NCCER Welding study plan

Match the required PPE (eye protection shade, gloves, FR clothing, hearing, respiratory) to each of the five exam processes and state the reason for each item.

Describe how to control fume and smoke for SMAW, FCAW, GMAW, and oxyfuel work, including local exhaust, ventilation, and when a respirator is required.

List the rules for storing, securing, and transporting oxygen and acetylene cylinders, including the 20-foot separation or 5-foot fire-rated barrier rule and the 15 psi acetylene gauge limit.

Outline the hot work permit and fire watch sequence, including the fire watch duration after work ends and what must be cleared before striking an arc.

Identify five common welding injuries (arc flash, burns, electric shock, fume overexposure, eye injury from grinding) and state one preventive action for each.

Label the parts of an oxyfuel outfit: cylinders, regulators, hoses (red for fuel, green for oxygen), check valves, flashback arrestors, torch body, cutting attachment, and tip.

State the correct in-service order for opening valves, setting pressures, lighting, and shutting down, and explain why fuel gas valves are cracked open before oxygen.

Distinguish neutral, oxidizing, and carburizing flames by appearance and state which one is used for steel cutting and why.

Explain the function of check valves and flashback arrestors and describe what a flashback looks and sounds like.

Describe oxygen and acetylene cylinder valve opening rules and why oxygen equipment must stay free of oil and grease.

Select the correct cutting tip size and oxygen/fuel pressures for 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch mild steel plate and justify each choice.

Explain preheat, cutting oxygen stream, kerf, drag, and cutting speed, and describe what happens when travel speed is too fast versus too slow.

Perform a straight cut, a bevel cut, and a pierce on mild steel, then evaluate squareness, kerf width, and dross.

Describe the correct technique for cutting round stock, thick plate, and stacked plate, and explain when to use a gouging tip.

List five oxyfuel cutting faults (heavy dross, rounded top edge, incomplete severance, backfire, tip damage) and their causes.

Identify common base metals (carbon steel, stainless, aluminum) and explain how each one changes prep and process selection.

Describe how to remove mill scale, rust, oil, grease, paint, and moisture before welding, and explain why each contaminant causes porosity or incomplete fusion.

State typical bevel angles, root face (land), and root gap for plate thicknesses, and describe proper fit-up and tacking sequence for a butt joint.

Define eight weld discontinuities (porosity, slag inclusion, incomplete fusion, incomplete penetration, undercut, overlap, underfill, arc strike, spatter) and give one cause and one remedy for each.

Name the common inspection methods - visual, PT, MT, RT, UT - and state which defects each one detects best.

Decode the SMAW electrode classification system using E6010, E6011, E7018, and E7024, naming tensile strength, position, coating type, and current type for each.

Explain why E7018 is a low-hydrogen electrode and describe correct storage and holding-oven practice.

Set amperage for a given electrode diameter and plate thickness and describe the signs of too much versus too little current.

Describe arc length, work angle, travel angle, and travel speed for flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions.

Explain the difference between a stringer bead and a weave bead and state the practical limit on weave width.

Sequence a multi-pass groove weld: root pass, hot pass, fill passes, and cap, and describe the purpose and technique of each.

Diagnose the causes of six SMAW defects (slag inclusion, porosity, undercut, arc blow, incomplete fusion, cracked cap) and state a corrective action for each.

Describe how to manage arc blow, including work lead placement, AC versus DC, and wrapping or splitting the lead.

Explain preheat and interpass temperature for thicker carbon steel and why low-hydrogen electrodes matter for cracking risk.

Describe post-weld cleaning, slag removal, and the visual acceptance criteria you would check before calling a weld finished.

Distinguish short-circuiting, globular, spray, and pulsed transfer in GMAW and state the current, voltage, and shielding conditions for each.

Set wire feed speed, voltage, and shielding gas flow for short-circuit transfer on 1/8-inch carbon steel, and interpret the sound and bead appearance of a correctly tuned arc.

Compare self-shielded and gas-shielded FCAW, including polarity, typical shielding gas, and why FCAW uses a drag (pull) technique.

Troubleshoot GMAW/FCAW faults: porosity, wire stubbing, burn-back, excessive spatter, and lack of fusion, with a cause for each.

State the purpose of the contact tip, liner, drive rolls, and gun angle, and describe basic wire feed maintenance checks.

Compare DCEN, DCEP, and AC in GTAW, state which is used for carbon steel and stainless versus aluminum, and explain why.

Describe tungsten electrode preparation: grinding a taper, selecting the color code, and how the tip behaves on AC versus DC.

Set GTAW gas flow, preflow, and postflow, and explain the role of the gas lens and the effect of torch angle and arc length.

Re-review high-risk safety items - fume control, cylinder handling, arc flash, hot work - and the defect vocabulary from Domain 3.

Take a timed 60-question mock exam across all five domains and analyze every missed item.