The problem most examinees have with passing special inspection exams is the structural plan reading portion.
The exams are generally 3-1/2 hr. in length and consist of two parts. Part 1 is open book and pretty basic. Part 2 is structural plan reading-where the nightmare starts. A lot of examinees spend over 2 hours on the open book portion. When they get to the plans, they run out of time. So time management is an issue.
In my opinion a well designed training workshop with meaningful objective/goals, which includes: lectures, practices tests/exams, and places a lot of emphasis on plan reading is a very effective method of preparation for these exams. A 30-40 hr. workshop spread over two to three weekends is usually sufficient for the typical technician with a few years of experience.
Unfortunately, outside the West Coast there are very few training workshops or courses that prepare individuals for special inspection exams. A couple of the larger nationwide CMT firms have in-house programs in place.
Well if there are no training providers locally what should a firm do? I feel they should designate a technically competent employee to lead the development of their own in-house training programs and continually update it. A good starting point is the “body of knowledge” and exam topics-most of which can be found in the Exam Bulletin and the Model Program for Special Inspections. And in addition to prepping employees to pass the exam, the training workshop should be utilized to provide participants practical knowledge. For instance, it is not uncommon to come across certified welding inspectors who have no clue what a WPS is or what type of welding process is being used for fabrication of joints.