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Parent - - By Spider Date 02-29-2016 19:16
I'll be tuned in and looking forward to your experience Brent.

Yeah, Hobart had no practice tests on part B whatsoever. Seems odd when we were heavily tested on the other two parts. I am very disappointed in the program. I didn't go there to fail a test I'm capable of being trained on and passing the first time. Wasted two weeks of my life and now even more money I didn't have set aside for failure due to lack of proper training.

Who knows, maybe I got lucky and passed. If AWS would only treat its "members" with a little respect and gratitude for all the money they're given and get those scores out, I could plan my attack in a timely manner and not have to retest in 3 months. :yell:
Parent - - By TimGary (****) Date 02-29-2016 22:03
OK, time for me to jump on the soap box...

In my opinion -

The CWI exam is there to verify knowledge and experience of expert welding inspectors and offer a certification to help boost a resume.
AWS offered a pre-exam Seminar as a refresher and Q&A session to help clear up misunderstandings. It is not meant as a training class to teach you everything you need to know to be a CWI. This is both a good and bad thing, as too many people think it's a training class rather than just a seminar.
Now Hobart is making it worse by lengthening the Seminar to a class, and again making people think- take the class - pass the test - now I'm a CWI.

As a result, the market is being flooded with CWI's, whom many don't have a clue how to actually do the job.
I'm sick to death of hearing crap like -
Woo Hoo! I finally passed my CWI exam!
than a couple days later -
Can you tell me how to qualify a Welder?

It makes me shudder to think that these folks are out there accepting and rejecting welds that peoples lives depend on , or might ruin a business.

So, to all of you folks out there reading this post and think that all you need to do to be a CWI is take a week or two of class and pass a test, don't be surprised if it doesn't work out.

-end of rant
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 02-29-2016 23:05
Amen Tim.
Parent - By Hugh Jass (*) Date 03-01-2016 00:52
Assumptions abound. I think that is a pity.
Parent - - By jarsanb (***) Date 03-01-2016 19:03
It's nice to hear someone else venting about the process, not just me.  I don't know what the fix should be. I don't think you can police the applicants better. Lying on the application or just so completely ignorant of the requirements that the individual feels they are qualified to test? I don't know. But if someone (we all know a person this fits) with little to no experience can go in and crash for a test in two weeks and pass, what does that say about the people who fail? It says they're not ready. Maybe there should be a minimum waiting period of a year before retesting. If you fail three times maybe you should be excluded for life? A C- to pass isn't really asking for much. If section B is such a road block, maybe they should test to samples and have additional question to the actual code/standard the applicant is testing to? I don't know - above my pay grade. What is a CWI certificate supposed to mean?  What is it supposed to verify? What's its purpose? It does not mean the individual is an experienced, knowledgeable inspector from what I'm experiencing. It does not mean that the CWI has a basic knowledge of the code that they are working to. You can throw QC-1 right in the ****ter. If no one enforces it (accept for fraudulent documents) what good is it?
Parent - By Hugh Jass (*) Date 03-01-2016 19:49 Edited 03-01-2016 19:53
I like the process. I think the part B that I took was fair. I guess I added my .02 to the specific "the new part b" discussion as someone who has taken it, and was very unprepared. I wanted people to know that you must be very prepared to take it. The test pulls from a wide range of practice, as is the point, and requires a wide variety of skills, again that's the point. My opinion from that point forward is just that. My opinion.
I've been in this field a long time, I didn't just show up expecting to take a class/seminar, and to magically pass this test. I did expect a preparation to take the test. I expected that seminar/class to test my existing knowledge and reveal my weaknesses, so that I could study those, gain knowledge and become better rounded.

I was provided exactly that on part a and on part c, as promised, prior to actually having to sit down and take the actual test. What a great experience and opportunity! What I did not get was the same experience and opportunity on part b. It is just that simple. Here are the facts.
We got:
Here are the tools we think will be in the kit (close)here are the weld samples we believe are similar to new part b samples (pretty close btw), here is the new part b specification (surprise it's different to what you studied for weeks in advance of this class), here is what we think will be in the book of exhibits (way off btw). They might ask you to measure this, or measure that, we are not sure.(they were not)
We are not here to teach you to be inspectors (valid point) we are here to teach you to pass this test (but we have no sample questions or any practice questions for you to work on whatsoever) good luck!

