Concerning California Barber Exam Pass Rates Reveal Systemic Problems
Sound the alarm. California has reported a shockingly low barber exam pass rate of 30%. Something is wrong and the Board is determined to find a solution.
"It is a terrible situation to be honest. We (Board of Barbering & Cosmetology) don’t have authority to do things over schools that need to be held accountable for their pass rates."
That is a direct quote from California's Executive Officer Kristy Underwood during the July 17th Board Meeting. I’ll be honest, the Board is often seen in a negative light. For the first time, after listening to Kristy’s comments during this board meeting, my perspective of the Board has changed.
After watching the recorded California Board of Barbering & Cosmetology’s Meeting, I recommend tuning in at the recording at 1 hr 19 minutes to catch the discussion regarding pass rates. You can hear Kristy’s genuine concern, along with the detailed action being taken by her team.
You might think the Board is to blame, but it seems they don't have the power to actually do anything about it right now. Let's break down some takeaways from the July 17th Board Meeting that featured an annual report of pass rates.
Overall Pass Rates at a shocking 30%
The table below is from the July 17th Board Meeting's official notes. You can access here.
Over the last year, the average pass rate of the barber exam was 30%. (I took the average of the quarters above). The prior year, the average pass rate was 63%. If you take a closer look at the report, you'll see some theories to explain the low performance.
In general, an educational system that has a 30% pass rate should be under investigation. Think about this. After completing their necessary hours of barber school, 7 out of 10 students fail the exam. What were they doing for 1000+ hours?!
*Question: Why do you think students are struggling?
Apprenticeship programs struggling at 18%
Some are pointing specifically to the Apprenticeship Programs. Below is a closer look at the Apprenticeship Program pass rates. Clearly, these programs are significantly struggling.
Over the last year, the average pass rate for Apprenticeship Programs dropped to 18%. Last year, the average pass rate was 54%.
8 out of 10 apprentices fail the exam. Let that sink in. How is this possible?
NACCAS & BPPE Problems
Kristy believes this has to do with NACCAS and BPPE approving distance education. Some apprenticeship programs allow their students to access self-paced online programs with little to no supervision. The apprentice joins a zoom call on Monday (or doesn’t join) and is given an online assignment to complete (or not complete). No one really knows because the Board has no authority to regulate these programs.
The Board has initiated conversations with NACCAS and BPPE to come up with a solution.
The Board is naming names
In the Board meeting, Executive Officer Kristy Underwood boldly said:
Since our last board meeting, I have provided a list of schools that we are most concerned about that have historically low pass rates. NACCAS has a set pass rate of 70% for accredited schools, but I went back to 2016 and have seen 11 schools that have consistently had 50% pass rate or less. These are also significant schools with a lot of candidates. I will have more conversations with NACCAS and BPPE regarding this.
NACCAS accredited programs with an average pass rate of below 70% might be getting a call sometime soon. You can review your school's pass rates through this report.
The confusion has to do with the definition of ‘pass rate’. NACCAS seems to only care about the student passing, they don't care how many attempts it takes. While the Board does track the number of attempts since they have to coordinate the re-taking of the exam. Time will tell how they work that one out.
Question: What do you think about the disunity amongst the Board, NACCAS and BPPE?
Spanish pass rates point to a larger issue
For the first time, the Board provided this table that breaks down the pass rates based on number of exam attempts by the language of the exam. Candidates can choose what language they would like to take: English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
For candidates who choose to take the exam in Spanish, they have the highest chance of passing their exam on their 4th attempt. At 36%, it's still terrible. During the Board meeting, Kristy shared that she believes many schools are exclusively using the English translated versions of the textbooks.
If Milady and PivotPoint provide Spanish translated textbooks, why wouldn't schools opt to use those textbooks for their Spanish speaking students? Do they have bi-lingual instructors? What support are they giving their Spanish speaking students who will choose to take the exam in Spanish?
Question for you: What do you think is the solution for this?
Barber School Pass Rates have also dropped
Out of all the beauty programs, Barber Schools performed the worst. Below is a closer look at the School Program pass rates. Looking at the average pass rate as a whole, it is a coin toss. We are looking at a 50% chance of passing the exam.
Effective January 1, 2022, the practical exam was no longer required for all license types. Candidates only need to pass the written exam to become licensed. This also included a written exam change from NIC to PSI. Changing the barber exam from 60 questions to 95 questions.
Question for you: Do you think the PSI exam is harder than the NIC?
Looking for Solutions
As our industry continues to grow, more and more students will take the exam. As you look at the pass rates, it is difficult to deny the problems.
3 years ago, I started drawing attention to this problem. I saw my classmates fail. I witnessed my fellow exam candidates fail. Since creating my content, barber students download my free barber exam study guide or enroll in my exam prep online course because they clearly need help. Their schools are clearly not preparing them with enough confidence to take the exam.
This past month I taught a class at a barber school and was extremely disappointed. I asked the students if they knew what the Candidate Information Bulletin was. In the room of 10, only 1 student knew.
How are they supposed to pass if they don't even know what to study?
It is unclear what the Board, NACCAS or BPPE will do. Even if they do something, it’ll probably take years for the larger systems to actually change. So where does that leave us?
The power lies with the educators in the classroom and with the students sitting on the other side of the whiteboard. If we call upon our ancient tradition of master and apprentice and start implementing effective educational techniques, I think we can spin this chair around.
Written by Matthew Mendoza
Licensed barber, educator and consultant based in California. He is passionate about helping barbers pass the barber exam, develop their business and diversify their income. He hosts a podcast, writes a weekly newsletter for the modern barber and offers 1-on-1 consulting.
