9.4 Part B Practical Exam Preparation

How Part B Connects to the Code

Part B — Practical is the hands-on module of the CWI exam. While Part C uses your full D1.1 code book, Part B is open-book against a single AWS-supplied document, the "Book of Specifications" (BOS) — a fictitious, self-contained code written so that no candidate has an edition advantage. You make accept/reject decisions by physically measuring plastic weld replicas with provided gauges, then comparing your measurement to the BOS criteria. Part B has roughly 46 questions, and like every part you must score at least 72% to pass; you must pass all three parts (A, B, C) to earn the CWI.

The skills mirror real Clause 8 inspection: measure a feature, look up the limit, decide. The difference is that the limits come from the BOS, not D1.1 — a deliberate trap for candidates who answer from memory of D1.1 values instead of reading the BOS table in front of them.

What Part B Tests

Tools AWS Provides

You bring nothing but knowledge — AWS supplies the kit, but you must already be fluent with each tool:

• Weld replicas — molded reproductions carrying real, measurable discontinuities
• Fillet weld gauge set — Cambridge-type fillet gauges for leg size and convexity check
• Bridge-cam (Cambridge) gauge — the most versatile: undercut depth, reinforcement height, fillet size, and bevel angle
• Taper (feeler/wire) gauge — root opening and gaps
• Hi-Lo gauge — internal/external misalignment of pipe or plate
• Rule / tape — lengths and spacing
• Book of Specifications — the acceptance criteria you must apply

Using the Bridge-Cam Gauge

The bridge-cam gauge is worth dedicated practice because it does four jobs:

A Worked Accept/Reject Sequence

1. Read the question stem — what feature, which weld, what is being asked.
2. Select the correct tool — wrong gauge yields a wrong number.
3. Measure carefully — seat the gauge squarely; re-measure marginal readings; check both legs of a fillet.
4. Open the Book of Specifications — find the governing criterion (do not use a remembered D1.1 number).
5. Compare and decide — accept if within limits, reject if it exceeds them.
6. Move on — manage time across stations; do not over-dwell.

Common Part B Mistakes

Preparation Plan

Train with actual fillet and bridge-cam gauges on sample replicas until reading them is automatic. Practice reading welding symbols cold. Most candidates take the AWS seminar in the days before the exam, which includes supervised practice with the exact replicas and gauges — use that time deliberately.

Reading the Replicas Like Real Welds

The replicas reproduce actual surface discontinuities at true scale, so the same A3.0 vocabulary from Clause 8 applies: you must distinguish overlap (cold-lapped metal at the toe) from acceptable convexity, undercut from a natural toe transition, porosity from surface dirt, and a crack from a scratch or a tool mark. A common station shows a fillet that looks full but is undersized on one leg — which is why checking both legs and the effective throat, not just the visible crown, is essential. Another shows acceptable-looking reinforcement that actually overlaps without fusion, a rejectable profile defect.

Gauge Selection Cheat Sheet

Matching the feature to the gauge is half the battle:

Welding Symbols Show Up Too

Several Part B questions hand you a drawing with a welding symbol and ask whether the as-welded part conforms. You must read the symbol fluently: arrow side vs. other side (below vs. above the reference line), fillet vs. groove symbol, size to the left of the symbol, length and pitch to the right, the field-weld flag, the weld-all-around circle, and the finish/contour supplementary symbols. A weld placed on the wrong side, made the wrong size, or run the wrong length is rejectable even if the bead itself is sound.

Building the Skill Before Exam Day

Practical fluency only comes from repetition with the actual gauges. Borrow or buy a fillet gauge set and a bridge-cam gauge and drill until reading each is automatic and repeatable to within the gauge's resolution. Practice a fixed station routine: read the stem, pick the gauge, seat it squarely, read twice, look up the Book of Specifications criterion, decide, record, move on. The pre-exam AWS seminar typically includes supervised hands-on time with the exact replicas and gauges — treat it as a graded rehearsal, not a lecture.

For the Exam: The single biggest Part B error is applying a D1.1 acceptance value from memory. Always derive the criterion from the Book of Specifications provided that day, then measure, then decide.