CWI Part A practice questions: how to drill them

The Part A format, in numbers

You need 72% on Part A, as on every part. Of the 165 questions, 150 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest questions that look exactly like the rest, so answer all of them as if they count. 135 minutes divided by 165 questions is 49 seconds each.

AWS publishes minimum weights for ten domains, and the minimums total 82%. Joining and cutting processes carries at least 14% and definitions and terminology is also a heavy domain. Destructive testing fundamentals is at least 3%. The rest of the questions can come from any domain, so you can't skip a topic. The CWI Part A practice test guide lists the domains, three sample questions and the exam-day steps.

Why untimed practice misleads you

Untimed practice rewards looking things up and second-guessing. On the day you have no book and no time for either. So build speed in stages:

1. Week 1 to 2: untimed sets of 20 questions, focused on one domain, with every answer explained.
2. Week 3 to 4: 40-question sets at 49 seconds each, which is 33 minutes.
3. Final weeks: 80-question sets at the same pace, then one full 165-question run.

After each set, record the miss and the reason in one line. "Forgot the 60 in heat input" is a fix. "Got it wrong" is not.

Formulas to know cold

Part A calculations are short but unforgiving. Here are three worked examples with invented numbers. Do them by hand first, then check them with the CWI math calculator. For every formula on one printable page, use the CWI Part A formula sheet.

Heat input. A pass runs at 28 volts and 220 amps with a travel speed of 12 inches per minute. Heat input is volts times amps times 60, divided by travel speed: 28 × 220 × 60 ÷ 12 = 30,800 J/in, or 30.8 kJ/in. Skip the 60 and you get a number that is 60 times too small, which is exactly the wrong option you'll see on the screen.

Tensile stress. A test bar with a cross-sectional area of 0.25 in² breaks at 18,000 lb. Stress is load divided by area: 18,000 ÷ 0.25 = 72,000 psi. Use the original area, not the necked-down area.

Elongation and reduction of area. A bar marked with a 2.0 in. gauge length measures 2.5 in. after the break, so elongation is (2.5 − 2.0) ÷ 2.0 = 25%. A bar with an original diameter of 0.500 in. necks to 0.400 in. Area scales with the square of the diameter, so the final area is 0.16 ÷ 0.25 = 64% of the original, and the reduction of area is 36%.

For the test method behind these numbers, see destructive weld tests: bend, tensile and Charpy.

Vocabulary and symbols: the other big point source

Many Part A questions turn on the exact meaning of a term, so a vague idea of a discontinuity or a process costs you points. Use the free CWI Part A flashcards, or make your own with a one-line definition and one thing the term is not. For example, underfill is a weld face below the adjacent surface, and it's not undercut. Work through weld discontinuities explained and welding processes from SMAW to SAW for the terms that come up most.

Symbols have their own domain and appear inside others. One quick check: a fillet weld symbol drawn below the reference line puts the weld on the arrow side, and above it means the other side. Drill that with the welding symbols quiz until you read symbols without thinking.

Read the options like an inspector

Wrong options on Part A are rarely random. They come from a slipped unit, a dropped factor or a neighboring term. When you miss a question, name the trap: "confused arrow side with other side" or "used necked-down area". Then write one line on how you'll spot it next time. After a few weeks you'll see the same three or four traps behind most of your misses, and that short list is worth more than another hundred questions.

A drill routine that fits a week

• Daily, 15 minutes: 15 recall questions on the weakest domain, answered out loud before you see the options.
• Three times a week, 45 minutes: one timed 40-question set, followed by a miss log.
• Weekly, 30 minutes: redo last week's misses cold. If you still miss one, write the correct statement on a card.
• Every second week: retake the free 10-question check and watch the domain scores move.

If you work full time, the full-time study plan shows how to fit this into evenings. And check your pace and scores against the 72% line with CWI practice test score: am I ready?.

Next step

Take the free 10-question check for Part A at /cwi-a to see exactly which topics to fix. Then ask the study buddy at /study-assistant for a plan built around your exam date. For the full prep, the Part A course gives you a lesson for every exam subject, worked calculations you can repeat with your own numbers, two full-length timed practice exams and a worked explanation with every answer.

FAQ

How many practice questions should I do for Part A?

There's no magic number. Aim for enough timed sets that your misses stop repeating, across all ten domains, plus at least one full 165-question run at 49 seconds each.

Are Part A practice questions the same as the ones on the exam?

No. Exam questions are confidential and sharing them breaks the Candidate Attestation Agreement. Every Fillet Gauge question is original and written to the published AWS outline.

Can I use a calculator on Part A?

Yes, a four-function, construction or non-programmable scientific calculator, and it's inspected at check-in. Practice the formulas by hand anyway, because Part A has no book to look them up in.

Which domain should I drill first?

The one where your check score is lowest and the minimum weight is highest. Joining and cutting processes and definitions carry the biggest minimums, so weakness there costs the most.