- The AWS Certified Resistance Welding Technician exam covers nine domains defined in AWS QC20:2020, clause 6.2.
- Weld Equipment Setup, Welding Processes and Schedules, and Welding Procedures each carry 15%, the largest weights.
- The exam is closed book: 100 scored plus 10 unscored questions, 135 testing minutes, 60% to pass.
- Welding Symbols (3%) and Conversion and Calculations (5%) are small, so they reward targeted review over deep study.
How the Nine Domains Are Built
The Certified Resistance Welding Technician (CRWT) credential is offered by the American Welding Society (AWS) and was co-developed with the Resistance Welding Manufacturing Alliance (RWMA). It is a knowledge examination, not a hands-on welding performance test. You will not be asked to run a machine; you will be asked to demonstrate that you understand how resistance welding equipment, processes, materials, and quality systems work.
The content outline comes from AWS QC20:2020, Specification for AWS Certification of Resistance Welding Technicians, clause 6.2. The nine domains and their weights are exam objectives published by AWS. They describe how the test is built, not how many hours you should spend on each topic. That distinction matters: a domain with a small weight may still be a domain where you personally are weak, and a heavily weighted domain may be one you already use every shift.
If you are new to the credential itself, the overview pages What Is CRWT Certification? and What Does CRWT Stand For? cover the basics. This article assumes you already know what the credential is and want to understand exactly what the exam covers.
Domain Weights at a Glance
| # | Domain | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weld Equipment Setup including Machine/Tooling Design | 15% |
| 2 | Welding Processes and Schedules | 15% |
| 3 | Weld Quality and Testing including Destructive and Non-destructive | 12% |
| 4 | Definitions and Terminology | 10% |
| 5 | Welding Symbols | 3% |
| 6 | Materials | 13% |
| 7 | Conversion and Calculations | 5% |
| 8 | Welding Procedures | 15% |
| 9 | Maintenance | 12% |
Three domains at 15% each account for 45% of the exam. Add Materials (13%), Weld Quality and Testing (12%), and Maintenance (12%) and you have 82% of the content in six domains. The remaining three domains (Terminology, Calculations, Symbols) together make up 18%.
The Three 15% Domains
Weld Equipment Setup, Welding Processes and Schedules, and Welding Procedures tie for the largest weight. They also overlap heavily in practice: you cannot select a schedule without understanding the equipment, and you cannot write a sound procedure without understanding both. Studying them as a connected chain is more efficient than treating them as three silos.
Domain 1: Weld Equipment Setup including Machine/Tooling Design (15%)
This domain is about the physical system that makes a weld: the machine, its force and current delivery, and the tooling that touches the work.
- How machine types and their mechanical and electrical characteristics affect weld results
- Electrode and tooling design considerations, including how geometry and material influence current path and force
- Setting up and verifying force, current, and timing before production
- Fixturing and workpiece alignment issues that cause inconsistent welds
Domain 2: Welding Processes and Schedules (15%)
Here the exam tests whether you understand the resistance welding processes themselves and how a weld schedule is built from its parameters.
- The principal resistance welding process variants and where each is appropriate
- The role of each schedule parameter (such as current, time, and force) and how changing one affects the others
- Reading and interpreting a schedule, including sequences with multiple stages
- Cause-and-effect reasoning: if a symptom appears, which parameter is the likely culprit
Domain 8: Welding Procedures (15%)
Where Domain 2 asks what the schedule is, Domain 8 asks how work is actually carried out under a documented procedure.
- Following and applying written procedures and the information they contain
- Production practice: startup, verification, in-process checks, and what to do when results drift
- Recognizing when a procedure is not being followed or must be revised
- How procedure documentation connects to repeatable, defensible production
Questions in these domains tend to be scenario-flavored: a weld shows a certain defect or a setup changes, and you choose the best response. Memorizing definitions alone will not carry you here. For a sense of how hard that reasoning feels in practice, see How Hard Is the CRWT Exam?
Materials, Quality, and Maintenance
The next tier of domains sits between 12% and 13%. Individually they are smaller than the big three, but together they are 37% of the exam, which is more than any single domain cluster you can afford to skim.
