What happens if you fail a CWI exam part, and what a retake really costs

Failing a part of the American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) exam is not the end of the road, but the retake rules are specific and they catch people out, usually because a seller page glossed over them to keep the mood upbeat. This guide lays out exactly what happens if you fail a part, why the “attempt all three first” rule matters before you even book, and how to think about what a retake costs. We sell no seminar and no retake package, so this is the neutral version.

The rule that surprises everyone: attempt all three first

Here is the load-bearing rule, verified against the AWS certification pages on 2026-07-23: you must attempt all three parts of the CWI exam before you may retake any part you failed. You cannot pass Part A, walk out, and re-sit only Part C on a later date without having attempted Part B. You sit the full exam, you get your per-part results, and only then does the retake clock start for whatever you missed.

This matters before you book, not after, because it means you cannot game the sequence. You commit to all three parts in your exam window. If your Part B format practice is thin, you do not get to skip it and come back: you attempt it, and if you fail it, you retake it under the retake rules below. Plan for all three from the start.

The bar: 72 percent on each part, no averaging

You need at least 72 percent on each of the three parts to earn the credential (checked 2026-07-23). There is no averaging across parts. A strong Part A does not offset a weak Part C. Because each part is scored independently and each must clear 72 percent on its own, a “fail” is always a specific part, not a general result, and that is the part you retake, not the whole exam.

This is good news for your wallet: if you clear two parts and miss one, you re-sit the one, not all three.

What a retake actually costs

A retake is charged as a re-examination fee for the failed part or parts, not the full initial examination fee. The current numbers live on the official AWS price list, which re-dates each January, so we do not print a single retake figure here that could go stale. The shape of it is what matters for planning:

• Retaking one part costs far less than the initial exam, because you pay a per-part re-exam fee rather than the whole $1,255 (member) or $1,520 (non-member) initial fee. That initial fee is registered and dated on our cost table.
• Retaking all parts costs more than one part but still less than a fresh initial registration.
• If you test at a Prometric center, the $60-per-computer-part seat fee applies again on the parts you re-sit at Prometric (Part A and Part C are the computer-based parts).
• Part B is the hands-on practical, and its fee is set by the Authorized Training Facility (ATF), not by AWS, so a Part B retake cost comes from your ATF, not from the AWS price list.

Price your own scenario, including a retake toggle, with the cost calculator, and confirm the current re-exam figures on the official AWS price list before you pay. Do not assume a retake is trivial or that it is another full exam fee: it is neither, and the real number depends on which part and where you test.

The time window: do not let it lapse

A failed part must be re-sat within a set window from your original exam, after which you may have to start over with a fresh, full registration rather than a cheaper retake. The exact window is set by AWS and stated on your exam paperwork, so read it the day you get your results and put the deadline in your calendar. The expensive mistake is treating a retake as “someday”: miss the window and a cheap re-exam becomes a full re-registration.

Which part you failed changes your fix

Because the three parts fail people for different reasons, the retake plan depends on which part you missed. The full difficulty breakdown is in the how hard is the CWI exam guide; in short:

• Failed Part A (closed-book fundamentals): you have a knowledge-breadth gap. Do not just re-book, re-study. Use the diagnostic practice test to find the weak topics, and be honest about whether self-study is enough or whether some structured prep is worth it this time. See the seminar-versus-self-study guide.
• Failed Part C (open-book code application): you almost certainly ran out of time, not out of knowledge. The fix is code-navigation speed, drilling your specific code book until finding a clause is reflex, and confirming you studied the correct code book edition. Re-reading the code does not fix a timing failure.
• Failed Part B (hands-on practical): this is usually format shock, not inability. Get real hands-on time with the replica-and-gauge format before you re-sit. The Part B practical guide walks the kit and the workflow, and remember the vision requirement: a valid near-vision and color-perception eye exam must be on file.

The honest takeaway

A CWI retake is a manageable, part-specific step, not a catastrophe and not another full exam fee. The two things that turn it into an expensive problem are ignoring the “attempt all three first” rule when you plan, and letting the retake window lapse. Handle those two, re-study the specific part that failed rather than re-booking blindly, and price the retake honestly with the cost calculator before you commit.

For the full exam structure and eligibility, start with the CWI exam guide; for what the credential costs all in, see the total cost guide.

Sources: the AWS Certified Welding Inspector certification pages and the AWS Certification and Education Price List at aws.org (reviewed 2026-07-23). The 72 percent per-part passing score and the requirement to attempt all three parts before any retake are set by the American Welding Society and can change; retake and seat fees are on the AWS price list, which re-dates each January, and the Part B practical fee is set by the Authorized Training Facility. Confirm current figures before you pay. This site is independent, is not affiliated with AWS, and sells no seminar, course, exam seat, or retake package.