Licensed — help desk
Updated October 14, 2026. For the iPhone app “Cosmetology Exam: Licensed”.
Licensed helps you prepare for the cosmetology state board exams in the United States: 1,737 original practice questions on the 10 subject areas of the NIC content outline, 13 timed full-length tests, a scored test for each area, a question for every day and a free guide to how the written and hands-on exams run. It is independent and unofficial: no tie to NIC, any state board, any test administrator or any publisher.
How to reach us
rafael@orejita.com, in English or Spanish. If something isn’t working, mention your iPhone model and iOS version. You’ll hear back within two business days. There is no phone line or chat; one person reads every message and answers all of them.
My purchase isn’t showing — everything is still locked.
In the app, go to More (bottom right) and tap “Restore purchases”. Licensed asks Apple whether your Apple ID already owns Licensed Pro and opens it again. Do the same after a reinstall or on a new iPhone: the purchase belongs to your Apple ID, so you never pay for it twice. Still locked? Write to us and say which country your Apple ID shops in. Never send a password; nobody here will ask for one.
Will I be charged again later?
No. Licensed Pro is one payment. It does not renew and does not expire, so there is nothing to cancel.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, one per Apple ID. On the Licensed Pro screen, “Start my 7 free days” opens everything for seven days, and you are never charged for it. On day 6 the app sends you one notice, if you allowed notifications. On day 8 the Pro side locks again unless you bought Licensed Pro, and your answers and scores stay where they are. Deleting the app does not restart the trial, because Apple keeps the date it began.
How do I get my money back?
Apple processes the payment, so Apple handles refunds. Sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com with the Apple ID you paid with, find Licensed and ask there. The decision is Apple’s; we can’t refund on its behalf.
What can I use without paying?
- 30 practice questions, 3 from each of the 10 areas, with full explanations
- The diagnostic: 10 questions, once, scored area by area
- Today’s question: a new one each day, the same for everyone, not repeated within a year
- The whole “Inside the exam” guide
Licensed Pro adds all 1,737 questions, the 13 full-length tests and a scored test for each area, with as many attempts as you want. The Licensed Pro screen (More → Licensed Pro) puts the free side and the Pro side next to each other.
Can I study in Spanish?
Yes. In More, pick the language. The menus, the exam guide and every one of the 1,737 questions with its explanation exist in English and in Spanish, and your progress stays when you switch.
How does the app decide I’m ready?
Open Progress. The card at the top, “Ready for the board?”, checks three things and shows the number behind each: how much of the bank you’ve answered, whether any area is still below the mark, and whether you passed your last two full-length tests. It doesn’t predict your real result. Nothing can. It only measures what you’ve done against those three things.
What are the flashcards for?
On Home, Flashcards puts a question on the front and its answer, reason and source on the back, with the questions you missed first. Saying you knew a card doesn’t move your progress; only questions you actually answer do.
How do I set or stop the daily reminder?
More → “Your study appointment”, then choose the hour. The first time, iOS asks whether Licensed may send notifications. If you said no and want it now, go to Settings → Licensed → Notifications. Starting the free trial also asks, once, for its single day-6 notice.
How do I put Licensed on my Home Screen?
Touch and hold an empty spot until the icons wiggle, tap Edit or + at the top, search for Licensed and pick a size. The widget shows today’s question in your iPhone’s language and never the answer; tap it to answer in the app.
Does it need internet?
Only to buy or restore Licensed Pro, because that step talks to Apple. Everything else lives inside the app.
Which tests are in it?
Thirteen, all built on the NIC cosmetology outline:
- 8 Theory tests, 100 scored questions in 90 minutes each
- 5 Written Practical tests, 65 scored questions each
Each one is fixed, so Test 4 is always Test 4 and a retake shows whether you improved, and no two tests in a series share a question. Every test takes exactly the number of questions per area that its outline sets, and the two outlines differ: on the Written Practical, nail care grows from 10% to 20% of the exam and skin care from 10% to 15%, while scientific concepts shrink from 35% to 20%.
The hands-on practical can’t be practised on a phone. What Licensed gives you for free is its ten timed sections, the rules that fail people who know the work and what the bulletin says to bring.
Why 75% to pass?
Because NIC writes the exams but doesn’t set the passing score; each state board does, in its own candidate handbook. Wisconsin, for instance, asks for a scaled 75.00. Licensed uses 75% and says so. Look up your board’s number and treat 75% as the floor.
Does my state use the NIC exam at all?
Not every state. California uses a national exam developed by PSI and dropped its hands-on practical in January 2022. New York writes its own written and practical exams. Others use NIC’s directly. The subject matter overlaps a lot everywhere — infection control, anatomy, chemistry, hair, skin and nails — but confirm the format with your board first.
I think an answer is wrong.
Send it to us, a screenshot is enough. We check it against the public source the explanation cites. If it’s wrong it gets fixed in the next update; either way you get a reply with what that source really says.
Accessibility
Licensed follows the text size in Settings → Display & Brightness → Text Size, accessibility sizes included, and has a full dark mode that follows the system. Right and wrong answers carry an icon as well as a color. If any part of the app is hard for you to use, tell us; it gets fixed.
Deleting your data
Your progress lives only on your iPhone, so deleting the app deletes it. Nothing of yours is stored anywhere else. More in the privacy page.
Licensed is an independent study aid. It is not official and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC), any state board, any test administrator, or Milady, Cengage, Pivot Point or any other publisher. Their names appear only to say which exam the app prepares you for.