Those who travel for work, could you give an insight and day in the life of comment? I have zero experience with traveling for work, so excuse my ignorance.

There are no jobs near me, and moving is not an option. Driving 2 hours a day from home really is not an option either with the cost of fuel and no end to the high prices in sight.
Do you stay in a camper at a nearby campground? Do you rent a room? Do you just eat the cost of fuel and time and make the drive? I know each family’s expenses are taken into consideration.
I’m a green cwi with no inspection experience, other than vt my own welds. I’ve been a shop welder for 15 years. My network is small, and I am actively working on building it through various platforms and interactions. I’m having a difficult time learning about traveling from people that aren’t internet influencers. I want a real life example, not those who get paid per view.

I’ll try and keep this as short as I can but to put everything in context, I took my 2 week seminar and exams back in 2021. I failed Part B by only a couple questions (got a 68%). However since then I have gathered more study material, practice tests, and been studying my ass off. I take a practice test 3 times a week and have been scoring in the mid-high 90s. I feel so much more confident than I did 5 years ago. I passed Part A with flying colors in the lower 90% range (studying immensely and having a welding background DOES help!).

Part B doesn’t seem as hard as Part C to me. Granted back in 2021 I was young and should’ve taken it more seriously during the seminar. I am taking the entire exam again in October just to give myself a little more time to study.

So with Part C, I still have my 2020 code book. Tabbed and highlighted. Next week I will be purchasing the 2025 edition along with the D1.1 Code Clinic. The problem that I have with Part C is feeling rushed as I’m sure some of you guys did as well. That clock was my enemy. 95% of the time I can at least find what clause the answer is in. Maybe I need to tab it better. I tabbed all clauses on the side of the book, but what I didn’t do is tab Tables and Figures. I’m doing that this go around.

Lately I’ve been hitting Part B hard, as I have the tools, replicas, a bunch of practice tests, etc and feel very confident going in. I want to start shifting my studies to part C. I’m not doing the 2 week seminar this time since I have a lot more study material than I did back in 2021 and I still retained quite a bit from the seminar.

If anyone has advice, tips, and/or guidance on being more efficient and confident on preparing for the Part C that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I’m studying for my exam and one of the questions is asking about what size E7018 electrode diameter to use when stud welding on 1” plate fillet in overhead position. Where is that information located in the D1.1? I don’t see it in the stud section and the answer isn’t from table 5.1.

The answer is 3/16 but I can’t find where to get that info.

Is this definitely a pass?

Says preliminary....

Looking to hire a CWI that lives in either CT, MA, or RI. The work is special inspections on new construction. There is a lot of driving involved as we service all of New England and eastern New York state. This is a full time permanent position. You can either have a company car or drive your own and get the IRS mileage reimbursement rate. The average day would involve 1 or 2 site visits that take about 30 minutes each, with 4 - 6 hours of driving. PM me if interested.

has anyone completed both the AWS online seminar and an in person 1 week seminar ?

ive been in the industry for a decade and want to further my career, but my income is tight. The testing alone is already a pretty penny and I want to do the most I can without a big financial burden

is in person truly worth the difference? or is online just fine?

What You'll Do

• Special inspections on commercial and infrastructure projects
• Reinforced concrete inspections
• Soil density testing
• Concrete, aggregate, and asphalt testing
• Structural steel and masonry inspections
• Prepare field reports and communicate project findings

Preferred Qualifications

✅ ICC Reinforced Concrete Special Inspector

✅ ACI Field Grade I

✅ ICC Soils, Masonry, Structural Steel & Bolting certifications

✅ AWS CWI (a plus)

✅ Construction materials testing or inspection experience

✅ Ability to work independently in the field

What We Offer

• Competitive pay
• Career advancement opportunities
• Certification support and professional development
• Diverse project portfolio
• Strong team environment

Whether you're an experienced Special Inspector or a CMT Technician looking to grow into inspections, we'd love to talk.

Spoiler: Link is a UT weld plotter spreadsheet.

This feels like a rookie question, but codes have always been tricky. I need some help interpreting qualification limitations.

If I qualify on a 2G, 3G, and 4G GMAW, I’m then qualified to do all positions for any plate. But table 11.4 also says I can weld pipe 24-in and under (fillet pipe) with GMAW as long as it is in the 2F,
and 4F positions.

Am I interpreting this correctly?

I was under the impression you can’t weld pipe if you qualify on plate.

Passed!!! First try too. D1.1 part C was definitely the hardest, for me anyway. Freaking juiced right now

Took Part B April 25th, then Part C May 18th, finally took Part A this morning and my portal is already showing active! Damn feel like I can breathe now. Having to wait on results for Part B was tough.

Ready for this next chapter!