So there was no way to reveal your weakness except to take the actual test. There was no way to focus the expansion of your knowledge. I'm an expert at what I do, and I am very confident that I did well at the things geared toward my small part of the field. Admittedly, I'm not an expert in the wider field the test represents. That doesn't make it an unfair test. It just means that there are many things I have never seen in my small area that I need to educate myself on in order to pass the test. I didn't have any idea what those things were prior to taking the actual test because I was not prepared properly.

So for those that have never taken it, or for those preparing to take it, do not rely on anyone to help you figure out where you are weak unless they can actually give you problems to solve upfront. Many will have experienced the types of things that tripped me up in their everyday inspection life. I did not. Some may not have experience things I am an expert at, the things I found easy. My point is I paid someone to prepare me, and they were not ready to do that for the new part B. So beware.

That isn't a vent, but a cautionary tale on how the new part B went for me. I shared it hoping that it will help someone meet the challenge. As for me, I will work hard and study the areas I don't have experience in, and I will pass this test as a better rounded professional, worthy of the CWI stamp. It's what I would have done prior to the test, if the preparation for the test had included it, and it's what I'll do now having taken and failed the test.
Parent - - By TheNumber8 (*) Date 03-02-2016 04:24
Hmmm..I always got the perception that AWS recently started offering Pre-Seminars to raise additional capital and to help offset a high failure rate for those attending their seminars.  :)  It's just an assumption but, just sayin'...............
Parent - - By Hugh Jass (*) Date 03-02-2016 14:27
I don't even know what that means? I'm not the one saying anything about it being a rip off or money grab. I'm the one saying the test was fair. Indeed assumption abounds.
Parent - - By TheNumber8 (*) Date 03-03-2016 00:21
Hugh,

I was trying to be funny.  I guess you didn't see any humor in my post.  My apologies.  ;)

Part of the reason I made the post is because I know some CWI instructors which were caught off guard by the Part-B changes and what the exam would actually entail. 

I would be curious to see how many passed after attending a CWI seminar of any type.
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 03-03-2016 00:35
Here as well.  Not intending anything toward you (Hugh) and Spider, only commenting about issues that are pet peeves with me on the program.  And, not really the program itself, but the lack of follow through by employers, new CWI's and others on the implementation. 

Everybody wants a short cut to success.  We are dealing with critical public safety issues here.  There should be no short cuts in any way. 

I am somewhat biased toward AWS as a past section officer and Certification Committee Chairman but I am also critical on improperly applied practices no matter where they come from.  That is why I am going to this upcoming seminar week.  Having been through it myself under past codes and attending a couple of other seminars as section rep since then, I want to compare what I see and hear this year with what I remember from before.  In some ways I wish I were taking the exam; but then I slap myself and realize I don't really want to go through that again if I don't really have to.  :eek:

Brent
Parent - By TheNumber8 (*) Date 03-03-2016 03:33
Brent,

You brought up some interesting points............"lack of follow through by employers" and "everybody wants a shortcut to success." 

More to follow.....................
Parent - By Hugh Jass (*) Date 03-03-2016 11:39
Gotcha, admittedly, I'm socially thick at times. Lol cheers
Parent - By mwmw (**) Date 03-02-2016 02:23
It will be interesting to see how AWS has prepared their instructors to teach the new Part B. The Beta testing went through many steps/evaluations over the last yr or so. Just 2 weeks ago the Education dept contacted me for another feedback/survey on the beta exam and class. Im GUESSING that the Part B training is still evolving even to this day as they decide on the best way to teach/prep for this portion of the seminar
- - By Spider Date 03-01-2016 02:16
I think they should add a 3G 4G weld test. That would weed out a lot of the incompetent pencil pushing CWI's I've seen walking around in loafers on location. If AWS wants to make it hard on the folks who actually weld and know welding, they should do the same for the ones who want to skip welding and go strait to inspecting welds they don't know how to put down. That would increase the quality of the standard quite a bit.
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 03-03-2016 04:28
And what process would you suggest?

