PSI Texas Cosmetology Practical Exam: Kit, Procedures and Tips

The PSI Texas cosmetology practical exam is the hands-on half of your Texas cosmetology operator license. You perform a fixed series of services on mannequins while a PSI evaluator scores each step and each safety rule. This guide walks through the exam as described in the PSI Cosmetology Operator Candidate Information Bulletin for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR): what to bring, every section with its time limit and points, how scoring works, and how to prepare.

How do the Texas cosmetology exams work?

TDLR contracts with PSI Services to deliver its cosmetology exams. Once TDLR approves your eligibility, you get an email with scheduling instructions. You can then book online at the PSI TDLR site or by phone with PSI. Key rules from the bulletin:

• Order: you must pass the written exam before you can sit for the practical exam.
• Fees: $55 for the written exam and $76 for the practical. Fees are not refundable or transferable, and are forfeited if you don't test within one year of PSI receiving payment.
• Retakes: eligibility lasts five years with unlimited attempts, and each attempt needs a new fee. After a failed attempt you must wait 24 hours before scheduling again.
• Rescheduling: you can reschedule without losing your fee if PSI receives your notice at least two days before the exam date.
• ID: one valid government-issued photo ID whose details match the information TDLR sent to PSI.

The written exam has 100 scored questions, takes 120 minutes, and requires 70% to pass; see our cosmetology exam study guide for its outline. It can be taken at a test center or, when offered, online with a remote proctor. The practical is taken in person.

Where can you take the practical exam?

The January 2026 bulletin lists practical exam sites in these eight areas:

• Amarillo, Austin, Dallas/Richardson and El Paso
• Houston (Northwest), McAllen, Midland and San Antonio

Check the exact street address in your confirmation. The bulletin makes it your responsibility to go to the correct site, and practical sites can differ from written-exam sites in the same city.

What to bring: kit and labeling rules

You bring every supply and piece of equipment needed for all services. You can't leave the exam area once you're signed in, so a missing item can't be fetched. The bulletin's supply list falls into three groups:

Other rules that catch people out:

• Nail liquid must be odorless and clearly marked “odorless” on the manufacturer's label. Examiners check it before the exam.
• Aerosol products are not allowed.
• No markings or coloring on the mannequin's hair, scalp, hairline, hands or fingers.
• No cheat sheets or written notes, such as task lists on containers or numbered items. Using them costs every procedure point in the exam. A bag identifying which service it's for is allowed.
• Trainer hands are not permitted for nail procedures, and cell phones are not allowed in the exam room.
• All supplies must be clean, sanitary and unstained.

The 13 sections, time limits and points

Sections run in a fixed order. The evaluator reads instructions, keeps time, and gives a halfway warning. At the end of each section you step back and raise your hand.

A few section details worth knowing in advance:

• Haircut (42 minutes): remove at least one inch of hair throughout the entire head with a layered cut of your choice, using both a razor with a guard and shears. The first three steps (sanitize hands, prepare the mannequin, perform a scalp analysis) must be done in order.
• Permanent wave (22 minutes): wrap a minimum of six rods in the center back section, then show saturation and a test curl when instructed.
• Blow drying and thermal curling (22 minutes): blow dry one section, establish a base, then place one curl on-base and one off-base.
• Chemical block: prepare the mannequin in four sections with protective cream and gloves, then do foil highlights on two subsections (not timed), a virgin relaxer application, and a relaxer retouch assuming two inches of regrowth. Use simulated products.
• Facial (17 minutes): remove eye makeup and lipstick, cleanse, then demonstrate effleurage, petrissage and tapotement before finishing with toner and moisturizer.

How is the practical exam scored?

Each procedure criterion and each safety criterion is worth 1 point. Safety criteria repeat in most sections: properly dispose of waste, keep the work area and kit sanitary, replace contaminated items, keep containers closed, avoid cross-contamination, and keep draping in place. That's why sanitation habits matter as much as technique.

• Total possible: 119 points. Passing: 70%, which is 84 points.
• Steps must be performed in the order listed unless the bulletin says otherwise, or they earn no points.
• Anything not completed within the time limit earns no points, and the time includes setup and cleanup.
• Evaluators can't discuss results, and there is no review of the practical exam.
• You get your score report through your PSI test taker account.

Tips to pass the Texas practical exam

1. Print the bulletin's content outline and practice each section exactly as written, in order, with a timer.
2. Do at least two full run-throughs of all 13 sections back to back. That's the only way to build stamina for 3½ hours.
3. Pack your kit by section in clearly identified bags. Label only what the bulletin says to label, and nothing else.
4. Make sanitation automatic: sanitize your hands at the start of each service, close every container after use, and replace anything dropped.
5. Use the halfway warning to check your pace. Leave time to clean up within each section.
6. Arrive 30 minutes early in closed-toe shoes, with your ID and every supply.

Frequently asked questions

PSI Exams Prep is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by PSI Services LLC. Exam details change and vary by state. Always confirm requirements in the official Candidate Information Bulletin for your exam.