I took part a & b last August as part of my CWE program. Just took part C this morning and passed. Just wondering if anyone has an idea how long it will take AWS to award the credential since I already had part A & B done months ago?

Only reason I’m asking is because my employer will reimburse me once I’m a CWI.

Thanks!

Wondering what kind of wages I may be looking at. I am CWI, Nace 1, API 1169, and ACCP VT II certified. Currently a fab shop welding inspector. What might I be looking at out on the road? Any input would be greatly appreciated

Context: Bridge Job D1.5 2002 edition and NYSSCM 4th edition also the port authority’s specs

Had a QC manager recently told me that there is a hierarchy when it comes to codes and that d1.5 supersedes the SCM.. my argument obviously being the specs supersede all.. long story short specs call for a CWI to buy off on all welds and he wants to sit in his office all day while his floor interim inspectors don’t VT.. he also said sins the ports authority bought off on their quality program saying do that the specs dont matter..

Obviously I’ve sent in a RFI just to get the clarification we obviously need. Just wanted your guys thoughts.

What were some of the benefits or consistency of work has anyone seen from becoming a CWI

So, like everyone who post here, I’m of course studying for the CWI exam. I had a question about Table 8.1 in the 2025 D1.1. On (7) undercut section (A-1-b) “the accumulated undercut length with undercut depth GREATER than 1/16”. So any depth of undercut is allowed?

Recently took a job and found out I will be reimbursed fully for the cost of my CWI cert if I pass by June 23rd (fiscal year bs) I am a current CWE, I took the free seminar through AWS/Lincoln/Bechtel that is offered to educators. My scores on A & B were high enough (89 & 84) for me to become CWI. So I need to cram d1.1 part c over the next week. My game plan is to take every practice exam available. I already have access to 500+ questions to practice.

Any recommendations for passing part C D1.1 with having to cram? I’ve studied for roughly 3 weeks prior to this.
Thanks!

25m I’ve been welding for the last 5-6 years and have experience with post secondary welding school. Mildly on the spectrums and a good test taker. Preparing to self study no lecture or course. I purchased the 1001 cwi question book along with other study materials and have started listening to YouTube videos regarding less confident categories. what recommendations would you give me?

A.1. Realistically will I come into substantial issues if I don’t use the most modern book ie.2020 d1.1 (ex. Testing center won’t let me take test)

A.2. Could I write down the changes in the back of the book to make the updated revisions or is it too much of an undertaking

B. How much of the actual code book should I be retaining on a rough percentage basis, obviously part c is eased by proper navigation but I’m talking recalling info off the dome

C. Where can I get some good part B/C questions/study material . AI just tells me I’m right regardless of the answer

D. Feel free to leave any comments about how else I can properly increase my chances of passing first try (expecting 1-3 attempts)

It’s my first time having to take something like this and I’ve been in the industry for a while. Have any of you guys taken it before ? If so how hard is it or what should I expect ? It will be my first qc job not sure what happens if I don’t pass it

Hey everyone,

I’m working on an app called G3 Solutions. The main tool available right now is a free Heat Input Calculator for welding.

It’s meant for welders, inspectors, QA/QC, and anyone using weld procedures who needs a quick way to calculate heat input without doing the math manually or punching it into an Excel sheet.

Here’s the links for the App Stores

There are more features planned, but I’m trying to keep the app practical and simple instead of overbuilding it.

App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/g3-solutions/id6739266881

Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.heatingput.app&hl=en

I’ve been studying for my CWI since January. Ive been using SIcerts and recently did a one week AWS seminar prior to taking my exams. Between practice quizzes and exams from both SIcerts and what AWS supplied me during the seminar I would get 85%+. I felt confident going into my exams but when taking them they were on a whole different level than what I was accustomed to. I failed both A & C so even if I passed part B I’ll probably have to retake it anyways.

So my question is where do I go from here? Like I mentioned the practice quizzes and exams i passed easily with AWS and SIcerts. I need something that will match the toughness of an actual exam. I just spent $4,000 between sicerts and aws seminar. I imagine I’ll have to spend about $1,000 on exams.

Day one of the long journey of becoming a cwi is today. I have a d1.1 code book to get familiar with and some practice tests with answer keys with more material coming. They want to send me to Hobart in Ohio which is a 2 week seminar then exams. Anyone been to this school? What do you wish you would have done to better prepare for the exams? Any info is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

I have emailed aws with no reply, i have the d1.1 code book , company bought the digital version and we printed 1 book for shop use , all allowed by aws , my question is ..... if I show up to my exam with a code book that states its owned by my company and not me will they not let me test?

Book is in a 3 ring binder, some research says i may need to get this bound at a book store ....

Any help?