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Going National!
By the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology
As you may already know, the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (Board) will now administer the national written examination beginning May 1, 2009. What does this mean, you ask? Like 32 other states in the country, the Board is contracting out with a provider of national examinations solely in the barbering, cosmetology and electrology fields to ensure that the content of our examinations are valid, reliable, current, and conforms to industry standards.
The new written examination will continue to be administered through computerized testing. The scope of the exams has not changed and neither has the pass criteria. What has changed is a bigger question pool that is developed through studies of practitioners throughout the country and is based on current Board statutes and regulations. For the cosmetology and manicurist exams, this includes the most recent update to our health and safety regulations, which pertain to cleaning and disinfecting pedicure footspas.
Administering the national examination also brings California to an equal level of testing and competency with the majority of other states in the country. This will greatly improve the prospect of other states granting reciprocity to California licensees.
The written examinations for all license types will be available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The Board’s applications for examination, re-examination, interpreters, and interpreter models have been revised to reflect the new languages available. The use of an interpreter will not be allowed if the preferred language of the candidate is available in the examinations offered by the Board. The Board has also updated the approved text and reference book list and is available on our Web site at www.barbercosmo.ca.gov.
To obtain more information regarding the national written examination, including candidate information bulletins, please visit www.nictesting.org.
The Board hopes you will welcome this positive change to its written examinations.
– Reprinted from the California Stylist, July 2009 issue
