CWE study guide

CWE · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

The Certified Welding Educator (CWE) is an American Welding Society credential for people who teach welding principles, practices, and safety in classrooms, labs, and industry training programs. It is aimed at current welding instructors who want to validate their knowledge, skills, and abilities, and at experienced welders moving from hands-on work into teaching, training, or supervisory roles. Eligibility requires a high school diploma or GED, completion of a welding training program or equivalent education, and at least five years of work experience in welding-related functions such as construction, production, inspection, or repair. Teaching experience is preferred but not mandatory. Topics on this exam: Part A - Fundamentals (welding safety, destructive testing, metallurgy, welding symbols, inspection principles) and Part B - Practical (applying WPSs and PQRs, inspection tools, executing required welds). The CWE study guide has 2 sections and about 877 words.

Part A - Fundamentals: Safety, Destructive Testing, Metallurgy, Symbols, and Inspection Principles

Part A tests the code-and-science foundation behind welding decisions: safe hot-work practice, the purpose and limits of destructive tests, metallurgical controls that prevent cracking, correct reading of AWS A2.4 symbols, and inspection principles that separate discontinuities from rejectable defects. Safety: control the hazard before relying on PPE. Hot-work permits, fire watch, fume extraction, arc-flash screening, and equipment lockout are exam-ready controls. Open-circuit voltage matters: higher OCV increases shock risk, especially in damp or confined work.

432 words, about 2 min 02

Part B - Practical: WPS/PQR Application, Inspection Tools, and Executing Required Welds

Part B tests whether you can turn a qualified procedure into a conforming weld: verify the WPS/PQR relationship, select and use inspection tools correctly, and execute fit-up, preheat, passes, and finishing without violating essential variables. WPS versus PQR: the Procedure Qualification Record (PQR) documents the qualification test; the Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) is the production instruction derived from it. The WPS must be available at the workstation and under revision control. Essential variables: process, base-metal thickness/group, filler classification, position, preheat/interpass, heat input, current type/polarity, and joint design.

445 words, about 2 min