Free Pennsylvania Esthetician Theory/Procedural Skills Examination Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Pennsylvania Esthetician Theory/Procedural Skills Examination practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Before the first facial of the day, what must cover the facial-chair headrest?

   1. A. A clean cloth towel or unused disposable paper towel
   2. B. A sanitized reusable cape
   3. C. A freshly laundered neck strip
   4. D. A disinfected vinyl sheet

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Source text: "Only clean cloth towels or disposable paper towels shall be used on clients.". Pennsylvania requires a clean cloth towel or an unused disposable paper towel on the headrest before each facial, so a reusable cape or sheet is not the specified barrier.

   Reference: 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7. State Board Of Cosmetology — 49 Pa. Code § 7.93(b)

2. 2A client appears to have a communicable disease but offers to accept the risk. What must the Pennsylvania licensee do without medical documentation?

   1. A. Refuse the service
   2. B. Proceed with double gloves
   3. C. Limit the service to ten minutes
   4. D. Move the service outside the salon

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Source text: "A licensee shall refuse to serve a client whom the licensee believes has an infectious, contagious or communicable disease". Pennsylvania requires refusal when the licensee believes a client has an infectious, contagious, or communicable disease unless the client provides the specified physician certification.

   Reference: 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7. State Board Of Cosmetology — 49 Pa. Code § 7.97(a)

3. 3Which ingredient class is most directly useful when the goal is to attract and bind water in dry stratum corneum?

   1. A. Occlusive
   2. B. Humectant
   3. C. Color additive
   4. D. Surfactant

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Source text: "Humectants are compounds that attract and bind water." That function directly matches the stated goal.

   Reference: Moisturizers - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf — Humectants

4. 4In which direction should a hair be pulled during tweezing to minimize damage to its bulb?

   1. A. Across the follicular opening
   2. B. In the direction of hair growth
   3. C. Against growth at a right angle
   4. D. In alternating circular motions

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Source text: "in the direction of the hair growth to minimize damage to the hair bulb". Following the growth direction aligns extraction with the follicular path.

   Reference: Hair Evaluation Methods: Merits and Demerits - PMC — UAT epilation procedure

5. 5What is the service-level purpose of cosmetic camouflage makeup?

   1. A. To identify the medical cause of a lesion
   2. B. To hide visible scars or burns cosmetically
   3. C. To change pigment production permanently
   4. D. To replace prescribed dermatologic care

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Source text: "Medical makeup is a solution to hide scars and burns on the face as well as body". The task is visual camouflage, not clinical diagnosis or treatment.

   Reference: Makeup Therapy for Scars - Textbook on Scar Management - NCBI Bookshelf — Definition of medical makeup

6. 6What electrical principle moves a charged solution from an electrode during galvanic treatment?

   1. A. Unlike charges repel
   2. B. Like charges repel
   3. C. Neutral molecules repel all electrodes
   4. D. Heat reverses every ion

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Source text: "Iontophoresis enhances drug delivery across the skin by two principal mechanisms: electrorepulsion and electroosmosis.". Iontophoresis uses electrorepulsion: an electrode repels ions carrying the same charge.

   Reference: Iontophoresis: A Potential Emergence of a Transdermal Drug Delivery System - PMC — Electrorepulsion

7. 7An esthetician removes a cloth towel that has just contacted a client. Where must it go immediately?

   1. A. An open laundry basket
   2. B. A closed container for soiled linen
   3. C. A closed cabinet for clean linen
   4. D. A covered waste container

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Source text: "Only clean cloth towels or disposable paper towels shall be used on clients.". Section 7.93 requires a used cloth towel to be placed immediately in a closed soiled-linen container; the covered waste container is for used disposable paper towels.

   Reference: 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7. State Board Of Cosmetology — 49 Pa. Code § 7.93(a)

8. 8A client with a suspected communicable condition wants to proceed. What documentation would change the Pennsylvania refusal requirement?

   1. A. A salon membership card
   2. B. A physician's certification that the client does not have such a disease
   3. C. A signed client waiver
   4. D. A prior appointment receipt

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Source text: "unless the client can produce a physician's certification that the client does not have an infectious, contagious or communicable disease." That physician certification is the rule's stated exception; a waiver, membership card, or receipt is not.

   Reference: 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7. State Board Of Cosmetology — 49 Pa. Code § 7.97(a)

9. 9A client has increased transepidermal water loss. Which moisturizer mechanism directly reduces evaporation?

   1. A. Exfoliation
   2. B. Pigmentation
   3. C. Occlusion
   4. D. Emulsification

   Answer: C

   Explanation: Source text: "Occlusive moisturizers prevent water evaporation or reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL) from the skin by forming a barrier." Occlusion is therefore the controlling mechanism.

   Reference: Moisturizers - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf — Occlusive moisturizers

10. 10Which instrument does the cited NIH procedure use to epilate individual hairs?

    1. A. A wax strip
    2. B. A chemical depilatory spatula
    3. C. Forceps or tweezers
    4. D. A safety razor

    Answer: C

    Explanation: Source text: "epilated individually with forceps/tweezers". Forceps or tweezers are the identified instruments; the other choices are real hair-removal tools or products used by different methods.

    Reference: Hair Evaluation Methods: Merits and Demerits - PMC — UAT epilation procedure