Glossary
Welding inspector exam glossary
The terms a first-time Certified Welding Inspector candidate runs into, in plain language.
- Authorized Training Facility (ATF)
- A facility authorized to deliver the CWI Part B practical and set its own fee for it. Because the Part B fee is ATF-set rather than fixed by the American Welding Society, there is no single official number for it.
- Book of Specifications
- The reference document supplied during the CWI Part B practical that defines the acceptance criteria a candidate applies to the weld replicas. AWS publishes it, and candidates can review it before exam day.
- CAWI (Certified Associate Welding Inspector)
- The entry rung of the American Welding Society inspector ladder, for candidates who pass the exam parts but do not yet meet the full CWI work-experience requirement. It is a legitimate on-ramp to the CWI, not a lesser exam. CAWI vs CWI vs SCWI
- Certified Radiographic Interpreter (CRI)
- A separate American Welding Society credential focused on interpreting radiographs of welds. Holding the CRI is one of the four routes that satisfies the nine-year CWI recertification.
- Code edition
- The specific published edition of a welding code that an open-book exam or endorsement is administered to. The edition is a fact we can publish; the code text itself is copyrighted and stays the candidate's own purchase. Buying the wrong edition is a common, avoidable mistake.
- CWI (Certified Welding Inspector)
- The main American Welding Society inspector credential and the one employers ask for by name. It requires passing a three-part exam and meeting an education-and-experience requirement, and it is valid nine years before recertification. The CWI exam, explained
- Endorsement
- An add-on to a CWI certification that extends it to a specific welding code, such as D1.1 structural steel, API 1104 pipeline, or the ASME piping endorsement. An endorsement can also satisfy the nine-year recertification if taken up to eleven months before expiry. See the endorsement matrix
- Fillet weld gauge
- One of the inspection gauges used in the CWI Part B practical to measure fillet weld size and profile. Part B provides the gauges; the common failure is unfamiliarity with seating and reading them under time pressure, not lack of ownership. The Part B gauges
- NDE (nondestructive examination)
- Inspection methods that evaluate a weld without damaging it, such as radiographic, ultrasonic, magnetic-particle, and dye-penetrant testing. CWI Part A tests knowledge of these methods, and several are the subject of their own AWS endorsements. The endorsement matrix
- Part A (fundamentals)
- The closed-book part of the CWI exam, testing welding fundamentals: processes, metallurgy, weld symbols, discontinuities, testing methods, and inspection concepts. Because no references are allowed, it rewards genuine recall and is the part most candidates find hardest. Why Part A is the hardest
- Part B (practical)
- The hands-on part of the CWI exam, where the candidate inspects molded plastic weld replicas using inspection gauges and a supplied Book of Specifications. It tests inspection judgment, not welding skill.
- Part C (code application)
- The open-book part of the CWI exam, where you apply one specific welding code, the code you registered for, to inspection scenarios. Because the book is allowed, the tested skill is fast code navigation under time pressure, not memorization. Which code edition you need
- Professional Development Hour (PDH)
- A unit of documented continuing education. Accumulating 80 Professional Development Hours is one of the four routes to satisfy the nine-year CWI recertification, often the cheapest for someone active in the trade.
- Prometric
- The computer-based testing network where the CWI Parts A and C can be delivered. Testing at a Prometric center adds a per-part seat fee of 60 US dollars on top of the base examination fee.
- SCWI (Senior Certified Welding Inspector)
- The rung above CWI, for experienced inspectors who already hold the Certified Welding Inspector credential and have accumulated substantial additional welding-related experience. It is an advancement, never a starting credential. The inspector ladder
- Visual acuity requirement (Jaeger J2)
- The CWI vision gate: applicants must pass an eye exam showing near-vision acuity of Jaeger J2 at 12 inches or better, plus a color-perception test, performed within one year by a licensed medical professional. Corrective lenses are allowed. The Part B vision gate