AWS certification tests

admin

What are the various AWS certificate tests like and how difficult are they? Are you an AWS certified welder?Last edited by The Apprentice; 11-15-2006 at 12:53 AM.
Reply:There are many different certs...too many to actualy list and difficulty varies.the main certs(if your just starting out) that u should concentrate on are your 3G and 4G tests. thats vertical up groove and overhead groove....thats a perty basic reguirement for most most jobs looking for entry level certified welders.once you have your 3 &4 then your covered for 1G2G3G4G...That is flat,horizontal,vertical,and overhead.Dificulty depends entirely on ur comfort and skill level...And wether or not ur inspector is in a ****y mood  lolTheres nothing to be worried about in the test itself in fact the biggest obstacle to most is relaxing enough to do well! That being said the only way to learn is to burn!get yourself comfy with the beads themself in each of the positions....it all depends on the person most if not all can learn to weld with practice then occasionaly theres a few who musta been born with a hood on.when i say practice i dont mean a few stringer beads and call it good!Unless of course u where ur welding gear even to sleep in lol I mean pounds of rod or wire.Personaly i hate buzz boxes but i think that a person should learn on one.....its harder dirtier and a major pain but u will learn control better.Mig is the easiest but generaly speaking a mig bead can look great but be terrible whereas while this can happen with a stick its much less likely.Start laying individual beads down side by side on about a 10-12long by 1/4 inch plate side by side means the edges of the beads touch but dont overlaptill u cover both sides of the plate several times and or ur beads all look similar with good speed control and consistency.then do the same thing over again with lap welds lay a bead then lay the second one next to it but covering the first by half its width continue to u get the same resultsDo this in flat ,horizontal vertical up and overhead till ur comfortable then make a bunch of practice coupons and start practicing for ur test.Biggest thing is there are a lot of jobs that dont reguire certs however they tend to be sweatshops with little to no growth in em(pay very little and will pay little for the next 20-30 yrs)Also especialy here in Texas (as well as elsewhere im sure)theres a lot of so called inspectors that do cert tests for the cash instead of ability.this is unfortunate because it realy screws those of us that spent the time and effort to do it right as well as alowing a lot of dangerous welds to skimp by.Ive seen some welds done by so called certified welders that i wouldnt trust to hold a mailbox up and unfortunetaly these same people tend to get the jobs because most will work cheaper.If u truly want to learn id advise ya to join the aws and start going to whatever meeting is close to you.Its usualy a good group of guys with some good speakers and events that can put you in touch with the right kind of information!Good luck!!Safety,Function,Form take it or leave it