Alabama Code Title 33. Navigation and Watercourses § 33-4-35

Before an applicant is branched or licensed, the commission must prepare in writing suitable questions to test his knowledge and competency to become such pilot, who, without any aid from any other person and without having been informed as to what question would be propounded to him, shall answer such questions. When the applicant has reduced his answers to writing, he shall sign the same and deliver them to one of the commissioners, and the commission must cause such answers to be copied legibly, but without the name of the applicant. The commission shall then appoint three fair, impartial and competent nautical men as a committee to examine the answers of the applicants. The applicant or applicants may name one of these, the existing pilots name another, and the commission, or a majority of them, shall name the third. The committee shall examine the copies of the answers of applicants and shall endorse upon the answer of such of the applicants as they find sufficient the following certificate:  “We hereby certify that the foregoing answers are satisfactory, and that, in our opinion, the applicant making the same is well acquainted with the pilot grounds, knows how to handle both steam and sailing vessels and is competent to perform the duties of a bay or bar pilot.” When such certificate is duly signed and delivered to the commission, the applicant shall be deemed qualified to receive a license.