CPE Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: C

Diagram 1: Drawing 1 is full anagen: one long hair runs from a large bulb wrapped around the papilla deep in the skin, with no club hair.

Diagram 2: Drawing 2 is telogen: a short follicle holds a club hair, and the papilla rests just below with no new bulb.

Diagram 3: Correct. Drawing 3 shows early anagen: the old club hair is still in the upper follicle while a new follicle has grown down, formed a new bulb around the papilla and started a fine new hair below the club.

Diagram 4: Drawing 4 is catagen: the club is forming as the lower follicle shrinks into a thin strand above a separating papilla.

Early anagen is identified by two hairs in one follicle: a resting club hair above and a new hair rising from a re-formed bulb below it.

Answer: B

more skin aromatase activity: Aromatase converts androgens to estrogens, which would reduce, not increase, androgen effects at the follicle.

more skin 5-alpha-reductase activity: Correct. Skin and follicles convert testosterone to the more potent DHT with 5-alpha-reductase; higher local activity (end-organ sensitivity) can cause hirsutism with normal blood levels.

fewer follicle androgen receptors: Fewer androgen receptors would make follicles less responsive to androgens, the opposite of hirsutism.

higher thyroid hormone output: Thyroid hormone does not drive androgen-dependent terminal hair; hirsutism with normal androgens points to end-organ sensitivity.

Skin metabolism matters: local conversion of testosterone to DHT by 5-alpha-reductase explains hirsutism in women whose blood androgen levels are normal.

Answer: B

deeper follicles: Upper-lip follicles are generally shallower than leg follicles, and depth does not set how soon hairs reappear.

shorter growth cycles: Correct. Upper-lip follicles have a shorter cycle (shorter anagen and a much shorter telogen) than leg follicles, so resting follicles re-enter anagen and new hairs surface sooner.

a larger telogen share: The reverse: the legs hold a larger share of follicles in a long telogen, which is why leg regrowth surfaces more slowly.

coarser terminal hairs: Hair coarseness affects the energy needed, not how quickly new hairs appear after clearing.

Growth-cycle length varies by body area; areas with short cycles, such as the upper lip, show new hairs sooner and need closer appointment spacing.

Answer: C

apply firm pressure to stop the bleeding: Stopping the bleeding is the opposite of the IPS instruction to let the wound bleed while washing.

soak the finger in 70% alcohol first: Antiseptic is applied after thorough washing, not instead of soap and running water.

let it bleed while washing with soap: Correct. IPS §11 B: wash the exposed surface with running water and soap and, if the wound is bleeding, allow it to bleed; then apply an antiseptic.

squeeze it hard to force out blood: Squeezing or milking the wound can damage tissue and is not part of the IPS steps; the wound is simply allowed to bleed under running water.

Let a puncture bleed under soap and running water, then apply antiseptic and call a physician immediately (IPS §11).

Answer: A

requires a Safety Data Sheet in the office: Correct. IPS §6 Safety Data Sheet: rubbing alcohol used routinely on clients (not just occasionally for first aid, as at home) is not used like a consumer product, so its SDS must be kept in the office.

is exempt because it is a household consumer product: The consumer-product exemption applies only when frequency and duration of use match a consumer’s; routine use on every client does not.

needs an SDS only above 70% concentration: No concentration threshold applies; the hazardous chemical itself, used in the workplace, triggers the SDS.

needs an SDS only when stored in bulk: Storage volume is not the test; routine workplace use is.

Any hazardous chemical used routinely in the office, including pharmacy rubbing alcohol, needs an SDS on site (IPS §6; OSHA HCS).

Answer: D

It is only a low-level disinfectant: Glutaraldehyde is a high-level disinfectant; its potency is not the reason it is rejected.

It is no longer FDA-cleared: Loss of FDA clearance is the reason given for the glass bead sterilizer, not glutaraldehyde.

It corrodes stainless steel tweezers: Glutaraldehyde is not corrosive to stainless steel; the IPS rejects it for toxicity, instability, impracticality and lack of biological monitoring.

It cannot be biologically monitored: Correct. IPS §5: liquid chemical germicides such as glutaraldehyde are toxic, unstable and impractical, and liquid chemical sterilization cannot be biologically monitored; heat-stable items go to the autoclave or dry heat.

Heat-stable instruments must be processed by a heat method (autoclave or dry heat) that can be verified with biological indicators.

Answer: C

9:45 a.m.: Applies an autoclave-length exposure (about 20 minutes) to dry heat; dry heat at 340°F requires 1 hour.

10:00 a.m.: Counts the heat-up lag; the IPS states exposure time begins only after the specified temperature is reached.

10:25 a.m.: Correct. IPS §5: dry heat requires 1 hour at 340°F (170°C), timed from when that temperature is attained (9:25 + 1 h), excluding heat-up and cool-down.

11:25 a.m.: Uses the 2-hour exposure, which pairs with 320°F (160°C), not 340°F.

Dry heat is 1 hour at 340°F or 2 hours at 320°F, and the clock starts only once the chamber reaches temperature.

Answer: C

Diagram 1: Too shallow: the needle tip stops in the upper follicle, so energy is released near the surface and the growing cells are missed.

Diagram 2: Wrong angle: the needle has left the follicle and passes through its wall into the dermis.

