Route R2 · Requirements
What do you need before you can sit the CWI?
To sit the CWI you need two things on file: welding-related work experience matched to your education (five years with a high school diploma, one year with a welding engineering degree) and a passed eye exam, Jaeger J2 at 12 inches plus a color perception test, on the AWS form and no older than a year. The numbers come from AWS B5.1:2025, clause 6.2, and the AWS CWI page lists the same table (both checked October 2026).
- Exam
- CWI
- Updated
- October 2026
R2.1Years of work by education
| Highest education | Experience needed | How the number works |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's or higher in welding engineering or welding engineering technology | 1 year | Up to 4 years of the 5 are credited to the degree |
| Associate's or higher in welding or non-welding engineering technology, engineering or a physical science | 2 years | Up to 3 years credited |
| Engineering or technical school courses toward a welding degree | 3 years | Up to 2 years credited |
| Trade or vocational courses in welding | 4 years | Up to 1 year credited |
| High school diploma or state- or military-approved equivalency (GED) | 5 years | The baseline in 6.2 |
| Eighth grade | 9 years | Alternative route, 6.2.1 |
| Less than eighth grade | 12 years | Alternative route, 6.2.1 |
Credit counts only successfully completed courses, and AWS wants transcripts or similar proof of the hours before it confirms how much credit you get.
R2.2What counts, and how you prove it
The work has to tie directly to weldments built to a national or international standard, and you've got to have been directly involved in at least one of the functions in AWS B5.1:2025, clause 6.5:
- welding as a welder, welding operator or tack welder in fabrication, manufacturing or construction;
- finding and measuring discontinuities by visual or other NDE to a written procedure;
- qualifying welders or welding procedures to a code;
- applying welding codes, standards or specifications;
- QC activities on weldments, repair-welding control, base and filler metal control;
- writing procedures, inspection requirements or acceptance criteria, or teaching welding.
The paper trail
AWS QC1:2016-AMD1, the spec behind the certification itself, says how experience is documented in clause 5.4: the employment verification section of the application, employer letters on company letterhead, or, if you work for yourself, two reference letters on letterhead from separate clients. Get the letters while the supervisors who know your work are still around.
The eye exam
Jaeger J2 at 12 inches (30.5 cm) or more, in at least one eye, with or without correction, plus a color perception test. An ophthalmologist, optometrist, MD, RN or certified PA records it on the AWS Visual Acuity form, and the exam can't be more than one year old on your test date.
R2.3Your file, item by item
- Your years counted against the right row of the education table, not the one you wish applied.
- Every employer you claim has filled in the employment verification, or you've got letters on letterhead.
- Transcripts in hand if schooling is shaving years off.
- Eye exam on the AWS form, dated within a year of the exam.
- Photo and government ID with your name exactly as it is on the application.
- Part C code picked. You can't switch it once you've sat Part B (AWS Policies and Fees, November 2022, checked October 2026).
- Exam window chosen with the deadline in mind: see CWI exam dates.
R2.4Edge cases
What if I'm short on years?
Look at the CAWI. It's the same exam with 60% on each part, and its experience floor is lower: two years with a high school diploma (AWS CAWI page, checked October 2026). It can't be renewed, so treat it as a stepping stone. CWI vs CAWI lays them side by side.
Is AWS QC1 the same thing as the CWI requirements?
QC1:2016-AMD1 is the AWS standard for certifying welding inspectors: applications, documentation, renewal. The education and experience numbers themselves live in B5.1:2025. You'll see both cited on the AWS CWI page.
Do I need a welding certificate of my own?
No welder certification is listed among the requirements. Welding experience counts as one of the qualifying functions, but so do QC, NDE and procedure work.
Where does the rest of the route go?
After eligibility it's the application, Part B, then the two computer parts. The full order is on the CWI route, step by step, and what the work pays, as far as BLS can say, is on welding inspector pay.
R2.5Sources
- AWS B5.1:2025 — clause 6.2 (table), clause 6.5 (qualifying work), clause 7.1 (vision) (checked October 2026)
- AWS QC1:2016-AMD1 — clause 5.4 (documenting experience) (checked October 2026)
- AWS Visual Acuity Exam Form, August 2026 (checked October 2026)
- AWS CWI page (checked October 2026)
- AWS CWI Examination User Guide, September 2026 — training rule for retests (checked October 2026)
- AWS CAWI page (checked October 2026)
- AWS Policies and Fees, November 2022 — Part C code change rule (checked October 2026)
Eligible on paper? Get the study side moving
Our CWI prep app keeps practice questions on your iPhone or iPad while the letters come in.