Days 1 to 3: infection control distinctions
Day 1: build a table for the items on a manicure tray with two outcomes: clean and disinfect for reuse, or discard after one use. Note the required clean storage after disinfection. Day 2: write cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing in your own words with a station example for each, because these terms get swapped under time pressure. Day 3: foot-care equipment. Read the Board's current rules for it directly in Article 12 rather than relying on memory or a summary, and write the steps in your own notes afterward.
Days 4 and 5: workstation and chemical safety
Day 4 is the workstation: ventilation, waste containers, product storage and label reading. Day 5: pick two nail products you know, read each label and safety data sheet, and write down the hazard and the control that goes with it. OSHA publishes nail salon chemical guidance that is worth reading for context, but it is workplace guidance and the exam bulletin and Board materials remain your reference for what the exam covers.
- Write the product name, one hazard from its sheet, and one control.
- Mark anything you could not find, since unknown specifics require the product's own information.
Days 6 and 7: nail and skin analysis
Day 6: the structure of the natural nail and the terms used for common nail conditions. The aim is to recognize signs that call for postponing a service or suggesting a healthcare provider, and to avoid naming a cause. Day 7: the skin of the hands and feet. Skin care carries 10 in the outline, so learn the vocabulary and the observations that change a service.
Days 8 to 10: services, enhancements and removal
Day 8: the sequence of a natural nail manicure and pedicure, written as numbered steps with a reason for each. Day 9: enhancement application and maintenance at the concept level: product compatibility, preparation, service intervals and what the label directs. Day 10: removal, with attention to why the order of steps matters and why each product's directions control the details. Nails are the second-largest topic at 22, so this block should not be shortened first.
Days 11 to 14: review and mock exams
Day 11: retry the log. Day 12: a half-length mock of about 30 questions, timed. Day 13: a full timed mock of 65 questions in 90 minutes, which is a little under a minute and a half per question. Day 14: review both mocks, retry only the repeated misses, and finish early. Open each of these days with a ten-minute safety review.
Adjusting the plan
If you have fewer days, protect the safety days and merge the analysis days. If you have more, add a second pass on the foot-care rules and a second mock. A calendar like this is a way to organize study and gives no assurance about the exam outcome.
Study checklist
- Confirm current format and outline on the Board's pages.
- Read the Board's foot-care equipment rules directly.
- Tie every safety rule to a station example.
- Keep a missed-answer log and retry it.
- Take the full timed mock on Day 13.
Original worked example · not an official exam question
Day 1 exercise: a manicure tray holds a metal nipper, a disposable file, a buffer block that cannot be disinfected, and an electric file. Sort the four items into the study categories.
Answer: The disposable file and the buffer block go in the discard category, because items that cannot be disinfected are discarded after use under the Board's rules. The metal nipper goes in the reusable non-electrical category, and the electric file in the reusable electrical category, each with its own method from Article 12.
Reasoning: Sorting first by 'can this be disinfected at all' prevents choosing a method for an item that should simply be discarded. Check Article 12 for the exact methods; the study category is the part this exercise practices.
Sources and further reading
This guide summarizes the listed sources for study. Check current rules and product directions before a service. Report a correction