Yes, you can take the Florida cosmetology exam in Spanish. The exam is developed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), and DBPR states that its exams are available in English and Spanish at no additional cost. DBPR also publishes an official Spanish candidate booklet, Examen de Cosmetología. The format, passing score and content are the same in both languages.
What DBPR says
On its Examination Information page, DBPR says that the examinations it develops are offered in English and Spanish at no additional cost. The cosmetology exam is one of them. National exams that DBPR does not develop are given in English only, but that is not the case for cosmetology.
Florida law treats Spanish as the second language of these exams. Under section 455.217(6), Florida Statutes, a candidate who wants an exam in a language other than English or Spanish pays the full cost of translating it. Spanish carries no such charge.
How to request the Spanish exam
You pick the language when you book with Pearson VUE, the company that delivers the exam for DBPR. Once your application is approved and you have your candidate ID:
- By phone: 1-888-204-6230. Tell the agent you want the cosmetology exam in Spanish.
- Online: home.pearsonvue.com/fl/dbpr, any time of day.
Book at least five days ahead — seats go first come, first served.
What is the same in Spanish
Everything that decides whether you pass. The Spanish exam has the same two written parts — Teórico Escrito (Written Theory) and Clínico Escrito (Written Clinical) — with 65 multiple-choice questions and an hour and a half each, and you need a scaled score of 75 on each part. The content outline is the same: in Theory, general safety and sanitation is 34% of the questions; in Clinical, coloring and lightening is 39% and permanent waving and chemical relaxing 34%. See the full breakdown in our state board exam guide, then test yourself on state-board-style questions to see which part needs more work.
Trained in English, testing in Spanish
This is the common case in Florida: the school teaches in English, and the candidate thinks in Spanish. The risk is vocabulary. You know "strand test", "toner" and "sanitizing" — the Spanish exam says prueba del mechón, tonificante and higienización. Learn the Spanish term for every concept before exam day. Our English–Spanish cosmetology glossary puts the two side by side, using the words of the official Spanish booklet.
Practice in Spanish. All 352 of our practice questions are available in Spanish, with the booklet's vocabulary and a full explanation on every answer: FLCosmetologyPrep en español. In the study guide, any question switches between English and Spanish with one tap, and 50 of them are free. One purchase opens both languages for all 352.
Study in Spanish, switch to English
The opposite case is just as common: you think in Spanish but plan to take the exam in English, or you want to know the English terms too. In our study guide, every question switches between Spanish and English with one tap. Learn the concept in Spanish, then flip the card and read the same question, options and explanation in English. Whichever language you book, finish your practice in that language, so the words on exam day are the words you studied. 50 questions are free with no account.
If you take the exam in English instead
The DBPR booklet allows candidates for whom English is a second language to bring a translation dictionary — word-for-word or phrase-for-phrase only. Dictionaries with definitions or explanations are not allowed, only one is permitted, and test center staff inspect it before the exam. If you are weighing a dictionary against the Spanish exam, remember that the Spanish exam costs the same and needs no dictionary at all.
Start with the free questions — in English or in Spanish.
Guía de estudio en español Free study guide in English