Just the one's you can pass or those you haven't used before. Just asking.

There is a lot more to being an inspector than simply looking at welds. For every hour I spend in the field looking at welds, I spend four or more hours in the office writing the report, reviewing material specifications, project specification, code requirements, and yes, using a dictionary to find the correct spelling and the proper technical terminology.

Don't get me wrong, my years under the helmet have served me very well, but it isn't all there is to inspection.

People seem to forget the CWI credential is only the beginning of the learning experience. The individual that earns the CWI and does nothing more to increase their understanding of related subjects is in for a rude awakening.

Al
Parent - - By Joey (***) Date 03-03-2016 04:56
Al, to be honest....to save cost for erecting scaffolding and staging......some clients require a CWI to have special skill like batman, spiderman, aquaman....:grin::lol:
Parent - By 803056 (*****) Date 03-03-2016 05:26
I had one contractor complain to the owner that I wasn't playing fair because I climbed the columns to access connections that could only be accessed with a ladder. They locked all the ladders specifically to keep me from doing my job.

Many of us have been there.

Al
Parent - - By Spider Date 03-03-2016 06:32
Yeah, just the ones I can pass. Pull your head out, your a bit too high on yourself.
I too have been inspecting welds and doing paperwork not to mention welding since 94' so I've been around the block a few times.
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 03-03-2016 13:45
So, what is it that you find so threatening, an opposing view?

I didn't disagree that welding experience is beneficial, it just that being a competent welding inspector takes more than being a competent welder. The ability to weld is just one of many factors that can contribute to successful inspection and a successful career as an inspector.

Even if welding experience was mandatory, few of us have experience with all the different welding processes that are used to produce welds. What welding experience should be made mandatory, SMAW, FCAW, GMAW, GTAW, LBW, EBW, ESW? Does the inspector have to demonstrate proficiency on structural plate or would you demand they pass an open root 6GR test? What base metal should be mandatory when taking the qualification test?

Since the welding inspector is often checking fabrication that involves layout, dimensional checks, structural steel framing, titanium structures for aerospace, petrochemical, or the paper industry, the inspector may also be called upon to inspect bridges, ships, railroad rolling stock, etc., does that mean the CWI candidate should show competence in each industrial sector as a condition for certification?

Should the Certification Committee require the CWI candidate to demonstrate competence in using several codes or is the system in place sufficient to determine one has the skill set needed to navigate a code to find specific information?

Whereas the welding inspector is required to monitor NDT, should the CWI candidate be required to demonstrate proficiency in each NDT method used to evaluate welds?

The welding inspector needs to have a basic understanding of stress, strain, material properties, concepts such as tension compression, torsion, bending stresses, stress intensification caused by geometric features, i.e., welded lugs welded to tension members, undercut transverse to the primary tensile stress, etc. Should the Certification Committee require each candidate posses an engineering degree?

My position is the CWI examination requires the candidate to demonstrate basic competence in one's ability to evaluate a weld in accordance with a standard. The specialization, if one decides to go down that road, comes after obtaining the basic credential. Expanding one's competence is something many CWIs do once they have earned the CWI credential. Granted, some CWIs are perfectly satisfied and earn a good living with nothing more than their hard earned CWI credential. The decision to obtain additional training, additional credentials, or to maintain the status quo is left to the individual CWI. 

I like the CWI program and I believe the new Part B is an improvement over the old Part B examination. The program has evolved since the 1970's. At one time there was no practical hands on examination. It was a short coming that was address in the early 1980's. Make your case to the Certification Committee if you really believe experience as a welder is essential to being a competent visual welding inspector. I believe you can attend a certification meeting, present your case, and you can do so without anyone on the committee telling you to "pull you head out of your rectum."  

Al
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 03-03-2016 14:22
It's ironic.   The same people who say the exams are difficult because they have no value Unless they prove you are an expert... Are the same guys who tell new CWI's that they are now just beginning.

Only one of those statements is validated by testing.

I was doing NDT and inspection on Boeing, Pratt, Allison, Rolls turbines and on the D17 committee long before I bothered to earn my CWI credential... CWI ment zero in the aerospace world until the advent of SpaceX, and they are as close to clueless as you can be.

