Apollogize for not being informed on the AWS and Hobart. The point I should have emphasized is that make sure the prerequisites (application and eye exam) detailed in QC1 are folowed so you know it is an AWS CWI. I know of a couple of Tech Schools that give students mock/outdated CWI exams and there has been a misunderstanding as to the graduate's inspector status. Just remember, no matter what school you attend, one is always self educated. There is no substitute for diligante study. "Chance favors the prepared"! Good luck on your test. They do throw out the darndest questions!!!

Amen brother I just took the exam after alot of self study and guidence from friends.

most of this you probably know. aws a2.4 welding symbols, you don't need to memorize anything for the code portion. just have a good understanding of how the code is formated. be proficient at looking up specific requirements, including footnotes. for the hands on portion, forget what you already know. answer all questions from the sample code provided. as far as the general knowledge portion, after 35 years you should know this. also, tab your code book. i took mine to d1.1. i used one color tab for chapters, one for common tables ( 3.1, 3.2, 6.1,...), and one for typical references and the index. the index, if your testing to d1.1 start trying to anwsire all questions using the index. this code is so well indexed. all i studied was the cert manual 1/2 hour a night for 3 weeks prior to the test.

Milton

Get A2.4, A3.0, the WIT and the AWS Welding Handbook Volume 1.

Read 20 pages of A2.4 and A3.0 every day, until you are done wtih the book, then start over again.  Read one chapter of the WIT every night, then start over.  If you can get the WIT Work Book of sample questions,  test yourself after each chapter.  Time yourself for 45 seconds per question, then look up the answer in the WIT and read the paragraphs before and after the paragraph with the answer.  This approach will give you an insight on how long you have on the exam.   Save one of the sample test question sets, until the last day before you take the exam.  this will be your last minute confidence builder!

Hogan sure is right on the rest of it.  I would recommend the Hands-On training from AWS if you do not go to the Hobart School.  You need to know how to use the AWS tools, becaus that is what you get on the examination.  It will save you time that you will sorely need during the real exam.  I aslo recommend the D 1.1 Code because it has an index.  If you are more familiar with another code do whatever you feel more comfortable with.   Hogan is right about the Tabbing.

I wasted my money going to Hobart, but I could tell it was superb training, professionally run with excellent teachers.  Don't listen to people who tell you it is the hardest test they ever took.  That kind of talk will just psych you out.  If you study in advance, and you know the subject, the test is not that hard.  Above all, don't psych yourself into a failure mode.

Whatever you do, don't go around asking people what questions they remember.  The questions in the Certification Manual are very similar.  You can do this on your own.  When you get the passing grade, it will be all yours, and you can have real pride in it.

I have the WIT and workbook, both are used but in good shape, workbook has no writing in it. neither does the WIT and they dont have highlights in them, they are clean books with some use on the binding part but they are not falling apart. I will sell for $150 and i will pay shipping. I dont do paypal or credit cards. this is a good price on the books, if interested email me!

I have taken the CWI exam without going to a seminar. I didn,t pass the 1st time. I have been a welder since 1982. I paid $200 for precourse study material. It was worth the money to a certain degree. I made a 50% on the practical, 70% on API 1104 and 72% on fundamentals. It took me 45 minutes to take each portion. I then went to a Real Educational seminar for one day, it was the last day of the seminar. That day was designated for the Practical or Hans 0n portion, but all they were doing were practicing for the Practical part of the exam. Day wasted. I recently attended the seminar given by the AWS in Baton Rouge, LA. The instructor was Rich Depue. He is also a CWI/CWE, welder and also is a Radiographic Interpreter. He was very informative, easy to understand and a very nice person. He could answer ?'s as fast as you could ask them. If he didn't have the answer, he would find it. Before I retest, I will attend the practical portion of the seminaragain. The test is not stressful, it is the time allowed. Consider this; the AWS seminar cost you around $1000.00. But, the material you get at the seminar is yours to keep. The books you get are worth approximately $600.00. It contains alot of books that you can use as an inspector. Ex: welding symbols, practice tests, terms, definitions,. Here is an idea: go to the AWS seminar, pay attention, especially on the practical part on what is acceptable or rejectable on inspections. This way, if you are not sure, you have the books, the information you learned at the seminar and the time to get outside help, such as going to a NDT/Inspection company that will let you observe testing. Good luck!

"i hear " are the key words here, and also from what "I HEAR" if you have a photographic memory and can remember every single thing taught at the seminar ,you should be able to pass! and where did i say i had "loose papers" I said I had a copy of the index, AND I had a copy of the Errata sheets and how can you be sure you pass the exam without the errata sheets? I believe my exam was given by a past president of AWS. but i am not 100% sure! The copy of my index was put in a book form, along with the errata sheets in another book form and to be on the safe side, I asked before the exam when the Instructor looked through our D1.1 for loose notes if I was allowed to use the Index I had, He said I was, as long as i dont write in it, you cannot write in your D1.1 during exam either!