SCWI

No. Per AWS, the standalone SCWI exam is retired. Candidates now qualify step by step by completing four required endorsements - WPQ1, WPQ2, WCQA, and NDEC - which together earn the SCWI credential. Plan your study around the four endorsement bodies of knowledge rather than one comprehensive test.

Welder Performance Qualifier (WPQ1), Welding Procedure Qualifier (WPQ2), Welding Coordination and QA (WCQA), and Nondestructive Examination Coordination (NDEC). AWS lists all four as the required combination for SCWI qualification.

Experienced Certified Welding Inspectors. AWS describes the credential as being for CWIs who have a deeper understanding of advanced NDE topics, quality systems, procedure qualifications, and other areas of expertise. It is positioned as the highest level of certification AWS offers.

AWS states renewal every 5 years and recertification every 10 years. Treat these as two separate milestones and diarise both - renewal is the nearer deadline and is easy to lose track of when you hold several AWS credentials on different cycles. Confirm current mechanics on the AWS certification pages.

Beginning January 15, 2026, AWS no longer accepts paper applications for certifications or endorsements. All applications must be submitted online through the My AWS Portal. Create or log in to your account to complete the application digitally, and review the Portal Application Submission Instructions before you start.

AWS does not prescribe a sequence in its published material. A practical approach is to start with the endorsement closest to your daily work, then build outward - qualification-focused endorsements often come naturally to inspectors who already review welder and procedure records, while WCQA and NDEC reward study of quality systems and NDE methods.

Advanced nondestructive examination topics and quality systems are the areas AWS cites as distinguishing SCWI holders. Expect to work through NDE method principles, acceptance criteria, and coordination of testing, plus quality assurance and welding coordination - document control, procedure and personnel records, and verification of compliance.

AWS does not publish a single SCWI price; costs depend on the endorsements you pursue and any training you take. AWS directs candidates to its Program Price List for current pricing across certifications. Because the path is endorsement-based, budget per endorsement rather than for one exam fee.

Two things: assuming an older single-exam route still applies, and letting paperwork lapse. The path is now endorsement-based, and paper applications are no longer accepted - everything goes through the My AWS Portal. Also watch the 5-year renewal and 10-year recertification dates, which are easy to miss.