Having said that.... The scope of duty a CWI might find himself in is VAST... But the society has shared the Part B freely up till now... That gents is the elephant in the room.

They shared it before (for free) and they won't now, with no explanation... That is unethical, and the AWS needs to do something about it.
Parent - By Spider Date 03-03-2016 15:55 Edited 03-03-2016 16:01
Taking a test with a fake code book, a top secret book of exhibits and using fake weld specimins that have imaginary hypothetical dimensions is hard enough without having to decipher AWS trick questions in less than ample time. Seems like another way for AWS to get into our pockets. Did I mention AWS has some of the worst customer service I have dealt with. I ordered a book and ended up cancelling the order after 2 1/2 months wait. Good thing it wasn't mandatory and one was provided for me. Would have liked to read it beforehand anyway.

Al, we understand what an inspector does. And hypothetically speaking , if there was a weld test, it should be applicable to the code you were testing in. Glad your happy with your new part B.
Parent - - By jarsanb (***) Date 03-09-2016 15:31
To your first point, I think that's where the issue with the process is.

QC-1
4.2 The SCWI and CWI shall be able to perform inspections or to verify that the work inspected and records maintained, conform to the requirements of the applicable standards and perform all WI duties listed in AWS B5.1, Specification for the Qualification of Welding Inspectors.

B5.1 Table 1 Welding Inspection Capabilities (only few listed below)
Procedure Qualification
(1) verify welding equipment appropriateness
(2) verify edge preparation compliance
(3) verify joint geometry compliance
(4) witness procedure qualification
(5) verify welding procedure qualification compliance
(6) review and approve welding procedures

Performance Qualification
(1) witness welder performance qualification
(2) verify welder qualification compliance
(3) verify welder qualification records compliance
(4) request welder performance re-qualification

It's shouldn't be the employers responsibility to decipher who has the skills, knowledge and ability from the CWI applicants. The certification process tells these managers that each individual shall be able to perform these duties. So on one hand, from whats listed, the AWS is saying that a CWI (newly minted or not) is above 'beginner level'. However, from the experience posted of many on this forum, that's not reality. A freshly minted CWI is typically in the beginning stages of learning and applying these skill-sets. The testing process does not verify the listed capabilities sufficiently enough to make these claims. I'm pretty sure the CWI founding fathers had a different vision than what is being delivered today. Although you wouldn't get that from reading any articles, where there is a lot of chest thumping on how great the test and product is. They're really in the process of training for a test. Anyone involved with developing curriculum's, objectives and testing can see the holes. Throw in the code of ethics, how many CWI's with little experience in a certain area are going to turn down 500 to 1000 a day because they don't have enough knowledge in that area? More than likely only the experienced CWI's will turn those opportunities down. Experience prerequisites - who monitors that? Apparently if you work at a company where they weld something, if you were a secretary filling the qual papers, good to go. So what is it? Is a new CWI an experienced, knowledgeable inspector or a beginner? I'm not sure I would include reviewing and approving WPS's in a beginners list of capabilities. I guess the definition of beginner and what quantifies it would need to be established.
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 03-09-2016 16:27
GREAT POST!

Honestly, I think the prerequisites, exams and body of knowledge required for the AWS CWI are excellent.  So yes, sometimes I'm amazed with the various levels of competency encountered in the real world.  But it's hard to blame the AWS for that... (I have lots of heartburn with AWS, but not here)

Employers hurt themselves a lot of the time by not having subject matter experts placed as decision makers in inspection and process.  If the right person is presiding at an interview, a 5 minute conversation with a prospective inspector will say much more than certs, diplomas and pedigree.

