The journeyman's exam – how you prepare

When you one day hold the journeyman certificate in your hand it is proof that you have completed the entire hairdressing training and may call yourself skilled. The path goes through a basic course and a main course where the main course lasts approximately 3 years and 6 months with alternating school and apprenticeship in a salon.

The basic course (GF1/GF2) gives you the basic manual skills and is completed with a basic course test where you document that you are ready to continue in an apprenticeship agreement with a salon. After that the main course begins, where you alternate between school periods and practice, and where daily practice with real clients gradually increases your speed and confidence in the techniques.

The journeyman's exam is typically held over two days and consists of disciplines that reflect the real everyday life in a salon: cutting (ladies and gentlemen), colour treatment, permanent/structure treatment, blow-drying and styling, and often an element of long-hair up-dos. Along the way, you are assessed on both the finished result and your work process – including hygiene, time management and customer contact, if the exam involves a model.

The practical part is about being able to carry out the techniques safely and at the pace a real working day requires — so practise the routine, not just the technique itself. The theoretical/professional part tests whether you can justify your choices: why this colour formula, why this cutting technique for this hair type, what safety considerations you took. Being able to put words to your professional decisions is just as important as the handwork itself.

• 01Practice the central techniques at a realistic pace, not just leisurely.
• 02Know the reasoning behind your choice of technique, product and working time — not just 'how', but 'why'.
• 03Review hygiene and safety routines so they sit on your spine under time pressure.
• 04Do a dress rehearsal of the whole process, preferably with a model, before the actual exam day.

“The journeyman's certificate does not prove you are fully trained – it proves you are ready to become more skilled as a tradesperson.”