CWS (Other exams)

Part A is Fundamentals of Supervision and Part B is Welding Practices & Economics. Both are computer-based tests taken at Prometric exam centers. AWS organizes the underlying body of knowledge around welding safety and quality, production and cost control, and supervisory and leadership skills, so expect supervision fundamentals in Part A and cost, productivity and practice content in Part B.

Yes, if you have a high school diploma or a state or military approved equivalency diploma. Option 1 requires at least three years of practical welding work in a fabrication, construction, or welding-related industry. Option 2 accepts at least two years of that practical work plus three years of teaching experience in welding or related subjects. Documentation such as employment verification is required.

They test different jobs. The CWI focuses on inspection, codes and weld quality acceptance; the CWS focuses on running welding operations, including cost, productivity, safety compliance and team leadership. Candidates with strong hands-on background but little exposure to welding economics, lean principles or supervision theory usually find those areas the hardest.

Retesting is handled per part, so you can retake only the part you failed rather than repeating both. AWS publishes separate pricing for a per-part Prometric retest and a retest of all parts, and member and non-member rates for retests are listed as identical. Confirm current fees and any waiting period with AWS before scheduling.

The experience prerequisite is the long pole: three years of practical welding work under Option 1, or two years plus three years of teaching under Option 2. After you meet the prerequisites, application review and exam scheduling add time, and most candidates spend weeks to a few months preparing depending on whether they take the seminar or self-study.

The five-day Welding Supervisor Seminar is built around what a supervisor must be able to demonstrate, covering welders' environment, productivity, throughput, weld quality and safety, and it includes the technical and reference documents. The Welding Supervisor Bundle adds seven self-paced courses with over 80 hours of instruction. Self-study is viable if you work through the published body of knowledge, including AWS A2.4, A3.0, B5.9, QC13, ANSI Z49.1 and the Welding Handbook economics chapter.

The CWS credential is valid for three years. You can renew twice, at year three and year six, and each renewal requires written documentation showing continued activity as a welding supervisor. After nine years of continuous certification you must recertify, either by passing Parts A and B again or by documenting 80 professional development hours, with 20 of those in the three years before recertification.

Two patterns dominate. First, candidates memorize welding process facts but cannot apply cost, productivity or lean reasoning to a shop-floor scenario. Second, they underestimate the supervisory content: communication, problem solving, team management and code compliance. Study the three domains in proportion rather than spending all your time on the welding technology you already know from the floor.

Testing runs through computer-based testing at more than 450 Prometric exam centers worldwide, so scheduling is flexible. AWS lists separate member and non-member pricing for the Prometric exams, renewals, recertification and seminar packages. Fees change, so check the current AWS price list before you budget; this page does not quote them.