I did a project for Bechtel once upon a time.  They really had the right people asking the tough questions.  I couldn't have been more impressed with their process of "people placement" and subject matter experts involved as gatekeepers.  They had HR people at the table as you would expect a mammoth organization would, but they were silent.
Parent - - By jarsanb (***) Date 03-09-2016 20:37
I agree you can't blame the AWS for this issue. But unfortunately, having the right SME's in place is not going to happen. Having the right management personnel approve and sign the applicants application verifying experience, training and capability isn't going to happen. In many cases they don't know what or how to measure and verify these credentials. After all it's only welding (that's what people that didn't want to go to school do. Well, welding and mechanic). Since the AWS is the certifying body, there name is on all of our stamps, they ultimately are responsible for the product they are certifying. To ensure every CWI is compliant to QC-1 and B5.1 would be a tremendous investment. The problem lies with employers and the individuals themselves either not completely understanding what's required of them or trying to short-cut the process for various reasons. It's a self-policing situation. There is no way the AWS can invest enough to police everyone. Personal accountability. If someone doesn't have a grasp of the requirements, get a grasp first then pursue the CWI, not the other way around.
Parent - By TimGary (****) Date 03-09-2016 21:29
Good comments jarsanb.

AWS has done a pretty good job of making the CWI exam difficult enough to help weed out applicants who are not qualified to perform the job.
I think AWS should take steps against short circuiting the process by declaring proprietary rights and forcing all these "learn how to pass the test" schools to cease and desist.

Tim
Parent - By kcd616 (***) Date 05-20-2016 03:46
Lawrence,
as everyone knows
I have worked with Bechtel ( and Fluor)
and have a very low opinion of them
but everyone knows how I feel about
engineers and inspectors:eek:
a little late on the post
just my thoughts
sincerely,
Kent
- By Hugh Jass (*) Date 03-04-2016 20:44
Well the results are in. I passed the new part B with 4% to spare. I passed the part A with 18% to spare. Somehow, I missed part C by 4% or about 2 correct answers. So, while I did not succeed at my goal, I did manage CAWI, and I'm looking forward to really digging in, using practice questions, and further reading to take part C again. It's funny, but expected I guess, that the areas I have been working in for the last decade are the areas I was near flawless in. The areas that I'm new to, or that I only see once in a great while are the ones I need to get stronger at. It's very encouraging.

As for the new part b, and more specifically, the preparation for it (or lack there of in my Hobart class) I still feel the same. It was sad. Luckily, I did have about 4% enough know how to pull through. But, it was nothing I didn't have prior to the class. As I've said, I think they will get better at it going forward. They are that kind of place.
- By MrToday77 Date 03-08-2016 14:07 Edited 03-08-2016 14:44
Ran across this, this morning.  Remembered a few guys asking about it.

http://www.aws.org/library/doclib/CWI-Book-of-Specifications-2016.pdf

Enjoy!!!!
- - By Deocto Date 05-18-2016 22:50
Hola,

This is an admittedly a pretty touchy subject, and some here are holier than thou about it (maybe they have passed under old test and took a 10 day seminar instead of the very short AWS with a half day to work on the Part B, which to my knowledge is the portion with the highest fail rate) while others think the whole thing is an outright sham.  I find myself somewhere in the middle.

First, some background on me.  I've been in some sort of construction field since I was 18.  I welded some farm fence and old trash dumpsters on and off for a couple years before I went to welding school for nine months and received my "Master Welder Certificate."  I did shutdowns as a welder/grunt after that for close to two years before moving into NDT which I've been doing for about 6 years now.  Primarily pipelining.

Test taking, reading comprehension, and reading speed have always been a forte of mine. Back when we took standardized tests in school, I was usually in the upper 90%.  Not that that necessarily translates to fast technical reading, but it helps.

I recently took the AWS CRI seminar and test and my composite score was 89%.

Now to the topic at hand.  I took the CWI seminar through AWS and ended up with the CAWI.  I failed the part B by one, maybe two questions.  I was bummed but felt somewhat vindicated by the fact that I had ran out of time with 6 questions left and had to just fill in random bubbles.  I thought, "well I'll nail it next time."  So a year almost to the day, I took the Part B again.  This time, I studied the Part B inside and out.  I could have told you what the scope of each appendix was by heart.

I'm not sure what happened.  I think perhaps I was curred by my first experience with it.  Failing the first test of my life (okay, second but that was a trick test on Shakespeare in Mr. Welk's 10th Grade English) must have really hit me sideways.  I ended up running out of time with 14 questions left.  I have no idea what happened to the time except that I must have been double checking answers for way too long, worried about those notes and references to other parts of the code. 

I knew the material.   I missed 0 questions about welding procedures and welder quals.  I failed the test with the same score as the previous one.  One cotton picking question.