Diagram 3: Correct: the needle follows the hair inside the follicle and its tip reaches the lower follicle at the bulb, where the growing cells are.

Diagram 4: Too deep: the needle has passed below the bulb into the subcutaneous layer, beyond the follicle.

The needle slides along the hair inside the follicle until its tip reaches the bulb area; stopping short or going past it causes surface damage or missed treatment.

Answer: D

clip the hair level with the skin: Cutting removes the visible shaft but leaves an untreated follicle that will keep producing hair.

pull the hair out with steady traction: Pulling a resistant hair is tweezing: it leaves the follicle untreated and can distort it.

twist the hair while lifting it: Twisting is still traction epilation and can break the hair or distort the follicle.

release the hair and re-treat the follicle: Correct: resistance means the growing cells were not adequately treated, so the hair is released and the follicle re-treated, without overtreating.

A properly treated hair slides out without resistance; never pull a resistant hair—re-treat the follicle instead.

Answer: B

assure her the treatment is painless: False reassurance: most clients feel some heat or stinging, and promising none undermines trust once treatment begins.

explain the sensation she can expect: Correct: an honest description of the brief heat or sting, with an agreed signal to pause, reduces anxiety and builds trust before the first insertion.

recommend a numbing cream first: Lower priority: a topical anesthetic may be discussed later, but it does not answer her question; an honest explanation of the sensation comes first.

postpone until she feels calmer: Lower priority: anxiety alone is not a contraindication; explaining the procedure is the first step and often resolves it.

Client anxiety is managed first by honest explanation of the procedure and sensation, not by false reassurance or by delaying care.

Answer: C

I only: I is a normal response, not overtreatment, and II and III are omitted.

II only: Omits III; large or weeping scabs also indicate excessive energy.

II and III only: Correct. I is false: mild erythema that fades within hours is a normal response. II is true: pitting results from excessive tissue destruction. III is true: large or weeping scabs indicate too much energy or overly dense treatment.

I, II, and III: Includes I, which is a normal, temporary response.

Brief erythema and slight edema are normal; pitting and heavy scabbing signal overtreatment.

Answer: C

Clear the whole area in one session: Large single sessions add trauma to skin that may heal slowly and resist infection poorly.

Switch to galvanic current alone: Modality is not the concern in diabetes; healing and infection risk are, whatever current is used.

Keep sessions short and watch healing: Correct. Diabetes is an IPS §7 contraindication because healing and infection resistance may be impaired; with approval, shorter sessions and close monitoring of healing limit the risk.

Set intensity by her pain tolerance: Diabetic nerve damage can reduce sensation, so pain tolerance is an unreliable guide and can lead to overtreatment.

For a client with diabetes, obtain physician approval, keep sessions conservative, and watch healing closely, since sensation and healing may be impaired.

Answer: C

Diagram 1: Diagram 1 shows heat along the whole shaft up to the surface, the pattern of an uninsulated needle with a long application. Insulation stops this.

Diagram 2: Diagram 2 shows heat in the mid-follicle only. The insulated shaft passes through that region, so no heat is released there.

Diagram 3: Correct. The shaft coating is a nonconductor, so the current, and therefore the heat, leaves only at the bare tip, concentrating in the lower follicle around the bulb and sparing the upper follicle and skin surface.

Diagram 4: Diagram 4 shows heat at the skin surface. This is the opposite of an insulated needle, which protects the surface.

An insulated needle delivers energy only at its uncoated tip, so the heat is confined to the lower follicle and the epidermis is protected.

Answer: B

produce the lye in the follicle: Lye is produced by the galvanic DC component, not by the AC.

heat the lye and increase its action: Correct. In the blend, DC produces the lye and the high-frequency AC heats it, making it more caustic and helping it spread, so the follicle is destroyed faster.

neutralize the lye after treatment: Nothing in the blend neutralizes lye; the AC adds heat and so increases the lye's activity.

replace the indifferent electrode: The galvanic component of the blend still needs the indifferent electrode to complete its circuit.

Blend = galvanic DC (makes the lye) + high-frequency AC (heats the lye), so it acts faster than galvanic alone.

Answer: D

hydrochloric acid: Acid forms at the positive pole (the indifferent electrode side), not at the negative needle.

hydrogen gas: Hydrogen gas is released at the negative needle, but it escapes as bubbles and is not what destroys the tissue.

sodium chloride: Sodium chloride (salt) is the raw material in tissue fluid that the current breaks down, not the destructive product.

sodium hydroxide: Correct. Direct current decomposes the salt and water in the tissue; at the negative needle sodium hydroxide (lye) forms and chemically destroys the follicle.

Galvanic electrolysis is chemical: DC turns tissue salt and water into lye (sodium hydroxide) at the negative needle.

Answer: A

separate written consent for marketing use: Correct. SOP Privacy, Images, and Electronic Communication Standard II.1 (2026): separate written consent is needed for clinical documentation and for marketing or educational use.

verbal permission at the next visit: Image consent for marketing must be explicit and written, specifying use, duration and storage.

consent only if her face is shown: Marketing consent is needed for any client image used publicly, not only facial photos.

a version with the client’s face blurred: Blurring does not replace consent, and the standard also bars misleading manipulation of images.

Clinical and marketing image consents are separate and written, state where and how long images are used, and allow revocation (SOP 2026 Privacy Standard II).