How to become a certified welding inspector: CWI certification steps

CWI certification in six steps

1. Check you qualify. AWS sets a minimum of welding-based work experience for each education level, from one year with a welding engineering degree to five years with a high school diploma. Run your dates through the CWI eligibility checker.
2. Gather your records. Education, employment verification and a vision test, on AWS's own forms.
3. Pick a Part B event. Part B runs only at AWS-approved sites on AWS event dates, so choose one on AWS's seminar and exam schedule and note its application deadline. To compare dates by state and month first, use our CWI exam schedule.
4. Apply to AWS. The Part B confirmation letter arrives about four to six weeks after you submit, with the eligibility code you need for the next step.
5. Book Parts A and C at Prometric. Use the eligibility code and book at least 30 days ahead. Where to take the CWI exam covers each site.
6. Pass all three parts. You need 72% on each part and a 72% composite. Scores arrive in two to four weeks, and your credential follows six to eight weeks after they're confirmed. From then on, AWS CWI renewal falls at years 3 and 6, with recertification at year 9.

Do you qualify?

AWS lists these minimum combinations of education and welding-based work experience:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in welding engineering or welding technology: one year of experience.
• Associate degree or higher in welding, engineering technology, engineering or a physical science, within AWS's listed categories: two years.
• Applicable engineering or technical coursework toward a bachelor's degree or higher in welding: three years.
• Successfully completed trade or vocational coursework qualifying for the education substitution: four years.
• High school diploma or approved equivalency: five years.
• Eighth-grade schooling: nine years.
• Less than eighth-grade schooling: 12 years.

The education substitutions have limits: an unfinished course or an unrelated qualification doesn't get the maximum credit. AWS also requires a vision test and supporting records, using its employment verification and visual acuity forms. AWS makes the eligibility decision.

Run your own dates through the CWI eligibility checker. Short on years? See how the entry-level CAWI and the senior SCWI compare in CWI vs CAWI vs SCWI.

The three exam parts

You sit Part A Fundamentals, Part B Practical and Part C Code Application. Part A tests welding inspection knowledge, closed book. Part B is hands-on inspection with replicas and gauges. Part C tests applying your chosen code. Plan a separate study block for each with the Part A guide, Part B guide and Part C D1.1 guide. For the Part B gauge readings, practice on drawn welds with the weld gauge reading trainer.

You need 72% on each part and a 72% composite average. Seminar training is optional, so choose prep around your gaps, not because you think it's required. Seen a pass rate quoted? Read what AWS actually publishes about CWI pass rates first.

CWI study guide by part

Study each part for the way it's tested. For a sample question on every part, start with the free CWI practice test, and follow the CWI study guide for what to learn in each part and in what order. Then put your exam dates into the CWI study plan builder for a printable week-by-week schedule.

• Part A (closed book): vocabulary, welding processes, symbols, NDE methods, metallurgy and the calculations, all from memory. Drill formulas and symbol reading until they're automatic. The Part A guide shows where the points are.
• Part B (open book, hands-on): your tool kit and the Book of Specifications. Practice gauge readings, visual calls and document checks, and learn where each topic sits in the book. The Part B guide has the tool list and a timed plan.
• Part C (code application): your chosen code, usually D1.1, and finding the right clause quickly. Practice navigation, not memorizing. The Part C D1.1 guide covers the drill.

How long does it take?

There are two clocks: earning the experience, and getting certified once you have it. With a high school diploma you need at least five years of qualifying experience. If you already have it, you're planning an application and exams, not starting a five-year wait.

Build your calendar in this order:

• Gather education, employment and vision records. Fix missing signatures first.
• Pick a Part B event from AWS's live seminar and exam schedule. Note its site code, exam date and application deadline separately from any seminar dates.
• Apply and wait for the Part B confirmation letter, about four to six weeks after you submit. AWS advises waiting for it before you book travel.
• Use the letter's eligibility code to book Parts A and C at Prometric, at least 30 days ahead, as AWS recommends.
• After your last exam, the score letter takes two to four weeks, and your credential materials follow six to eight weeks after scores are confirmed.

