South Dakota Cosmetology Exam: Free Practice Test and Everything You Need to Know

South Dakota cosmetology
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Planning on taking the South Dakota Cosmetology exam? Are you confused about the procedure to apply and take the exam?

This article is all about the State Board of Cosmetology exam in the state of South Dakota. Read more to know about the eligibility criteria, exam fee, exam application, license verification, license renewal, and license transfer given by the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology.

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The Steps Involved in Taking the South Dakota State Cosmetology Exam

STEP 1: VERIFY YOUR ELIGIBILITY

The initial step you need to take to apply for the South Dakota Cosmetology exam is to check if you are eligible to apply for the exam. You can check your eligibility on the official website of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation.

South Dakota Cosmetology Exam Eligibility
South Dakota Cosmetology Exam Eligibility

The minimum practical working hours required to be eligible to take the South Dakota Cosmetology exam are as follows:

  • 1500 hours for a Cosmetology license.
  • 600 hours for an Esthetician license.
  • 400 hours for a Nail Technician license.

For the Instructor license:

  • Cosmetologist instructors can teach nails, hair, and skin.
  • Nail Technician instructors can only teach nail technology.
  • Esthetician instructors can only teach esthetics.

A few other eligibility requirements stated by the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology are as follows:

  • You must be 18 years old or older, proven by a certificate of naturalization, copy of a birth certificate, a photo ID issued by the U.S. government, or a passport issued by the U.S. government.

STEP 2: APPLY FOR THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATE BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY EXAMINATION

Once you know that you are eligible to apply and take the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exam, the next step is to apply for the State Board of Cosmetology exam.

South Dakota Cosmetology Exam Application
South Dakota Cosmetology Exam Application

You may download the application from the official South Dakota website. Here are a few steps involved in the application process:

  • Once you have filled out your application, submit the completed exam and license application form to the Cosmetology Commission.
  • Make sure to attach the exam fee of $100, which also includes the first license.
  • Pass both the South Dakota Cosmetology State law/rules exam and the NIC national written exam.
  • Make sure to pay the annual renewal fee.

TEMPORARY LICENSE

The South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology allows individuals to get a temporary license. An individual can get a temporary license if they have completed their education and have a job already lined up.

The temporary license is usually issued if the following documents are provided to the Cosmetology Commission:

  • A completed temporary license application along with information regarding their job.
  • A timesheet or record of your student education to show that you have completed and are qualified to apply for a temporary license.
  • A temporary license fee is $6.

Here are some reasons that might make your temporary license invalid.

  • A temporary license will be invalid in the case of an unexcused absence and the individual will not be allowed to work as an esthetician, a cosmetologist, or a nail technician until they pass all the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exams.
  • South Dakota law allows only one temporary license for an individual.
  • The temporary license is no longer valid if the individual fails the theory and/or state laws exams. They cannot continue their work until they retake and pass the exam(s) that they failed.
  • If the individual fails in one or more exams, they will be provided with the necessary information about scheduling a retake.

If an individual with a temporary license passes both the written theory and state laws exams, they are now eligible to receive their regular license. A regular license will be issued to the individual before they leave if the commission’s office has received the timesheet or record of them completing their student education from the school.

If the individual has passed both the exams and the commission’s office has not yet received their student education completion record/timesheet or the individual is still in school, the license will be issued to the individual upon receipt of the student education timesheet or record from the school.

STEP 3: PAY YOUR EXAM FEES

After you have applied for the State Board of Cosmetology exam, the next step is to pay the required fee. The fee for the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exam is $100 for cosmetologists, estheticians, and nail technicians.

The temporary license fee is $6.

NOTE: The exam fee of $100 and the temporary license fee of $6 are non-refundable.

STEP 4: SCHEDULING YOUR EXAM

The next step is to schedule your exam. The South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exams are administered by the Cosmetology Commission.