Third time was going to be the charm.  But now the entire test is changed and I don't see any way to get acquainted with the new test without paying the 1000+ dollars  for a whole seminar to get a half day of review out of it.

Sure feels like the shaft.
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 05-18-2016 22:59
Look closer at the registration information, you can take just the Inspection Workshop and not the whole week.  BUT, it is now 2 days, not 1/2 day.

Brent
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 05-19-2016 00:56
There is no acceptable excuse for one to run out of time before getting to the last question on the test. Absolutely no excuse unless one has running diarrhea and spends too much time in the can and even then, bring a five-gallon bucket to the test if that’s the problem.

Anyone that has attended the AWS seminar has heard it is imperative to bring a time piece to the examination and to pace themselves to ensure they don’t waste too much time on the hard questions.

The point being, wasting time on the hard questions when one could answer two or three easy questions in the same amount of time is simple silly. It sounds like that is the trap you’ve fallen into twice already. Don’t make the same mistake the third time. Learn from the past mistakes of others so you don’t make the same mistake. 

Best regards - Al
Parent - By mwmw (**) Date 05-20-2016 00:48
I used all my time double checking answers after i finished.
I agree on skipping the hard ones and moving to others. I had two questions that got me a little rattled and I wasted a lot of time on them before i decided to skip and go back to them at the end. When i did go back to them the answers actually came to me very quickly with a clear head.
Parent - By Deocto Date 05-27-2016 01:23
Thank you for the constructive criticism.

Though that would probably be unfairly distracting to the other test takers were I to sit on a bucket for the duration of the test.

I agree that any excuse to fail any test twice is weak, and the fault no doubt lies with me.  Regardless of what was going on in my head.

When we got the 30 minute warning and the 5 minute warning (seemingly) 2 minutes later, I realized my watch wasn't just erroneously ticking way faster than usual, as I was sure was the case for the first 90 minutes.

A big part of my flawed strategy was that I was re-reading even the simple questions, trying to find the "trick" to every question.  The answers came so much more easily the second time around, I was sure I was "missing" something.

The third time will be the one.  New test or not.  Either that or I'll go back to college and get some liberal arts degree where they have easy finals and I can make half as much money.
Parent - - By Deocto Date 05-27-2016 01:06
Excellent, Brent.  Thanks for this information.

That's fantastic that AWS took the feedback from the old test and improved on an aspect that seemed to need improvement.  As I dislodge my foot from my mouth, allow me to check my pride at the door and give them kudos.  Kudos, AWS!

I was actually looking at the pre-seminar information, since they break that up into so many sections I figured a visual inspection course would be one of them.  I'm reluctant to go into it with even two days of information, but that's 4 times as much as the previous version, and as close as I got both times, I'd bet it would be more than enough.  I just wanted to exhaust every resource and go in absolutely over prepared.  I'm all about taking responsibility, but I don't know if my soul could take another failure.  It's embarrassing.

I really didn't realize you could take just the visual inspection aspect of the seminar and was considering paying for the whole seminar and just showing up at the end, so this advice is quite literally worth it's weight in gold.  I owe you a steak and lobster dinner for sure.

Deone
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 05-27-2016 01:33
Deone,

When you go to the main AWS website, go to this link:  https://app.aws.org/registrations/     from there, go down and click on the appropriate boxes and you will come to one that is titled 'seminars'.  That one will list the breakdowns of the seminar week.  You can take the whole thing or it has the two available code book sections, the WIT section, and the Visual Inspection Workshop.  You want that Visual Inspection Workshop. 

With the new info they will have on the New Part B book, the Book of Exhibits, weld molds including pipe, and different inspections tools, you can't go wrong getting in and seeing what they have and how they approach it.