Prep and scheduling can overlap. Your Part B event, Prometric seats and any application corrections set your actual finish date, and a retest pushes it out, which is the best reason to be ready the first time.

What does it cost?

Initial exams cost $1,255 for AWS members and $1,520 for non-members. Initial exams with Part B training are $2,000 / $2,265, and the CWI seminar-and-exam package is $3,070 / $3,335. These are alternatives, not amounts to add together. For seminars, courses, books and practice tests side by side, see CWI study options compared.

Your total is exam or package + vision exam + references and prep + travel and hotel + time off work + a retest reserve. For example, an exam-only non-member budget starts at $1,520 before those personal costs.

Prometric seat fees are already in the exam prices. The non-member price includes three years of AWS Individual Membership; Student and Early-Career memberships don't get member pricing. AWS adds a $125 processing charge for domestic applications sent by email or paper mail, so a non-member exam-only application sent that way totals $1,645 before personal costs.

Build your own total with the CWI exam cost calculator. The CWI cost guide compares the packages and retest fees, and the retest rules show what another attempt involves. International candidates check pricing and deadlines with the AWS agent for their event.

What does a CWI do at work?

O*NET's inspection occupation profile describes reading drawings and specifications, measuring products, recording inspection findings, identifying nonconforming work and communicating corrective actions. Those are the duties to look for in a welding inspection job ad. The profile covers inspectors broadly, not CWIs alone, and each employer sets the actual assignment and code experience it wants.

Start with the free 10-question check

Once your route is clear, find your weak spots with the free 10-question check for Part A, Part B or Part C (D1.1). It's scored by domain and takes no signup. The Fillet Gauge course then gives you a lesson for every exam subject, two full-length timed practice exams per part, a worked explanation with every answer, and a week-by-week study plan built from your check and your exam date.

Related exam prep

• API 510 and 570 inspector exam prep on Long Seam: free checks and guides for pressure vessel and piping inspectors.

FAQ

What are the AWS CWI requirements?

A qualifying mix of education and welding-based work experience, a vision test, employment verification records, an accepted AWS application, and 72% on each of the three exam parts with a 72% composite average.

Can you get CWI certification online?

You can study online, but you can't certify entirely online. Part B is a hands-on exam at an AWS-approved site on an AWS event date, and Parts A and C are computer-based exams at Prometric test centers. AWS's live online seminars are prep for those exams.

How many years of experience do you need to become a CWI?

It depends on your education. With a high school diploma or equivalent you need five years of welding-based work experience, and with a bachelor's degree or higher in welding engineering or welding technology you need one year.

How long does CWI certification take once you qualify?

The Part B confirmation letter arrives about four to six weeks after you apply, and AWS recommends booking Parts A and C at least 30 days ahead. After your last exam, the score letter takes two to four weeks.

How much does it cost to become a CWI?

Initial exams cost $1,255 for AWS members and $1,520 for non-members. AWS adds a $125 processing charge for domestic applications sent by email or paper mail, and your vision exam, references, travel and time off work come on top.

Do you need a seminar to become a CWI?

No. Seminar training is optional, so choose your prep around your gaps rather than because you think it's required.

What are the three CWI exam parts?

Part A Fundamentals is closed book, Part B Practical is hands-on inspection with replicas and gauges, and Part C Code Application tests applying your chosen code. You need 72% on each part and a 72% composite average.

Sources

Show the list

• Certified Welding Inspector program, American Welding Society, initial application eligibility and documents. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
• CWI Examination User Guide, AWS, revision 09.04.2026, printed pages 8 to 10 and 17. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
• Program Price List, AWS, effective 1 January 2026. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
• Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, 51-9061.00, O*NET OnLine. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.