The Cosmetology Commission registers applicants based on the order they receive the completed application, along with the exam fee of $100. If an examination date is full, the applicant will be registered for the next available examination date.

Once the Cosmetology Commission has completed the registration, you will receive a notification e-mail about your exam date. You will receive the official admission notice in the e- mail about 2 weeks prior to your examination date.

Candidates cannot request a specific exam date or change their minds at the last minute. If the candidate is absent for the exam on the scheduled exam date, it will be considered an unexcused absence. The candidate will have to pay the exam fee again and reapply for the exam.

The Cosmetology Commission allows excused absences for reasons like the death of an immediate family member or personal illness along with a doctor’s note.

NOTE: The policy for excused and unexcused absences remains the same. The commission office will not accept additional applications after sending the admission’s notice mail for a specific exam date.

DATE EXAM
May 18, 2023State Board Exam
July 20, 2023State Board Exam
September 28, 2023State Board Exam
November 16, 2023State Board Exam
Cosmetology State Board Exam Dates

STEP 5: ON THE EXAMINATION DAY

Once you have scheduled the exam you want to take and the examination date, the next step is to prepare for the exam.

Here are some of the documents you must bring with you to take the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exam:

  • Photo ID issued by the government.
  • Admission notice.
  • Temporary license (if issued).

NOTE: A student license is not required on the day of the exam.

STEP 6: TAKE THE EXAM

The South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology has 2 exams for South Dakota licensure.

  • THE WRITTEN THEORY EXAM

NIC administers the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exam. The written theory exam has 100 questions. The exams are separate and specific for estheticians, nail technicians, and cosmetologists.

Candidate Information Bulletins (CIB) have information regarding the theory exam available for the following:

  • THE STATE LAWS AND RULES EXAM

For the South Dakota State Laws and Rules exam, the state only administers the state laws and rules examination for out-of-state students and for students who issue South Dakota cosmetology licensure through reciprocity.

STEP 7: RECEIVE YOUR SOUTH DAKOTA STATE BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY LICENSE

Once you have passed both the written theory and state laws and rules exams, you are now eligible to apply for the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology License.

You can check the status of your current license by filling out the license verification form on the official website.

  • Choose the license type as ‘Individual’ or ‘Business.’
  • Enter information required to perform the search.
  • Click ‘Search’ to view license records.

LICENSE RENEWAL

To renew your license, you must download the License Renewal Form on the official website. You must fill out the form and mail it to the below-mentioned mailing address.

Mailing Address:  South Dakota Cosmetology Commission

                                  500 East Capitol

                                   Pierre, SD 57501.

NOTE: The license expiration date is printed on the license and the lower part of the license consists of the renewal form.

You can also renew your license online by signing in if you are an existing user or signing up if you are a new user.

You must renew your license on or before your birth date. If you fail to renew, you will have to pay the penalty fee.

The renewal fee details are as follows:

  • The renewal fee for cosmetologists, nail technicians, and estheticians is $25.
  • The renewal fee for an instructor is $35.
  • Penalty fee is $20.

NOTE: The above mentioned fees are non-refundable.

If you have a license that has expired for less than 5 years, you must pay the penalty fee and renewal fee for each year it was expired. If you have a license that has expired for more than 5 years, you must pay the penalty and renewal fee for each year it was expired and either:

  • Take the theory, practical, and state laws/rules exam offered by the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology.
  • Take the Cosmetology Commission’s 2 hours safety exam and pass 25 questions open-book written exam. The fee is $50.

LICENSE TRANSFER

In the state of South Dakota, you can get your licensure through reciprocity. To obtain reciprocity licensure, you must have a current license from another state, and your out-of-state license must meet the requirements set by the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology. If you do not have a current license, you can apply as an out-of-state student to get a license in the state of South Dakota.

 The education hours required for reciprocity are as follows:

  • 1500 education hours for Cosmetologists.
  • 600 education hours for Estheticians.
  • 400 education hours for Nail Technicians.

