest.

This is why sitting early (the 100-hour window in the next section) is not an invitation to bank a score and then delay the rest of the path for years. Pass both exams, finish hours, and apply while both scores are live.

Exam Vendor and Fees in 2026

As of 2026 the vendor is Prov (provexam.com). DOL's FAQ states that the vendor site launched April 15, 2026, and that Washington continues to use the same NIC exams. Do not study for a Prov exam. Prov is the scheduler and test-delivery vendor. NIC writes the content.

Current candidate fees through Prov:

Those fees are exam-administration charges, not the DOL license application fee. You pay Prov to test; you later pay DOL to apply.

Retakes: WAC 308-20-122 allows a failed exam to be retaken, but no more than once per day. If you fail the practical at 9 a.m., you cannot sit it again that afternoon. Schedule the next eligible day, rest, and treat the CIB timing as seriously as the skills.

Scenario: Mei fails theory on a Tuesday in Bellevue. She wants to get it over with Wednesday morning and sit the practical Wednesday afternoon. The once-per-day rule would allow a theory retake on Wednesday, but stacking a weak second attempt without reviewing the 110-item blueprint wastes the $169 written fee. The practical is a separate $119 exam. Failures are independent; fees do not transfer.

What This Section Will Not Invent

Washington does not publish a passing-rate table by school in the materials this guide uses, and NIC does not tell you which 10 items are pretest. Do not memorize rumor cut scores such as you can miss 25 questions. Memorize the official structure: 110 items, 100 scored, 90 minutes, scaled 75, both exams, results good for three years, vendor Prov, written $169, practical $119, retake at most once per day.