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Up Topic Welding Industry / Inspection & Qualification / CWI exam and seminar
- - By willbergj (**) Date 01-07-2008 16:08
i am scheduled to take the seminar and exam the week of Feb. 24.  in houston.  any advise to help me be better prepared?
Parent - - By crazycajun (**) Date 01-07-2008 16:22
the only thing i can tell you is the same thing everyone else has been telling me study study study study from what i hear there is no secrets to passing the books that you could use to help you are welders inspection technology, a2.4, a3.0. and whatever code you plan to test on. those should at least get you started. maybe someone else could give you a few other thing to stuff into your brain.
Parent - By commonarc (**) Date 01-07-2008 18:37
Buy the study guides
Parent - - By willbergj (**) Date 01-07-2008 18:51
thanks i am ordering the books.  do  you know of any sample tests out there?
Parent - By crazycajun (**) Date 01-07-2008 19:03
dont know of any sample test only work books that you buy seperarte from the text. there may be something of sample test but i have never heard of them but if you find one let me know.
Parent - - By willbergj (**) Date 01-07-2008 19:39
what do you have to know for the practical portion of the exam?
Parent - - By crazycajun (**) Date 01-07-2008 20:02
go online and type   aws partb2006
Parent - - By willbergj (**) Date 01-07-2008 20:28
the three parts are fundamentals, practical and codebook.  with your help and others i am a little more confortable with the practical and code book.  but i know nothing about the fundamental portion of the exam.  any input?

thanks
Parent - By crazycajun (**) Date 01-07-2008 20:56
fundamentals is about 150 questions of pure knowledge. more or less general information of everything you will be dealing with in the field. i never took the test yet so thats all i have to go on. the welders inspectors technology text and work book should help you through most of that area.
Parent - - By commonarc (**) Date 01-07-2008 20:03 Edited 01-07-2008 20:08
there are many sample tests in the back of the study guides with answers provided.  Write your answers on a seprate piece of paper and then correct them, go back and look up the ones you missed in the book and keep retaking the tests over and over until you get most of them right.  That's the way
I did it anyway.
Parent - - By willbergj (**) Date 01-07-2008 20:18
i ordered several books from aws, but i dont recall any "study guides".  do you recall what the names of the study guides are?

thanks
Parent - - By commonarc (**) Date 01-07-2008 22:16 Edited 01-07-2008 22:21
There is a Visual Inspection Workshop and also a Study guide for API-1104 (you NEED the code book to use this study guide) plus the Certification Manual for Welding Inspectors which has over 300 sample test questions in the back of it that are very helpful.  I'm pretty sure there is a study guide for D1.1 also but I tested to API-1104.  Buy a cheap set of calipers and a micrometer and learn how to use this also if you don't already.  Study up on basic metric conversions and get a good calculator like a TI-30 and learn the basic functions.  Otherwise it's all studying.  I read this stuff over for 6 months before I tested.  From what I hear, most of the seminar instructors are excellent but the one I had was lacking.  Not to bring up a sour subject but depend on yourself rather than the seminar and you should do fine.
Parent - By arrowside (**) Date 01-07-2008 23:41
I've got all of the books you'll need and they are brand new if you would like to make a deal.
Parent - - By weld7320 (*) Date 01-08-2008 14:48
Make sure you study definitions. Also, tab your codebook for quick reference. Especially the tables and figures if you're taking D1.1.
Parent - By willbergj (**) Date 01-08-2008 16:04
thanks guys.  is the fundamental, practical and code book protion of the exam all multiple choice?
i felt pretty confortable about this exam until now.  i am getting a little nervous.

thanks
Parent - - By willbergj (**) Date 01-08-2008 16:08
i am sure the seminar will help explain alot about the part b portion of the exam, but looking at the book of specification (part b) without any explanation is really thowing me for a loop.  is there a website to help teach or explain the part b?

