CWI practice test: free Part A questions, every answer explained

You can take a free CWI practice test here: a 25-question Part A diagnostic, weighted by the topic shares AWS publishes, with a full explanation for every answer and a score for each topic. There is no account and no card. Start the free CWI Part A diagnostic, then use the topic scores to plan your study.

This page explains what the real CWI exam looks like, what a useful practice test should do, and how to work through Part A and Part C questions.

What the real CWI exam looks like

The CWI exam has three parts. Facts below come from AWS's CWI program page and its Part A and Part C exam information documents.

You also need a 72% composite across all three parts (AWS Examination User Guide). Part B is taken first, then Parts A and C. Our CWI exam overview has the full format.

Part B (the practical) is not covered here because it uses physical replicas and gauges. Our questions cover Parts A and C.

What's on Part A

AWS's Part A exam information lists a minimum share of questions for each topic, taken from AWS B5.1. Those minimums add up to 82%, so the rest of the exam can come from any topic.

Source: AWS CWI Part A Fundamentals Examination Information, Rev. 03.01.2024. AWS's newer user guide cites B5.1:2025, so the topic split could change when AWS updates the Part A document.

Our free diagnostic and practice sets use these shares, scaled to 100%. A set that is half welding processes and has no symbols questions will give you a misleading score.

What makes a CWI practice test useful

When you look at any CWI practice test, ours included, check four things:

• Wrong answers are explained. Part A distractors are close calls: throat versus leg, joint penetration versus fusion, porosity versus slag. You learn the most from why the near miss is wrong.
• The code edition is stated. Part C questions only make sense against a specific edition. Our Part C questions are written for AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2020, the edition named in AWS's current Part C guide.
• The questions are original. AWS exam content is confidential. A set sold as "actual exam questions" is either copied or mislabeled.
• Scores are broken down by topic. One overall number hides whether your weak spot is symbols or metallurgy.

Our how we write questions page explains how ours are written and reviewed.

How to work through Part A

Part A gives you 135 minutes for 165 questions, about 49 seconds each. That is tight for calculation and symbol questions, and generous for definitions. A simple routine:

1. First pass: answer every question you know at once. Mark the rest.
2. Second pass: come back to marked questions, starting with calculations, which you can solve with time.
3. Last minutes: answer everything. A blank answer can't earn a point.

Practice calculations by hand: heat input, tensile stress, elongation and fillet throat. The calculations guide works each one step by step.

How Part C practice is different

Part C is open book, so the challenge is speed, not memory. Most candidates who struggle on Part C know the material but can't find the right table fast enough. At 120 minutes for up to 60 scored questions, you have about two minutes each.

Practice Part C with your own copy of the code, tabbed the way you will use it in the exam, and time yourself. Our CWI Part C guide covers how to tab D1.1 and which clauses matter most.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CWI practice test on this site free?

Yes. The 25-question Part A diagnostic is free, with no account and no card. It gives you a score for each Part A topic and an explanation for every question. The free practice questions on each topic page are free too.

How many questions are on CWI Part A?

AWS's Part A exam information lists 165 questions: 150 scored and 15 unscored pretest items. You have 135 minutes, the exam is closed book, and you need 72% to pass.

What score do I need to pass the CWI exam?

You need at least 72% on each of the three parts, and a 72% composite across Parts A, B and C, according to AWS's Examination User Guide. Only scored items count. Unscored pretest items do not.

Are free CWI practice tests online accurate?

Quality varies. Many free sets do not say which code edition they follow, and some repeat errors from older material. Use sets that explain every answer, follow AWS's current topic list, and name the D1.1 edition for code questions.

Is Part C open book?

Yes. Part C is open book. AWS's user guide says tabs, highlighting and margin notes are allowed in your code book, and some Part C exams provide the code only as an on-screen PDF. Check your exam confirmation to see which applies to you.

Which part of the CWI exam is hardest?

It depends on your background. Welders often find Part A's definitions and metallurgy hardest because they are closed book. Many candidates find Part C hard because of the time pressure of finding answers in the code. Our how hard is the CWI exam page goes through each part.

Sources

Our Weld Examination questions cite these documents, by document and, where we can confirm it, chapter or section.

1. AWS B1.11 (3 questions)
2. AWS D1.1 (2 questions)
3. ASME BPVC Section V (1 question)
4. AWS A3.0 (1 question)

Questions? support@cwiready.com