100+ Free AWS CRI Practice Questions

You must score at least 70% on EACH of the three exam parts (Part A General Knowledge, Part B Practical Film Interpretation, Part C Code Knowledge) AND achieve an overall composite average of at least 80% across all three. If you fall below 70% on any part but keep your overall average at 80%, you can retake just the failed part. If your overall drops below 80%, you must retake all three parts. The 70%/80% dual-threshold rule comes directly from the 2025 AWS CRI Examination User Guide and is one of the most commonly tested pieces of program knowledge.

It is a mix. Part A General Knowledge (70 questions) is CLOSED-book — you cannot use references, so you must memorize physics, image-quality formulas, film basics, and discontinuity identification. Part C Code Knowledge (78 questions) and Part B Practical Film Interpretation (40 questions) are OPEN-book and use AWS-provided reference standards including AWS D1.1, API 1104, ASME Section V Article 2, ASME VIII UW-51, and the AWS Radiographic Interpretation textbook. Questions on Part C are grouped by reference, so you will see all D1.1 questions together, all API 1104 questions together, and so on — tab your standards accordingly.

CRI is considered one of the most technically challenging AWS credentials. Candidates must master radiation physics, film and digital imaging, weld metallurgy, and the acceptance criteria of at least three different codes — AND be able to interpret actual radiographs under time pressure. The 70% per-part minimum makes the Practical film interpretation particularly unforgiving: you must correctly classify and size real discontinuities on at least 10 radiographs. Most successful candidates have a welding or NDT background, attend the 5-day AWS CRI Seminar, and put in 120+ hours of focused self-study on AWS B5.15 Clause 9 topics.

The AWS-provided Book of Reference Standards for Part C includes excerpts from AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code (Clause 8 acceptance criteria), API 1104 Welding of Pipelines (Clause 9 acceptance criteria), ASME Section V Article 2 Radiographic Examination (T-223, T-274, T-276, T-277, T-282), ASME Section VIII Division 1 (UW-51), ASTM E94, ASTM E1025, ASTM E747, ASTM E1815, and ASTM E999. AWS loans these references during the exam and collects them afterward, so you cannot bring your own. Know the layout of each standard cold before test day.

CRI-certified interpreters work at welding fabrication shops, pipeline construction firms, pressure-vessel manufacturers, structural steel fabricators, third-party NDT service providers, and state DOTs (like NCDOT) that require CRI or equivalent for final weld acceptance. Typical salaries run from about $65,000 for entry-level film readers to $120,000+ for senior CRIs who also hold CWI certification. The credential is specifically named in many contracts (including NCDOT radiographic testing procedures and AWS D1.1 Clause 8 references) and is often a differentiator on NDT Level III resumes.

Start with AWS B5.15 Clause 9 (Body of Knowledge) as your syllabus and prioritize the 40% weighted 'Fundamental aspects of radiographic quality and image geometry' topics — geometric unsharpness, IQI placement, density limits, contrast/definition. Next study welding technology (25%), then photographic aspects (15%). Practice Ug calculations, exposure-time problems, and the inverse square law until they are automatic. Tab AWS D1.1 Clause 8 acceptance figures, API 1104 Clause 9, and ASME V Article 2 tables T-274.2 and T-276/277. Attend the 5-day AWS CRI Seminar, complete at least 40 practice radiograph interpretations, and run 3+ timed full-length mock exams before test day.