The Florida Cosmetology Exam

The examination for a cosmetology license has two parts, both written: a theory examination and a clinical examination. Both must be passed before licensure, and the passing score is 75 on a 0–100 scale. The theory part is weighted across five subject areas, with safety and sanitation carrying by far the most.

Two parts, and both are written

The rule is explicit: the examination “shall consist of two parts, a written theory examination and a written clinical examination, both parts must be successfully completed prior to licensure” (Rule 61G5-18.003).

The clinical examination is written. The rule describes no hands-on practical component, which surprises people who have trained in states that have one.

What the theory part weighs

The Department administers the written theory examination, and the rule sets out the subjects and their approximate weights:

subject	weight
General Safety and Sanitation Procedures	34%
Client Services	24%
Facial, Make-up, and Hair Removal	16%
Manicuring and Pedicuring	16%
Professional/Legal and Ethical Laws and Rules	10%

Safety and sanitation is a third of the paper on its own — more than twice any other single subject, and more than client services and legal rules combined.

The passing score

“Candidates’ scores will be converted to a scale of 0 to 100; the minimum passing score as determined by the Board shall be set at 75 on that scale. All forms of the examination are statistically equated so that the relative passing scores remain equivalent” (Rule 61G5-18.003(2)(b)).

That last sentence matters: because forms are statistically equated, a harder form does not mean a harder pass.

Before you can sit it

The examination is the last of the licensing requirements, and a student may sit it at 1,000 hours rather than 1,200 if their school director certifies them — with a consequence for failing, set out under the training hours.

Who administers it

The rule names no vendor — it says the Department administers the examination. The Department’s own Candidate Information Booklet for the cosmetology licensure examinations, effective February 2026, names the arrangement:

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation has retained the services of Pearson VUE to schedule, administer, score and report the results for computer based testing.

Reservations are made through that service, by telephone or online. The booklet tells candidates to report to the test centre thirty minutes before the scheduled examination.

What it costs

The examination fee for licensure by examination is $50 (Rule 61G5-24.002(1)(b)). Where the examination is conducted by a professional testing service, $49.50 of that is payable to the service rather than to the Department.

That is separate from the $40 original licensure fee (Rule 61G5-24.002(1)(a)), which an applicant by examination pays as well. The statute caps both at $50 (s. 477.026(1)(a) and (b)) — a ceiling, not the price. The price is the rule’s, and it moves when the Board amends the rule.

Failing it

A candidate who fails to achieve the required passing score on the examination may be reexamined upon submission of a reexamination application.

The statute is blunter about the same thing: an applicant who fails any part “may not practice as a cosmetologist and may immediately apply for reexamination”. There is no waiting period in either.

What this page still does not say

It does not state the number of questions or the time allowed. Neither is in the rule, and the booklet says only that “time limits are generous” — which is not a figure, and this site does not turn a reassurance into one.