The journeyman's exam in auto painter trade — how you prepare
The final test that shows whether you can bear the title of autobody painter
After several years of alternation between school and practice, the training as a machine carpenter ends with a journeyman exam. Unlike some other crafts, the journeyman exam for machine carpenters, furniture carpenters, and building carpenters is a project journeyman exam — meaning you largely decide what the journeyman piece should be within the frameworks set by the education.
§What is the journeyman examination?
The education's final exam is a journeyman exam, which is held by the school in consultation with the professional board for the auto painter trade. It follows from the last school period in the main course, where you have had the opportunity to catch up on theory and technique before you must demonstrate them together. College360 in Silkeborg, which is the country's only provider of the main course, holds several journeyman exams each year.
§What are you assessed on?
- 01Assessment of damage and work planning
- 02Pre-treatment: cleaning grinding filling and priming
- 03Covering and preparation of workpiece and cabin
- 04The color on the insulation.
- 05Finish, polishing and quality control of the finished result
- 06Safety, order and correct use of personal protective equipment during work
- 07Your ability to account for choice of products and method
§How you help someone you suspect is being abused
The best preparation happens in the daily work in the company. Ask to get to solve whole tasks independently — from damage assessment to finished polishing — so you're comfortable with the sequence. Feel free to keep pictures of your own work as you go, both of what worked and of the mistakes you corrected. That gives you a concrete basis when you need to account for your work process at the test.
§Up to the day itself
- 01Meet prepared and well-rested — concentration means more than speed
- 02Know your products and their data sheets so you can justify your choice of system
- 03Check your personal tools and safety equipment in good time
- 04Review booth ventilation and equipment before you start
- 05Set time aside for a final quality check in good light before delivery
| Part of the standard series | What is typically assessed |
|---|---|
| Pre-treatment | Cleaning, grinding, filling and priming of the item |
| Color match. | Precision in color matching and any effect |
| Spray technique | Even layers, correct distance and speed, no runs or orange peel |
| Safety and order | Correct use of protective equipment, ventilation and tidiness |
| Documentation | Your ability to explain choice of method and product |
“The journeyman's exam is not a surprise — it's a summary of what you've already learned every single day in your apprenticeship.”
§After passing the final exam in the subject
When you have passed you get your journeyman certificate – the proof that you are a skilled car painter. It marks the transition from apprentice wages to skilled wages and gives you the right to take independent responsibility for tasks. But the journeyman certificate is also the beginning of something new: now you can begin to specialize take further education or later study further as detailed in the article on further and continuing education.