Reciprocity requires education hours, however, if you do not meet the required educational hours but have work experience, you can use your work experience hours. Work experience hours are generally counted as 2 hours of work experience equals 1 hour of education.

The reciprocity fee is $100.

The maximum work hours are:

  • For cosmetologists, it is up to 750 hours of work.
  • For estheticians, it is up to 300 hours of work.
  • For nail technicians, it is up to 200 hours of work.

You can visit the official website for the Out-of-State Work Experience Affidavit and Reciprocity Application and Checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions About the South Dakota Cosmetology Exams

HOW DO I APPLY FOR THE SOUTH DAKOTA BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY EXAMINATIONS?

Once you know that you are eligible to apply and take the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exam, the next step is to apply for the exam. You can download the application from the official website.

I CAN’T MAKE THE DATE/TIME OF MY EXAMINATION. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If the candidate is absent from the exam on the scheduled exam date, it will be considered an unexcused absence. The candidate will have to pay the exam fee again and reapply for the exam.

The Cosmetology Commission allows excused absences for reasons like the death of an immediate family member or personal illness along with a doctor’s note.

WHICH EXAMINATION PROGRAM DOES THE SOUTH DAKOTA BOARD OF BARBERING AND COSMETOLOGY USE?

The South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology uses the National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) to administer their cosmetology exams.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TAKE THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATE BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY EXAMS?

The fee for the South Dakota Cosmetology exam is $100 for cosmetologists, estheticians, and nail technicians. The exam fee must be attached to the application in the form of a money order or check.

HOW MANY HOURS OF PRACTICAL WORK DO I NEED TO QUALIFY FOR THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATE BOARD EXAMINATIONS?

The minimum practical working hours required to be eligible to take the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exam are as follows:

  • 1500 hours for a Cosmetology license.
  • 600 hours for an Esthetician license.
  • 400 hours for a Nail Technician license.

CAN I TAKE THE STATE BOARD EXAMINATIONS BEFORE I’VE COMPLETED THE REQUIRED HOURS?

No. You have to meet the eligibility criteria for completing the practical working hours set by the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology.

HOW LONG IS THE COSMETOLOGY WRITTEN EXAMINATION?

The cosmetology written exam is about 90 minutes long in the state of South Dakota.

WHAT’S THE FORMAT OF THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION?

The written theory exam consists of 110 questions out of which 100 questions are weighed. The questions are multiple-choice questions (MCQs).

CAN I TAKE A PRACTICE TEST EXAM?

Yes. If you are interested in taking the South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exam, you can get your hands on our free practice test to level up your preparation for the exam.

HOW LONG IS THE COSMETOLOGY PRACTICAL EXAMINATION?

The South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology practical exam is 2 to 3 hours long.

WHAT’S THE FORMAT OF THE PRACTICAL EXAMINATION?

The South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology practical exam is a hands-on exam and you will be provided with a mannequin head.

WHAT SCORES DO I NEED TO PASS BOTH PORTIONS OF THE COSMETOLOGY EXAM?

The required passing score for South Dakota State Board of Cosmetology exam is 75% or above.

HOW MANY TIMES CAN I RETAKE THE STATE BOARD COSMETOLOGY EXAMINATIONS IF I FAIL?

You can retake the State Board of Cosmetology exam any number of times. You can schedule the exam per the schedule mentioned on the official website.

HOW DO I TRANSFER MY COSMETOLOGY LICENSE TO SOUTH DAKOTA?

In the state of South Dakota, you can get your licensure through reciprocity. The reciprocity fee is $100. You can visit the official website for the Out-of-State Work Experience Affidavit Form and Reciprocity Application and Checklist

HOW DO I RENEW MY COSMETOLOGY LICENSE IN SOUTH DAKOTA?

To renew your license, you must download the License Renewal Form on the official website. You can also renew your license online by signing in if you are an existing user or signing up if you are a new user.

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South Dakota Cosmetology State Board Exam Practice Test

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