Domain 6: Materials (13%)
Resistance welding behavior depends heavily on what is being joined. This domain connects base metal properties to process choices.
- How electrical and thermal conductivity affect heat generation and schedule needs
- Coated, plated, and surface-condition effects on weldability
- Joining dissimilar or differing-thickness combinations and the challenges they raise
- Electrode materials and why they are chosen for particular work materials
Domain 3: Weld Quality and Testing including Destructive and Non-destructive (12%)
This domain covers how you know a weld is good, and how you describe it when it is not.
- Destructive testing methods and what each reveals about the weld
- Non-destructive evaluation approaches and their limits
- Recognizing and naming common weld discontinuities and their likely causes
- Acceptance criteria and how test results feed back into process adjustments
Domain 9: Maintenance (12%)
Resistance welding quality degrades when equipment is neglected, and the exam reflects that.
- Routine inspection and upkeep of machines, tooling, and cooling systems
- Electrode care, including dressing and replacement considerations
- Diagnosing equipment-related causes of weld variation
- Preventive versus reactive maintenance and what to document
Notice the overlap with the big three. A maintenance question might really be a setup question, and a quality question might hinge on a materials property. Cross-domain thinking is a feature of the exam, not an accident.
Terminology, Calculations, and Symbols
The three smallest domains total 18%, but they behave differently from the technical core and deserve their own approach.
Definitions and Terminology (10%)
Ten percent is not small. Precise vocabulary underlies every other domain: if you misread what a term means, you will misread the question. The guide's reference list includes AWS A2.4:2020 (symbols for welding, brazing, and nondestructive examination) and AWS C1.1M/C1.1:2019, which are worth consulting for standard terminology. Build a running glossary as you read the other references, rather than trying to memorize a list in isolation.
Conversion and Calculations (5%)
The calculation load is modest, and the exam is closed book with a calculator allowed. The permitted calculator categories are nonprogrammable scientific, construction, and four-function, and scratch paper and pencil are provided. Expect unit conversions and straightforward arithmetic relationships among welding quantities. The skill to build is accuracy and speed with units, because careless unit errors are the most common way to lose points on easy questions.
Welding Symbols (3%)
Three percent of 100 scored questions is roughly a handful of items. This is the best candidate for efficient, targeted review: learn how resistance weld symbols are read on a drawing, then move on. It does not justify weeks of study, but ignoring it entirely would throw away points that are among the easiest to earn.
Key Takeaway
Do not over-invest in the 3% and 5% domains at the expense of the 15% ones, but do not skip them either. They are the cheapest points on the exam per hour of study.
What the Exam Format Means for Domain Prep
Format shapes how you should study each domain. According to the Examination Guide for Certified Resistance Welding Technician (revised January 24, 2025):
- Delivery is computer-based at a Prometric test center.
- There are 100 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest questions.
- Testing time is 135 minutes inside a 150-minute appointment. The appointment length is not your timer.
- Every question is multiple choice with a single correct answer.
- The passing score is 60%.
- The exam is closed book, with scratch paper and pencil provided.
- There is no scheduled break, and an unscheduled break consumes your examination time.
At 110 total questions in 135 minutes, you have a bit over a minute per question. That is enough for scenario questions if you do not stall, and it argues for working through the exam in one pass, flagging uncertain items, and returning if time allows. Because there is no scheduled break, plan your stamina and logistics ahead of time. For the specifics of how scoring is framed, see CRWT Passing Score 2026.
Because the exam is closed book, the reference editions named in the guide are for preparation, not for use during testing: AWS C1.1M/C1.1:2019, the RWMA Resistance Welding Manual (revised fourth edition, 2013), the AWS Resistance Welding Pocket Handbook (2011), and AWS A2.4:2020. Study from these editions specifically, since newer or older versions may differ in details.
