Cosmetology in New York
NYS Dept. of State — Division of Licensing Services
New York's Department of State runs its own cosmetology exam — and, like its nail exam, it is one of the most language-accessible in the country, but with a different language set. The official DOS page confirms the WRITTEN cosmetology exam is schedulable in 14 translations on top of English: Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and Turkish — so a Chinese-, Korean-, or Spanish-speaking candidate can sit the real written test in their language. (Note the cosmetology list differs from the nail-specialty list — for example it does not include Vietnamese.) You need 1,000 training hours and must pass both a written and a practical exam; results are pass/fail (no numeric score), with 2.5 hours for the written test.
📋 Exam facts
Real New York exam administration — from the official source
- Practice questions (this site)
- 600
- Testing agency
- New York State (state-administered)
- Real written-test languages
- English · Spanish · Chinese · Korean · Arabic · Albanian · Bengali · French · Haitian Creole · Hebrew · Italian · Japanese · Russian · Swahili · Turkish
- To pass
- Pass/Fail only (no numeric score); 2.5 hours; NY written + practical exams both required
- Training hours
- 1,000 hours (cosmetology)
- Exam structure
- State written exam + practical exam
🗓️ Last updated: 2026-07-03
📄 Based on: NYS DOS Become a Cosmetologist page (translations + 1,000 hrs), checked 2026-07-03
State rules and fees change often. This table shows only facts confirmed from an official board or vendor source on the date noted; anything unconfirmed is marked “to confirm.” Always verify current requirements with your state board or its testing vendor before you register. Our practice questions are a study aid and never imply your state offers the exam in a language it does not.