For welders and inspectors sitting CWI Part A
CWI Part A course and practice exams
Practice that matches the Part A exam: same length, same clock.
Plans and prices
$445 to retake Part A at AWS vs $99 to prepare.
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Answers come from this course's own plans and contents.
- 10 modules of lessons with worked examples
- 2 timed exams at real length: 165 questions, 135 minutes
- 5 worked calculations, step by step
Lifetime access, including your retake
The CWI exam fee is paid to AWS, not us: $1,255 for AWS members, $1,520 otherwise. An AWS retest costs $385 for Part B, $445 for A or C. Our prep for all three parts: $249. AWS 2026 price list.
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How this compares: price, renewal and refunds
Other options
Have my manager pay instead
Everything in Part A course
Learn every Part A topic, then prove it on timed practice exams.
- Everything in the practice pack, plus:
- 10 lesson modules covering every task in AWS's Part A outline
- 5 worked calculations you can repeat with your own numbers
- A week-by-week study plan built from your free check and exam date
- Exam-day checklist: what to bring, allowed references and the calculator rules
- Flashcards for every domain, with spaced review
- Tack, your AI study assistant
Best if: You want a structured path through the fundamentals exam.
What's covered
- The words a welding inspector uses (Outline topics A.1.1 to A.1.3)
- Welding and cutting processes (Outline topics A.2.1 to A.2.3)
- Reading welding and NDE symbols (Outline topics A.3.1 to A.3.3)
- Visual examination of welds (Outline topics A.4.1 to A.4.3)
- Controlling welding on the job (Outline topics A.5.1 to A.5.3)
- Nondestructive examination basics (Outline topics A.6.1 to A.6.3)
- Steel, heat and metallurgy (Outline topics A.7.1 to A.7.3)
- Calculations on the job (Outline topics A.8.1 to A.8.3)
- The inspector's job and conduct (Outline topics A.9.1, A.9.2)
- Destructive testing (Outline topics A.10.1, A.10.2)
In Part A course
- 720original questions
- 2timed exams at real length
- 10modules of lessons
- 5worked calculations
Try Tack on a real question
Tack explains the why in plain words, for any practice question you answer. Answer this free practice question, then tap Ask Tack why. In the course you can ask Tack about any practice question you answer, with follow-ups.
Visual Examination
Which gauge is designed mainly to check internal misalignment (high-low) between pipe ends before welding?
Press A-D or 1-4 to choose an answer while this question is on screen.
Choose an answer to begin
What members get
With the course and every bundle.
Today's 10 10 questions a day from your misses and your weakest domain, so what you got wrong comes back. Plus a missed set of up to 50.
A plan to your exam date Set your date and get a week-by-week plan you can add to your calendar in one tap.
Readiness by domain Your practice results against a 75% study target, and how they moved this week. A study target, not a pass prediction.
- Timed exams on the real clock. A live pace line, and Save and exit when you need a break. You pick up with the time you had left.
- A printable formula sheet. Part A: the course's formulas with worked example arithmetic.
- An exam-day guide. What to bring, the references you may use and the calculator rules.
- 720 original questions, every one explained. Review every miss after each timed exam. Practice sets show you the ones you haven't seen first.
- Wrong answer key? We fix it within 2 business days and log it publicly.
- One payment. No subscription, nothing renews.
- Didn't pass? Every plan except the 7-day pass has lifetime access. Your retake prep is already paid for.
Look inside the course
The screens you get after checkout, with sample answers.
Practice by weakest domainOne question at a time from the domain you score lowest in, with the answer and explanation straight after. Timed exam with flagsThe real-length clock, a flag button on every question and a navigator that shows what you answered and flagged. Readiness by domainEach domain rated from your own practice answers, with a one-click drill where you need work. Practice results only, never a prediction of the real exam. Today's 10Ten questions a day, picked for you. A question you miss comes back on a later day until you get it right.
Practice drawn to the CWI Part A outline: every domain within 2 points of its exam weight
- Definitions and Terminology15%
- Joining and Cutting Processes17%
- Symbols - Welding and NDE12%
- Visual Examination12%
- Welding Application and Control11%
- NDE Fundamentals10%
- Base Materials, Heat Treatments and Metallurgy7%
- Welding Related Calculations7%
- Duties and Responsibilities5%
- Destructive Testing Fundamentals4%
See the numbers
Each domain's weight on the CWI Part A outline, as our timed exams draw it, beside its share of the 720-question bank.
| Domain | Outline | Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Definitions and Terminology | 15% | 14% |
| Joining and Cutting Processes | 17% | 17% |
| Symbols - Welding and NDE | 12% | 12% |
| Visual Examination | 12% | 12% |
| Welding Application and Control | 11% | 10% |
| NDE Fundamentals | 10% | 9% |
| Base Materials, Heat Treatments and Metallurgy | 7% | 7% |
| Welding Related Calculations | 7% | 9% |
| Duties and Responsibilities | 5% | 5% |
| Destructive Testing Fundamentals | 4% | 4% |
AWS exam registration fees
AWS exam fees are paid to AWS, not us. Our prices cover Fillet Gauge prep, not the exam.
The AWS non-member exam-registration price includes 3 years of AWS membership; the AWS all-parts exam-registration fee includes Prometric seat fees.
AWS price listInstant access. Everything in the plan you choose opens as soon as checkout completes.
The free check uses the same question style and explanations as the course.
See the teaching before you buyRead a complete lesson from the course, “Reading welding and NDE symbols”, and try a short practice set with full explanations. Free, no signup.