Sequencing the Domains in a Study Plan
Generic study advice matters less than ordering the domains sensibly. Because the technical core is interconnected, build foundations first, then layer the dependent topics, and save the small domains for reinforcement. A sample six-week order:
Terminology and Materials groundwork
- Start your glossary (Domain 4) while reading the references
- Cover Materials (Domain 6) so later process questions have context
Equipment and tooling
- Work through Weld Equipment Setup including Machine/Tooling Design (Domain 1)
- Connect tooling choices back to the materials you studied
Processes and schedules
- Study Welding Processes and Schedules (Domain 2)
- Practice cause-and-effect reasoning on parameter changes
Procedures and maintenance
- Cover Welding Procedures (Domain 8)
- Add Maintenance (Domain 9) and tie equipment condition to weld variation
Quality, testing, and the small domains
- Weld Quality and Testing (Domain 3), destructive and non-destructive
- Quick passes on Calculations (Domain 7) and Symbols (Domain 5)
Integrated review
- Timed mixed-domain practice under exam conditions
- Revisit your weakest domains based on practice results
Adjust this to your background. A technician who maintains machines daily may compress Week 4; someone who works in quality may move faster through Domain 3 and slower through equipment. For a fuller methodology, read the CRWT Study Guide 2026, and when you want a compact last-minute refresher, the CRWT Cheat Sheet pulls the must-know facts onto one page. To test yourself against realistic question styles, use the CRWT practice tests and track results by domain.
Eligibility, Fees, and Recertification
Who can sit for the exam
Eligibility is set by AWS C1.5:2019, clause 5.1. There are three routes: a high-school diploma, GED, or equivalent plus one year of relevant resistance-welding machinery experience; a post-high-school or post-GED graduate route plus six months of experience; or three years of relevant experience in place of the education requirement. Education and experience must be verifiable with documentation. Self-employed or contract applicants may use two separate client reference letters or the specified affidavit alternative as experience evidence.
One point needs caution. The current CRWT program page and the undated step-by-step pathway document mention a visual-acuity form, but the linked AWS Visual Acuity Form dated September 19, 2025 states that it applies only to other credentials (SCWI, CWI, CAWI, CRI, CWEng) and does not list CRWT. Confirm the CRWT-specific requirement directly with AWS rather than assuming another credential's vision standard applies. More detail is in CRWT Requirements 2026.
Fees
Per the AWS Certification & Education Programs Price List effective January 1, 2026:
| Item | AWS Member | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Examination fee | $445 | $590 |
| Seminar-and-exam package | $1,035 | $1,355 |
| Retest | $235 | $235 |
| Recertification by examination | $445 | $590 |
Student and Early-Career memberships do not qualify for member pricing, and nonmember prices do not include the cost of membership. Preparatory training is optional, so the seminar package is a choice rather than a requirement. A fuller breakdown is in CRWT Certification Cost 2026.
Validity and retakes
Certification lasts five years, and maintaining it requires reexamination under QC20:2020 and the current AWS program page, not continuing-education credits alone. QC20 permits up to three reexaminations within one year of the original test. Since you will face this exam again in five years, the habit of building a reference glossary and domain notes now pays off later.
For scheduling specifics, see CRWT Exam Dates 2026, and for what the credential can mean for your career, the ROI analysis and salary guide take up that question without relying on unsupported numbers.
FAQ
Nine. They are Weld Equipment Setup including Machine/Tooling Design, Welding Processes and Schedules, Weld Quality and Testing, Definitions and Terminology, Welding Symbols, Materials, Conversion and Calculations, Welding Procedures, and Maintenance, as listed in AWS QC20:2020, clause 6.2.
Weld Equipment Setup, Welding Processes and Schedules, and Welding Procedures are tied at 15% each. Materials follows at 13%, then Weld Quality and Testing and Maintenance at 12% each.
You need 60%. The exam has 100 scored plus 10 unscored pretest questions, with 135 minutes of testing inside a 150-minute appointment. It is closed book, and there is no scheduled break.
Yes, within limits. Permitted categories are nonprogrammable scientific, construction, and four-function calculators. Scratch paper and pencil are provided at the test center.
No. It is a computer-based knowledge examination with single-answer multiple-choice questions. It does not assess practical welding performance.
Mastering the nine domains is mostly a matter of studying them in connected order and testing yourself by domain as you go. When you are ready to measure where you stand, work through the CRWT Exam Prep practice tests and let your results guide which domains get your remaining time.