SCWI study guide
SCWI · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Senior Certified Welding Inspector (SCWI) is described by AWS as its highest level of certification and as recognized industry-wide. It is built for experienced Certified Welding Inspectors who want to demonstrate a deeper command of advanced nondestructive examination topics, quality systems, procedure qualification, and related areas of expertise. The route to the credential has changed: there is no longer a standalone SCWI exam. AWS states that the standalone SCWI exam is retired and that candidates now qualify step by step by completing four required endorsements - Welder Performance Qualifier (WPQ1), Welding Procedure Qualifier (WPQ2), Welding Coordination and QA (WCQA), and Nondestructive Examination Coordination (NDEC). The SCWI study guide has 4 sections and about 1,490 words.
01Welder Performance Qualification (WPQ1)
Welder performance qualification proves that an individual can produce sound welds to a qualified procedure. Keep the two ideas firmly apart: the WPS/WPQR proves the procedure is sound; the WPQ proves the person can apply it.
389 words, about 2 min02Welding Procedure Qualification (WPQ2)
A preliminary WPS (pWPS) is written, used to weld a test assembly, and the assembly is tested. If all results meet the standard's acceptance criteria, a Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR/PQR) is issued, and production WPSs are then written within the ranges that record supports.
382 words, about 2 min03Welding Coordination and Quality Assurance (WCQA)
ISO 14731 frames coordination as a set of defined tasks held by a competent person: contract and technical review, material suitability, consumable selection and control, equipment suitability, qualification of procedures and personnel, production planning, inspection and testing planning, handling of nonconformities, calibration, health and safety, and records. The responsibility must be assigned in writing and can only be delegated to someone equally competent (e.g.
358 words, about 2 min04Nondestructive Examination Coordination (NDEC)
NDT is planned, not improvised. For each joint the NDT plan/matrix should fix: method (VT, PT, MT, UT, RT and advanced variants), stage (root, final, before/after PWHT, after pressure test), extent (full or percentage/random), technique and standard (e.g.
361 words, about 2 min