Read the free lessonWhat the course covers
10 modules, mapped to the task numbers in American Welding Society's published Part A content outline.
- The words a welding inspector uses (Outline topics A.1.1 to A.1.3)Joint types and weld types · Parts of a weld and a joint · Positions, techniques and process terms
- Welding and cutting processes (Outline topics A.2.1 to A.2.3)Arc welding processes and how each one shields the weld · Other joining processes: resistance, solid state, brazing and soldering · Thermal cutting and gouging
- Reading welding and NDE symbols (Outline topics A.3.1 to A.3.3)Where each element of a welding symbol sits · Weld symbols, dimensions and supplementary symbols · Examination symbols
- Visual examination of welds (Outline topics A.4.1 to A.4.3)Discontinuities and where they form · Gauges and tools for visual examination · Inspecting before, during and after welding
- Controlling welding on the job (Outline topics A.5.1 to A.5.3)Procedures, procedure records and welder qualification records · Storing and controlling filler metals · Preheat, interpass temperature and heat input
- Nondestructive examination basics (Outline topics A.6.1 to A.6.3)Penetrant and magnetic particle testing · Radiographic and ultrasonic testing · Choosing a method for a discontinuity and a joint
- Steel, heat and metallurgy (Outline topics A.7.1 to A.7.3)Carbon and low-alloy steels and their properties · The heat-affected zone, hardenability and cracking · Why we preheat and when we heat treat after welding
- Calculations on the job (Outline topics A.8.1 to A.8.3)Units, conversions and rounding · Weld size, area and volume · Stress, strength and percentages · Calculation workshop, the formulas the main lesson leaves out
- The inspector's job and conduct (Outline topics A.9.1, A.9.2)What a welding inspector does and must not do · Safety in welding and cutting
- Destructive testing (Outline topics A.10.1, A.10.2)Tension, bend and impact tests · Hardness, macroetch, nick-break and fillet break tests
Questions
When do I get access?
Straight away. Checkout takes you to your course, and the receipt email has the same link.
How do I get back into my course?
Use the link in your receipt email. If you can't find it, enter your email on the course page and we resend it to the address on your order.
Is 720 questions enough?
Each one comes with a worked explanation and its reference. You also get 30 end-of-module checks and 5 worked calculations. Today's 10 and your missed set bring your misses back on later days, so you work the bank instead of reading it once.
Can I get a refund?
Eligibility depends on your plan, when you request a refund and your paid use. See the refund terms for the conditions and exceptions.
How long do I keep access?
Lifetime access: your access has no end date. Updates are included, so if American Welding Society moves this exam to a newer code edition while you have access, your course moves with it. The 7-day pass is the exception. 7-day pass: access ends 7 days after payment, to the minute. It does not renew and is not a subscription. A timed practice exam started before then can still be finished.
If I buy the 7-day pass now, is its price taken off a bigger plan later?
No. Each plan is a separate purchase at its listed price, and the $29 paid for the 7-day pass is not credited toward another plan. With more than a week before your exam, a full plan is the better buy.
More questions (13)
What is the difference between the practice pack and the course?
The practice pack is the question bank and the timed practice exams. The course adds a lesson for every task in American Welding Society's content outline, worked calculations, a study plan built from your free 10-question check and an exam-day checklist. If any domain scored under about 60%, take the course.
Are the questions copied from the exam?
No. Every question is original and written to American Welding Society's published content outline. Exam content is confidential and we never use it. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by AWS, ICC or AISC.
How are the questions written?
In our own words, to AWS's current published outline. See how many questions cover each domain.
Do I need my own copy of AWS D1.1?
For Part C, no. AWS provides D1.1:2025 on screen as a PDF, so you do not need a printed copy. The course cites sections by number so you practice finding them, and we never reproduce the code's text. Parts A and B need no copy: Part A is closed book and Part B gives you its Book of Specifications.
What is the Part B task?
You judge weld replicas with a gauge kit against a specification, the AWS Book of Specifications. That is the task our Part B course trains.
In what order do I take the three parts?
Part B comes first. You book it with your application, at an AWS test site, in one of three fixed daily groups that check in at about 7:00 a.m., 10:45 a.m. or 2:45 p.m. Late arrivals are not moved to another group. About 4 to 6 weeks after you apply, AWS emails a confirmation letter with the eligibility codes you use to book Parts A and C at Prometric.
What score do I need to pass?
AWS requires 72% on each part and 72% overall, the average of the three parts. Scores are rounded down to the nearest whole percent.
What if I need a retest?
Your access has no end date, so your course, your scores and your missed set are still there. AWS allows up to 3 retests in 3 years from your first test date. The second and third need proof of more training first. A Part C retest uses the same code as your first Part C.
Why is this so much less than a seminar?
We teach online, so there is no classroom, travel or time off work. You get lessons, drills and timed exams on your phone or computer, and they stay yours.
What does the CWI exam fee cover?
AWS prices members and non-members separately. The non-member price includes a 3-year AWS membership. The all-parts fee also includes the Prometric seat fees, $60 each for Parts A and C.
Can my employer pay?
Yes. Pay at checkout and we email a receipt you can expense, or download a reimbursement request to send your manager.
Is Tack AI?
Yes. Tack is an AI study assistant, not a person or an instructor. Check important details against your lessons and references.
Can you promise I will pass?
No, and nobody honest can. We promise everything listed in your plan, and a fix within 2 business days for any wrong answer key.
Employer paying?
Many employers fund CWI Part A prep. Generate a reimbursement request PDF to send to your manager. Buying for a crew? Request a quote