Data · official sources only
Cosmetology exam pass rates by state, from official sources
Only a few state boards publish cosmetology exam pass rates. In their latest figures, the written (theory) exam is the harder part: 42% in Colorado (FY 2023-24), 49% in Texas (FY 2025, all graded exams), 60% for first-time takers in California (April–June 2026), 65% in New York (2023) and 80% for first-time takers in Ohio (FY 2025). Practical exams pass at 84% to 89% where reported. The states count different things, so compare them with care.
Last checked October 10, 2026. Every number comes from the board's or state agency's own document, linked in its row.
Latest published pass rates
| State | Exam | Pass rate | Who's counted | Period | Candidates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Written | 60% | First-time takers | Apr 1 – Jun 30, 2026 | 1,288 passed of 2,156 | Board meeting materials (Aug 17, 2026) |
| Colorado | Written | 42.38% | Not stated | FY 2023-24 | Not published | 2025 Sunset Review, Table 8 (Oct 15, 2025) |
| Colorado | Practical | 88.05% | Not stated | FY 2023-24 | Not published | 2025 Sunset Review, Table 8 (Oct 15, 2025) |
| New York | Written | 65% | Not stated | Jan – Dec 2023 | 4,902 examinees | Examination Statistics (Jan 2024) |
| New York | Practical | 84% | Not stated | Jan – Dec 2023 | 3,470 examinees | Examination Statistics (Jan 2024) |
| Ohio | Theory (written) | 79.92% | First-time takers | State FY 2025 | Not published | FY2025 Annual Report, p. 17 (Oct 29, 2025) |
| Ohio | Practical | 85.2% | First-time takers | State FY 2025 | Not published | FY2025 Annual Report, p. 17 (Oct 29, 2025) |
| Texas | Written | 49.05% | All graded exams | FY 2025 | 10,463 passed of 21,331 | TDLR Exam Statistics (page undated; read Oct 10, 2026) |
| Texas | Practical | 89.10% | All graded exams | FY 2025 | 9,471 passed of 10,630 | TDLR Exam Statistics (page undated; read Oct 10, 2026) |
How to read these numbers
- Written vs practical. In every state here that reports both, the written exam has the lower pass rate, often by a wide margin.
- First-time vs all attempts. California and Ohio count first-time takers; Texas counts graded exams rather than people, and doesn't say whether retakes are in the total. Those figures aren't directly comparable.
- Language. Where a board reports language, Spanish-language candidates pass at much lower rates: in California, 27% of first-time Spanish-language written takers passed in April–June 2026, against 64% in English.
- Periods differ. Some states report fiscal years, some calendar years or quarters.
Earlier years, from the same documents
California
Overall cosmetology pass rate as the board reported it, 2018–2022: 58%, 58%, 57%, 58%, 53%. Spanish-language candidates, same years: 32%, 33%, 36%, 31%, 22%. The memo doesn't say whether these are first-time or written-only figures. First-time written takers by language, Apr–Jun 2026: English 64% (1,125 of 1,761), Spanish 27% (39 of 145); re-exam takers 28% (463 of 1,628).
Source: California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, memo on exam pass rates (Jan 9, 2023); California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, board meeting materials (Aug 17, 2026)
Colorado
Cosmetologist written, FY 2019-20 to FY 2023-24: 54.01%, 43.59%, 42.47%, 39.17%, 42.38%. Practical, same years: 81.24%, 86.60%, 89.74%, 91.14%, 88.05%. Counts aren't published.
Source: Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, 2025 Sunset Review, Table 8 (Oct 15, 2025)
New York
2022: written 68% (5,078 examinees), practical 86% (3,439 examinees). 2023: written 65%, practical 84%.
Source: New York Department of State, Examination Statistics (Jan 2024)
Ohio
First-time takers, FY 2024: theory 79.71%, practical 84.46% (FY2024 Annual Report, p. 20). FY 2025: theory 79.92%, practical 85.2%. The reports print these as chart labels without counts.
Source: Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board, FY2025 Annual Report, p. 17 (Oct 29, 2025)
Texas
Written, all graded exams: FY 2023 49.92% (9,116 of 18,260), FY 2024 52.04% (9,421 of 18,104), FY 2025 49.05% (10,463 of 21,331). Practical: 88.07%, 87.35%, 89.10%.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Exam Statistics (page undated; read Oct 10, 2026)
States without published figures
We checked the boards' websites and meeting records in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington and found no published statewide cosmetology pass rate as of October 10, 2026. Virginia's figures appear only in a draft board-meeting packet that says it isn't an official board position, so they're left out.
How this page is built
Only numbers printed by a state board or state agency are used. We don't use figures from schools, test-prep companies or news stories, and we don't calculate or estimate anything. Some websites quote much higher pass rates without a source: about 76% for Texas, for example, where the board's own written-exam figure for FY 2025 is 49.05%. Board Ready doesn't publish pass rates for its own users. When a board publishes new numbers, this page is updated.
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