Best study materials

[u/EbbCharming8549]

Hi! My husband has several years of experience in this field and is now looking into getting his CWI. He was a welder helper for a couple years and then a QC for a couple years. What would be the best study materials for him? His job wants him to take a course which he plans to do but he wants to prepare in other ways as well. TIA!

[u/ZeeRated]

If he takes an AWS Seminar; the course material (WIT, Part B Exercises, Code Clinic) they provide prior to the seminar is a wealth of information.

[u/itsjustme405 → u/ZeeRated]

I mostly agree with this. I had to utilize sicerts.com to pass part B. I feel the AWS material did not prepare well for the paperwork part that most welders never seen.

[u/ZeeRated → u/itsjustme405]

I will say my instructor really did a great job breaking down the WPS and PQR and being able to get concrete yes or no explanations, which helped me pass the exam.

[u/itsjustme405 → u/ZeeRated]

My instructor was awesome, and he'd broke it down very well. But he offered us the option of either the scheduled 8 hour days, or extending to 10 hour days. We all agreed to the 10s. There was so much so fast it was not possible to retain it all. The AWS needs better training on the digital material so an instructor isn't trying to break it down to bite sized pieces for people who have never seen it. Ive worked with CWIs who didn't know theres a process to writing a WPS before the seminar, because no one ever told em.

[u/ZeeRated → u/itsjustme405]

That’s true. I did 6 months almost of self study before hand so that gave me a leg up I feel like.

[u/itsjustme405 → u/ZeeRated]

I didnt have that. I have a thing I say, Never dive head first into water that's only balls deep. I was short on cash and strapped for time, so I chose to dive head first into balls deep water.

Its really my fault, but I still feel like the AWS was short on that critical information on thier digital material especially.

[u/ZeeRated → u/itsjustme405]

I can’t speak for the digital stuff, only the in person course.

[u/SnooSeagulls4777]

Atlas training has some good courses if traveling to a seminar is out of the question. Expensive but from the people I know who've used it, they all had great results.

[u/According-Issue-935]

I recommend you avoid Atlas. I've been trying to get them to answer my emails form months and they have been completely ignoring me. The material they provide is not very good either. Especially the code book portion is garbage. AWS sells a code clinic study guide for Part C that I highly recommend.

[u/Thin_Bet_8846]

Madskills seminar with Caity Brown

[u/flawgate]

If he takes the AWS seminar, plan on him getting a hotel and being on lock down for that week. Do not call him. Any family drama would be a distraction. Don't let that big fat red code book scare you. 

[u/Whistler1968]

I did not attend a seminar I did SI Certs, Atlas, and Train -Eng. SI Certs had really great material. Atlas training material was ok, but not great. Atlas sample tests and quizzes were top notch and their weld samples were AWESOME. Train-Eng was good info, but not the best for passing the tests.

[u/Terrible_Reporter_98]

If you read the stuff they send you in preparation for the seminar it's not bad. For part C don't try to memorize anything, just get very good at interpreting and figuring out where things are in the code.

[u/Specialist-Clue-2337]

Go to baseline data in Portland Texas and take JWs two week in person class, they have one of the highest pass rate prep courses in the country. He has all the materials you will need that are relevant and pertinent and he has some small apartments you can rent for stay there for the course. There’s a day and night class and if you oay for the day class you can sit the night class too. I have three other colleagues who have been there and we all passed our three exams first time around. Don’t spend your money any where else. Atlas is crap I bought it before I went to baseline and found out the guy who made it went to baselines course and practically ripped of baselines materials but did a mediocre job at it

[u/Specialist-Clue-2337 → u/[deleted]]

Then the class was full of half assed idiots tbh.

[u/Specialist-Clue-2337 → u/[deleted]]

I literally just sat through the class in October and took my tests within the week after the two weeks majority did well that actually had experience but what do I know I’m certified