← Nail Care – NY Cosmetology State Board Exam

Free Nail Care – NY Cosmetology State Board Exam Practice Test (2026)

110 questions · 120 min · Pass/Fail

110 Questions · 120 Minutes · Pass/Fail

Question 1 of 5

Sample Questions

Question 1

What is the name of the living skin at the base of the nail plate that overlaps the lunula and seals the space between the nail plate and eponychium?

Answer: The eponychium (also called the cuticle). It is the thin layer of skin that overlaps the nail plate at the base and protects the matrix from bacteria.

Question 2

What is the hyponychium?

Answer: The hyponychium is the thickened skin beneath the free edge of the nail plate. It acts as a seal to protect the nail bed from pathogens.

Question 3

What are the nail grooves?

Answer: Nail grooves are the slits or tracks on the sides of the nail plate along which the nail moves as it grows. They guide directional nail growth.

Question 4

What part of the nail is responsible for nail growth?

Answer: The nail matrix. It contains nerves, lymph vessels, and blood vessels that produce new nail cells, pushing older cells forward to form the nail plate.

Question 5

What is the name of the whitish, half-moon-shaped area visible at the base of the nail plate?

Answer: The lunula. It is the visible portion of the nail matrix and appears white because the matrix tissue is thicker there, obscuring the blood vessels beneath.