Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Co. has a 2-week prep class for the National Board exam that is excellent if you (or your employer) can afford the price. You can find more info here:

http://bookstore.hsbct.com/

Marty

I took (and past) the test in 1994. You can start by reading Sections I,II,VIII, and B31.1 of the code. You must catch up on your math because there are 10 design questions which you must verify. You must also know the workings of boilers. All this for the code part. For the A endorsement (to be an AI) you must also be familliar with Section V, IX.
You must take a course (1 month long) without which you most probably will fail. Today Hartford is the best that I know of. Good luck.
Daon

Does this level of certifcation pertain to just Boilers...or Welding also...I am currently a CWI and would like to know if there are any more levels that are higher than that...besides getting NDT's and going to SCWI.


David

Colin,

Unless you are employed by a Jurisdiction, Insurance Company or an "owner - user" of boilers/pressure vessles; you may not at this time obtain a National Board Commission. That policy is under evaluation and will likely change in the near future to allow qualified people to obtain a commission if they meet certain other requirements.

We just sent a memeber of our QA/QC Department to Ohio for the NB seminar. He passed the National Board exam. In order to qualify for a commission, he would have to pass an exam given by the Jurisdiction he will be working in. From what I gather, many of the Jurisdictions honor reciprocal agreements with other Jurisdictions. This is not a concern of ours however, since we sent him for the training, not to become commissioned.

I would offer this info, the course is very expensive and the exam is quite heavily loaded with design calculation.

Charles