§4.1A · Under Qualification
WPS, PQR or WPQ: which document is the CWI asking for?
A procedure qualification record (PQR) is the record of a test weld: the variables that were actually used and the results of the mechanical tests. The welding procedure specification (WPS) is the set of instructions written from it, and the welder's qualification record (WPQ, also written WPQR) shows that one particular welder can make the weld. In practice, and in the tags below, the question is which of the three a situation calls for.
- Exam
- CWI
- Clause
- §4.1A
- Tags here
- 6
- Parent
- Qualification
4.1A.1Three documents side by side
| Point | WPS | PQR | WPQ record |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Instructions for making a production weld | The record of a procedure test weld and its results | The record of one welder's test |
| It answers | How is this joint welded? | Was this procedure proven? | Did this welder prove the skill? |
| Values on it | Ranges the welder works inside | The single values used on test day | What the welder is qualified for: process, positions, thickness |
| Who reads it | The welder, and you on the floor | Whoever reviews or audits the WPS | You, when you check who is welding |
| When it changes | Revised, or requalified if an essential variable moves out of range | Never edited. A new test makes a new PQR | Lapses under the code's period-of-effectiveness rules |
≠ marks a row where at least one of them differs.
D1.1 and ASME Section IX both use this trio. Their variable rules differ.
4.1A.2From test coupon to WPS
Read the three as a chain. The contractor drafts a procedure. A welder makes a test weld to it. The coupon gets cut and tested, and the numbers go on the PQR. The WPS that reaches the floor is written from that PQR, with the ranges the code allows around the tested values.
Prequalified or qualified by test
D1.1 gives a WPS two routes. A prequalified WPS meets every condition in Clause 5 (joint details, base metal, filler metal, preheat, process limits), and it needs no PQR at all. Step outside those conditions and the WPS has to be qualified by test under Clause 6, which is where a PQR comes in. The clause numbers are the same in D1.1:2020 and D1.1:2025, but the Clause 5 tables were renumbered in 2025. Look tables up by title in the edition you'll be tested on; the Part C code book page covers which editions AWS lists.
Essential variables
A change in an essential variable beyond what the PQR supports means a new test. A change in a nonessential variable means you revise the WPS and carry on. D1.1 keeps separate essential-variable lists for procedures and for welders, so a change that sends a WPS back for testing may leave a welder's qualification untouched, and the reverse.
Where you stand as the inspector
You don't write the WPS, and you don't weld the coupon. On a qualification day you watch the test and make sure the record matches what happened. In production you hold the job against its WPS: the electrode in the oven is the filler the WPS names, the joint is up to preheat, the amps on the machine sit inside the window. The qualification clause goes further into the tests, and inspector duties lists the rest of the job.
4.1A.3Paperwork drill
Acronyms and floor situations, mixed together. Once you answer, the remarks explain every option.
0 of 6 tagged · 0 accepted
Tag 01
What does 'WPS' stand for in welding documentation?
Remarks on every option
- A Welding Performance Standard isn't a recognized document. Performance goes with the welder's qualification (WPQ), not the WPS.
- B Weld Process System is made up. The S in WPS stands for specification.
- C Correct: WPS is the Welding Procedure Specification, the written instructions the welder follows to make a code weld.
- D Weld Parameter Setup isn't a document name. The WPS does list parameters, but it's a procedure specification.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 02
In high-temperature environments, such as those in power plants, welds must maintain structural integrity despite thermal cycling. To ensure the welds meet these specific requirements, the welder must adhere to a _________.
Remarks on every option
- A Correct: The WPS is the written instructions the welder follows in production.
- B The PQR records the procedure test that supports the WPS. Welders don't weld from it.
- C Performance qualification shows the welder can make the weld. It isn't the instructions.
- D That's the welder's test record. It proves qualification; it doesn't tell you how to make this weld.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 03
What does 'PQR' stand for in welding documentation?
Remarks on every option
- A Not the expansion. A PQR is a procedure test record, not a production rating.
- B Close, but no. Performance qualification is about the welder, and the R is Record.
- C Not the term. A PQR documents the test weld for a procedure.
- D Correct: PQR is the Procedure Qualification Record: the actual variables and test results that support a WPS.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 04
What does 'PQT' stand for in welding documentation?
Remarks on every option
- A Correct: PQT is the procedure qualification test, the test weld whose data goes on the PQR.
- B Performance tests qualify welders. PQT is about the procedure.
- C Not the term. The P is Procedure.
- D Not a welding term.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 05
What is the inspector's role in procedure qualification testing?
Remarks on every option
- A The contractor or manufacturer writes the WPS and picks the parameters. The inspector checks them.
- B Specimens come from the code and the joint is the fabricator's call. The inspector doesn't design either.
- C A qualified welder welds the coupon. The inspector watches and records but doesn't weld it.
- D Correct: The inspector witnesses the test weld and the testing, and verifies the variables and results meet the code.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
Tag 06
What is the inspector's responsibility regarding weld procedure specifications (WPS)?
Remarks on every option
- A Changes go through the contractor and, where required, the Engineer. The inspector doesn't edit WPSs.
- B Writing WPSs is the contractor's job. The inspector checks that one exists and is properly qualified or prequalified.
- C Experience doesn't replace a WPS. Every production weld follows an approved procedure.
- D Correct: The inspector checks that production welding follows the approved WPS: process, filler, preheat, parameters.
Pick an option. The remarks on all 4 open here.
4.1A.4Paperwork questions from the floor
Does every WPS need a PQR?
No. Under D1.1 a prequalified WPS (Clause 5) needs no PQR. Any WPS outside the prequalified conditions is qualified by test under Clause 6, and that test is documented on a PQR.
What's the difference between a PQR and a WPQ record?
The PQR proves the procedure; the WPQ record proves the welder. A welder can qualify on a WPS whose PQR was welded by someone else years earlier.
Do ASME Section IX jobs use the same documents?
Yes. The WPS, PQR and WPQ trio exists there too, with its own variable rules. AWS lists ASME BPVC Section IX (2023) with B31.1 and B31.3 (2024) as one Part C option (AWS Exam References and Editions Guide, August 2025, checked October 2026).
How much of the CWI exam covers qualification?
AWS B5.1:2025 puts qualification at a minimum of 28% of Part B and 25% of Part C with no Part A minimum of its own (AWS B5.1:2025, Table 8.1, checked October 2026). WPS/PQR still appears among the Part A topics (AWS CWI page, checked October 2026).
More tags on your break
Our CWI prep app runs on iPhone and iPad. Run a few questions on a break, then come back here when you've got a desk.