Brent
Parent - By Superflux (****) Date 05-19-2016 14:42 Edited 05-19-2016 14:45
Deocto,

"passed under old test and took a 10 day seminar". Or maybe some just paid $640 clams, took a 4 day weekend off, flew to Portland, OR with his wife, spent a stressful Saturday testing and then spent Sunday watching her shop at that huge outdoor hippie bazaar while getting some fresh seafood meals that aren't available in the high desert...
I think too many folks have a false sense of security with their accomplishments as a welder when it comes to the CWI exam. As I remember, the desk in the classroom prepared me far better than the hood in the refinery. Most welders seem to learn the vast majority of what they "Think they know" about welding from other welders. Bad choice of instructor for technical training IMHO... I've heard a lot of misinformation and terminology such as; shielding gas flow rates measured in CFM (or worse yet psi). Highly scientific electrode manipulation techniques such as "Rod Trajectory". Incidentally, the only good example of rod trajectory I've witnessed was when a friend nailed a magpie from about 50' with an 1/8" 6010 while it was busy robbing his opened Igloo Playmate. What a Shot!
It sounds like your 6 years in NDT on pipelines (I assume an RT Tech?) was great preparation for the CRI. That is a pretty cool accomplishment, since I know at least 2 CWIs who have failed that particular exam.

No one flunks the test by "One Question"... Nope they busted it by 28.1%! of a whole buncha questions.
Your Trick test by Mr Welch sounds like it may have been based off of the AWS' model for the CWI exam. Of which both were obviously NOT based on our National Education systems' "Standardised Tests". They may be able to "leave no child behind", but they do manage to leave many CWI candidates behind in the financial burden of a Retest.

My "Trick" on these type tests is to;
A) Bring an eraser
B) VERY lightly mark (so it can be easily erased) the tough questions.
C) Zip through the one's you are 100% sure of.
ALSO!
D) I make the very light lines to mark the test and answer sheet in rows of 10. I have caught myself getting off track and finding the answers were not in sync to the question.

Doesn't the AWS give a severe spanking for failing twice by demanding a "Re-education" of some sorts?
I guess if you want it bad enough, money is no object. Dream the Dream, but work HARD to make it happen.
Good luck to ya next time.
- - By TRowe (*) Date 05-20-2016 05:27
Hello to All,,

This being my first post in this forum, I am just going to jump right in there with my NEW PART B experience.

Three months ago I decided it was time to "bite the bullet" and pursue the CWI certification. Having been a welder for over 20 yrs, I felt it was time to open new doors (or at least see if any new doors would open). However, one aspect of obtaining the CWI status really hung in my gut, PART B and the out of pocket expense. So, I started "trolling" this forum searching for insight on how to prepare, what to study, how to study, what to expect, what to do, what not to do, and just how difficult the process of passing the exam, PART B in particular, was going to be. During my "trolling" sessions I was able to pick out a great deal of information pertaining to the questions that I had. Some of the information was easy to pluck, some of it was hidden in the various rants of others.

Once all my books arrived from registering in the online pre-seminar, I then figured out where my knowledge was weak and began there. For 2 1/2 months I studied and read all the information I was provided (the expense and the horror stories of PART B turned into a great motivational tool). I brushed up on WPS's, PQR's, and WQTR's every free chance I was afforded. When I got to the seminar I felt as ready as I could be.

The instructor was superb, materials were spot on, and the 2 days spent on PART B answered many of the unknown question of what to expect on exam day (and it really made my gut feel a whole lot better).

Each exam I finished with @ 30 min. to spare. I chose not to review my answers for fear of overthinking the question and changing a right answer to a wrong (learned that from the pre-test).

All in all, I had a good time and through my endless hours of dedication and with the help of this forum and others, I have joined the class of CWI's in passing not only PART's A and C, but PART B as well.

I guess my input regarding the NEW PART B would be: Read it, Learn it, and most importantly, Understand it.

Hope I didn't bore to many of you on my first time out.

Todd
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 05-20-2016 05:44
Todd,
WELCOME TO THE AWS WELDING FORUM!!

Congrats on passing.  Now, the journey has just begun.

Thanks for your input and time.  Keep hanging around here and I'm sure Al, Lawrence, Allan, and company will keep you on the straight and narrow.

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,   Brent
Parent - By Trackergd (**) Date 05-27-2016 12:31
TRowe "hidden in the various rants of others"...   :lol:

I too have learned a lot here from constructive comments and various rants of others and feel blessed that I have this forum to view whenever I have a spare moment.
Up Topic American Welding Society Services / Certifications / The New Part B
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