A little more than three months down as a part-time nail tech student and I’ve officially completed 200 hours! This means I’m only 40 hours away from being eligible to pre-apply for my State Board exam. But before I can do that, there are a few other requirements I need to meet. Here’s what they include:

Thirty points for disinfection and sanitation. I get one point each time I wash my implements with soap and water and soak them for 10 minutes in EPA-registered disinfectant solution.

Twenty manicure points. I get one point for every full manicure service, which includes cutting and shaping the nails, pushing back cuticles, nipping hang nails, buffing the nails, applying lotion, massaging arms and hands, and a polish change.

Ten pedicure points. Students earn a pedicure point for every full-service pedicure, which includes similar steps as a mani.

Forty acrylic points. To earn a single acrylic point, students must apply acrylic on a practice hand or practice fingers via tip overlay, form, or pink-and-white. Submit ten nails and you get double the points.

Thirty nail tips points. Similar to acrylic, five nails means one point. So students must apply a nail tip over a nail tip and blend it to mock an extension.

Twenty silk wraps points. To earn one silk wrap point, students need to apply a silk wrap to a nail tip, blend and buff on five practice fingers.

Needless to say, I have a lot of work ahead of me! So for now, I am knocking out all my needed manicuring points, while practicing some nail art, of course!