CWI Newbie 1

[stlal]

I have a great job advancement offer and need to get my CWI.

I am a Production Manager and have very little welding knowledge. I have a Business Degree, book smart and extremely mechanically inclined.

My question is...if my company purchased all the recommended study guides and code books gave me a couple months to study and sent me to the AWS seminar and exam, do I have a decent chance of passing the exam?

Please advise

Thanks!

 

[GRoberts]

It should not be a problem if you apply yourself.

 

[Dinosaur]

I don't think you have a good chance of passing the exam if you do not have an engineering degree that includes some relationship to fabricated parts -or- a great deal of time walking around in a fab shop. To become a CWI, you need to document you have spent time in industry associated with welding. You can still take the test and if you get an adequate score, you may be able to become a CAWI. I just think there is more to welding inspection than the books will provide. The test is very detail oriented.

 

[JoeTank]

I know several guys with minimal welding knowledge and experience that passed the CWI exam. After the exam they still had minimal welding knowledge and expereince, but they were now on the path forward. In years past I sent our shop QC types to a welding school so they became familiar with welding technology, even if only at the intro level.

Joe Tank

 

[Rjeffery]

I take (a little) issue with Dinosaur's comment about needing to be an engineer to gain certification as a welding inspector. My CWI number is 08030261. I am not an engineer! I have welded in the past but most of my training and experience is from time spent as an NDT inspector with the US Navy. The one statement that rings very true in Dinosaur's comment is: '...there is more to welding inspection than the books will provide.' While you are studying it would benefit you to take a few welding classes at the local trade school or community college. A CWI doesn’t NEED to know how to weld but it helps solving problems if you know the why's and wherefore's...

The best way to test something is to squeeze it, slowly, until it breaks!

 

[gtaw]

To pass the AWS CWI examination you don't need:
a degree in engineering,
to be certified in NDT,
to be a welder, to be an inspector, and
to be a designer.

However, the CWI examination has test questions where background in more than one of the disciplines listed will prove to be helpful. Even in the event you have background in all the disciplines I listed, there is no guarantee that you will get the "correct" answers unless you study the AWS study materials if for no other reason to ensure familiarity with AWS terminology.

Best regards - Al

 

[stlal]

Thanks for all the input. Im going to give it a chance later this year.

 

[pipewelder1999]

Stlal,

I have been off this forum for awhile so forgive the late post. Someone else covered this but I would like to reinforce it.

If you study and are interested in the subject matter, you should have no problems. I have never had any college education or taken a seminar and have had no problems passing the CWI exams. I took it 1st when I was 26 and fairly fresh out of the Navy as a welder.

However, the casual reading material in various rooms in my house is welding related. Always has been and probably always will be. I used the AWS Welding Handboook Volume 1 to study most of the material in conjunction with the Certification Manual for welding inspectors.

I took the test on ASME Sec IX/B31.1 and AWS D1.1 and cannot remember either being any easier or harder.

Gerald Austin
Iuka, Mississippi

http://www.weldinginspectionsvcs.com

 

[RockHill29732]

Yea, I agree that for you to be compitent in the areas of welding, flaws, flaw sizing and characterization you should have some experiance in the material sciences field.
Many CWI's have found a means to become certified and took the easiest path, i.e API-1104.
You set yourself up to fail and subject yourself to the chritizism's of others and fail. You could also, ultimately be responsible for someones misfortune due to a potential lack of code knowledge contributing to a significant failure.
You want to educate yourself and work within a secure comfort zone when evaluating welding processes. Have the resorces to sort out complex issues that impact weld quality and develop an understanding of the joining processes.