It sounds to me like you just didn't allow yourself enough time to be fully prepared for the test, this is a mistake an awful lot of people make. While there may be 10's of thousands of current CWI's, the testing is NOT a cake walk, if you come expecting the 40 hour "pre-test" seminar to TEACH you what you should already know, you're in for heartache and in most cases, failure.
I've been a CWI continuously since 1980 and I'll tell you, everytime the 9-year testing renewal comes up, I pucker and would never even attempt it without the refresher course. When I took my very first exam I had studied non-stop for six months and I mean every available hour of my day. I don't mean to sound disrespectful but it just doesn't sound like you were prepared and maybe even hadn't taken the study seriously.
Knuckle down, try it again!
I would have to say that there are many reasons why a person might fail. One is stated by jon200013. This may not be your case, but does happen alot. Other reasons might or might not be, not actually having the background to be eligable to take the test, and I am by no means saying this is your case, just things I have seen in the past. Study habits, as well as a misconception that not just Hobart but any course, is supposed to make you pass the test. They are not intended to do anything but prepare you. You must have the background in the industry, as well as an open mind. I have seen book educated engineers, very sharp fellows go into the test thinking they already knew everything they needed to know and fail miserably as a result of thier attitude towards the preparatory classes. Again I am not saying that any of these is the reason you had trouble with the test. I would need more info on your actual background, as well as study habits, length of personal preparation and what your true feelings towards the test are. Also your long or short term goals for achieving this cert. could very well have an impact on your results. As for me personally, I went into it knowing that I had a very strong background in the welding and metal joining industry, but far from knowing all there is to know. I studied for 3 months prior to Hobart. And I was probably the biggest question asker as well as one of the only people to run my questions down to a solid answer rather than taking an answer that I really did not fully understand and stopping. I also knew when I started that I was going to make a carreer out of this and that I was not going to do just structural. I planned on delving into all fields of inspection from piping to bridge to railroad, and anywhere that I could go to be the most well rounded CWI that I could be. Did Hobart still have thier retest garauntee? Keep me posted on your progress.
jrw159, very well said. As I've indicated many, many times publically, in this Forum, the best thing 33 years of experience in our industry has taught me is how little I REALLY know. That's part of what makes our field so special and rewarding. We all have specialties in which we may have slightly better depth than some of our counterparts in industry and this Forum helps merge the minds if you will and broaden our depths as a whole.
The CWI exam was originally intended to be of "generic value" that meaning it sought to assure a broad level of welding knowledge rather than a specific knowledge. Things seem to be evolving... whether they are for the better is a matter of personal interpretation of program changes, but the CWI Program is certainly among, if not "the" most recognizable welding inspection program in the world and, in my opinion, well worth pursuing.
Best of luck and take heart, I once knew a person who took the exam 6 times before he finally struck gold!
Guys, I freaked out too when I saw that there were materials and questions about some idiosyncrasies with those materials......I thought to myself, I've never been exposed to those materials before in my life, how am I supposed to know what happens if this material is held at a certain temperature for X amount of time? Or what phases it goes through....At the time I worked for 15 years for a Structural Steel fabricator and we only dealt with mild steel and here I am trying to learn about materials that I have zero experience with....I had to buckle down and learn as much as I could about these materials. But it all worked out and I passed on the first time through....you have to learn where your weaknesses are and concentrate on learning all you can about those and let your experience serve for the parts that you do know well.
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