Cosmetology is one of the few classes at Liberty High School that students are able to take and receive their license if they complete the course. For the students to be able to test for their license, they have to meet all of the state requirements and complete nine-hundred forty-five hours in school. Some students might take cosmetology thinking that all they will do is work with each other and their mannequins, but in reality, there is a lot of study that goes into it. Students have to keep in mind that they need to put in the work and effort to be able to go forward with cosmetology. 

Cosmetology teacher Chandra Graves makes sure that her students are thoroughly prepared for both the written and practical parts of the state board exam. She helps her students with their studying and lets them know what is expected of them when they go take their tests. “She is always pushing us to try our best, and continues to make sure we are prepared for our state board tests,” said senior, Cindy Castellanos. It is good for the students to have a thorough understanding of what is expected of them, and also have all the things they need. Having a teacher who has been working in the cosmetology industry for over thirty years is very helpful when we do not know what to do in certain situations.   

The practical part of the cosmetology state board consists of ten timed sections and one untimed section. Students have to complete the following procedures: thermal curling, hair cutting, chemical waving, predisposition test, strand test, highlighting with foils, hair color retouching, and virgin relaxer application. Then also complete an untimed section of hair removal by waxing and tweezing the eyebrows. 

The biggest focus of the exam is keeping up with their sanitation. Sanitation is a big part of the exam that is focused on because the spread of disease is very common in the cosmetology field.  “Having to stay sanitized and making sure to put gloves on when needed throughout the whole exam is hard when you do not practice it in your everyday life,” said senior, Abby Rodriguez. Although an individual may not sanitize their hands as much in their everyday life as they do in the state board exam, it is important to know how much consistent sanitation helps in the salon environment. 

The cosmetology state board exam typically consists of topics such as sanitation, state regulations, and different types of agencies, along with various other types of questions. It is kind of like a final exam. The test covers everything you learned about hair, skin, and nails. The students are given ninety minutes to complete a one hundred-twenty-question test. There are different types of tests someone could get. For example, someone could have the majority of their questions about hair styling, while another person could receive the majority of chemical waving questions. “To study for the test we use flashcards, and take online tests and quizzes on the different topics that may be on the test,¨  said senior, Cindy Castellanos. It is important to review every topic thoroughly so there is some type of understanding of the material.