thanks
Parent - - By commonarc (**) Date 01-08-2008 19:27
It's all multiple choice.  The ones that stink are the questions that are "both a & b or both c and d"  Stuff like that.
Some have up to 5 choices.  It was harder than I thought.  Where are you taking the exam and seminar at?  Do you know who your
instructor will be?  You should know who the instructor is before you sign up.  It can make a world of a difference.  Trust me.
Parent - - By willbergj (**) Date 01-08-2008 19:31
houston tx the week of feb. 24.

dont know the instructor.  how do you find out?
Parent - By commonarc (**) Date 01-08-2008 23:01
You should be ok out there.  The one I had doesn't travel that far.
You can call AWS and ask.
Parent - - By dbigkahunna (****) Date 01-08-2008 23:17
What is it about part B you are having problems understanding? If it is the code, remember, as a welding inspector, you should be able to accept and reject welds based on ANY code. You should be able to read the code and accept and reject welds based on that code. AWS give you a sample code that is close to what you will see at the test. Lest say REALLY close. But not exact! You are familliar with the way it is organized and set up because you have the one they sent you to study. You take the one you have in class and accept or reject the welds based on the code you are given at the test site.

Here is a real world example. You have been working under the 18th edition of API 1104. Accepting and rejecting welds based on that edition. All of a sudden the chief hands you the 20th edition and this is not what you will accept and reject welds based on. Cna you take that 20th edition, study it for a couple of hours and be familliar with it enough you can accept and reject welds? 99% of it will not change, but can you find the 1% and does it affect your job? This is what part B does.

The best hint I can give you is READ THE FOOTNOTES!!

one more time READ THE FOOTNOTES!!!!!
Parent - - By Stringer (***) Date 01-09-2008 01:01
Good luck, WillburgJ,
So far I think the advice you've gotten is pretty good, but here's a couple of tips I think helped me. For one thing, stock your room with a little basic food. For me it was cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, oranges, and some trail mix assortments. Sounds like rabbit food, I know, but the chow in the hotel where I stayed was a little heavy and you need to spend as much time awake and studying as possible. I awoke at 5:30 and hit the sack around 12:45.
Also, I would suggest a really early bedtime for the day before the test. It's so easy to be so sick and tired of this welding nonsense that you don't even care whether you pass or fail, you just want to be done and out of there. So be fresh so you'll care when you answer the questions. It's six hours of exams. Again, good luck.
Parent - - By commonarc (**) Date 01-09-2008 01:18
Getting to bed early is good advice.  Staying out of the hotel bar is also good advice.  I was amazed at how many guys went to the bar after the seminar and stayed for hours.  I had trouble sleeping the night before the test.  6 hours of exam is pretty stressful.  It's not fun when you're paying for it out of pocket.  Worried for weeks until the results came.  Study like crazy, stay out of the bar and pay attention in the seminar.  You should do fine.
Parent - - By willbergj (**) Date 01-09-2008 19:07
thanks for all your help

i checked with aws they didnt have the instructors name for the seminar.  is there a place online that i can get a "pre seminar" session for the part b.  i have never had to use this stuff (book of specs.) before. 

thanks
jason
Parent - - By commonarc (**) Date 01-09-2008 19:27
I find it hard to beleive that nobody knows who is giving the seminar.  That's the same thing they told me so warning bells should be going off.  If it's the same flunky they sent out to my seminar then save your money.  I sent you a PM with his name.
Parent - - By willbergj (**) Date 01-09-2008 20:21
thanks

hopefully he wont be in houston tx.

do i need to be familiar with all electodes?

what types of gauges and tools do i need to be familiar with?
Parent - By commonarc (**) Date 01-09-2008 21:44
there are welding rod tables provided.  Again, read the footnotes.......it's all about the footnotes.

Micrometer and calipers.  Learn them before the seminar if you don't know already.  Fraction and decimal conversions also.
They give you tables on metric conversions but it deosn't hurt to know the basics like how many mm = 1".
Up Topic Welding Industry / Inspection & Qualification / CWI exam and seminar

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