I took the test back in the mid eighties. Tough, but very interesting.

Part one is a four hour multiple choice test similar to the CWI examination. A little heavy on safety, for instance, how many fusible plugs and where are they located on an acetylene tank?
I still remember the "gist" of that one!

Then there is the hands on practical test. I walked into the room where the hands-on was to be given. There was a stack of coupons of various base metals on the table. A pile of welding leads, some assorted gauges and flow meters, several different tanks of different fuel gases, shielding gases, and oxygen. The machines were sitting with a mocking smug look about them.

The proctor gave me a test booklet and told me I had a set time to complete as many of the hands-on tests as I could. He told me one of his primary rolls was to evaluate how I handled the "safety" aspects of welding as well as to evaluated the test welds.

As far as I can remember I took the following:

6 inch schedule 40 pipe, cut to length, bevel, fit and weld. One half was welded open root with short circuiting GMAW using vertical upward progression. The opposite half was welded using SMAW with a E6010 root using downward progression and finished with E7018 vertical upward progression. Then torch cut the coupons from the 2:00, 4:00, 8:00, and 10:00 O'clock positions for face and root bends. Remember, the torches had to be hooked up and the welding machines had to be hooked up as well as running beads.

I also had to run a vertical up, open root on 1/8 inch aluminum using GTAW.

An overhead fillet on 1/8 inch carbon steel T-joint using an oxy-acetylene torch.

Almost forgot the vertical braze on a T-joint of 1/8 inch carbon steel.

And last, a 3/8 inch carbon steel open root single V-groove butt joint. The entire root and second pass was laid in using vertical upward progression with E6010 and finished with E7018. Once again, coupons were torch cut and tested with face and root bends.

I am proud to say I passed all the tests and was awarded 29 college credits toward my Bachelor of Science degree. I was told at the time that 48 states accepted the examination for vocational welding instructors.

I only wish the AWS Welding Educator Committee would consider this program in place of the nightmare they are proposing.

Good luck on the examination. I encourage you and anyone considering a career as a welding educator to take the NOCTI examinations. I can't say the same about the AWS proposed examinations!  No college credits for the AWS test!

Best regards - Al