WPS vs PQR vs welder qualification records: a CWI study guide

WPS, PQR and welder records at a glance

A Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) describes the welding conditions and instructions to be followed. A Procedure Qualification Record (PQR) records the conditions used for a procedure test and its results. A welder qualification record documents an individual's performance test and the scope qualified.

Sources: AWS D1.1:2025 sample procedure and performance qualification forms.

Understand why a WPS may have a PQR

For a WPS qualified by testing, the supporting PQR provides the procedure-test evidence. The applicable code determines how that evidence supports the WPS. A recorded test condition and a permitted production range serve different purposes; they are not automatically interchangeable.

AWS D1.1 also permits prequalified WPSs when all applicable prequalification conditions are met. That route still requires a written WPS. It does not require a supporting procedure qualification test merely because the document is called a WPS.

When a supplied study packet has no PQR, first identify whether the WPS claims prequalification or qualification by testing. Then use the applicable code edition and the exercise's project requirements to examine that claim. The word prequalified on a page is a claim to check, not the whole explanation.

Sources: AISC: welding procedure and welder qualification, FAQ 8.6.2.

Keep the welder record connected to the person

Read the welder record for the individual named, the test conditions and the scope qualified. The AWS sample form separates actual test values from the range qualified and provides fields for the person, employer, referenced WPS and test results.

Use those fields to connect a study assignment to its supporting record. A document for another person, or a record with an unexplained scope, leaves a question to resolve before the exercise can be completed.

Document abbreviations vary. Read the full title and governing standard before deciding which qualification it records.

Sources: AWS D1.1:2025 sample procedure and performance qualification forms; AWS: the distinct functions of WPS, PQR and welder records.

Try a document-matching exercise

Imagine an instructor provides a fictional packet for a document-review exercise. The WPS says it was qualified by testing and references PQR-A. The enclosed procedure record is labeled PQR-B. The assignment identifies Welder-14, while the enclosed welder record identifies Welder-41. No explanation of either mismatch is supplied.

You can identify two unresolved links without calculating a qualification range or evaluating a weld. The cited procedure record is not the one supplied, and the named person does not match. Neither mismatch tells you the missing facts; both tell you what the packet still needs to establish.

Write two short findings: the WPS references PQR-A but the packet contains PQR-B; the assignment names Welder-14 but the packet contains a record for Welder-41. Ask for the corresponding records or a documented explanation that resolves the identities before continuing the exercise.

Now change one fact: the instructor supplies a different WPS identified as prequalified. The procedure-side question becomes whether the claimed prequalification meets the stated requirements. The person-side question still requires its own evidence. This comparison helps you keep procedure support and welder qualification distinct.

• Label each page by its purpose before comparing individual fields.
• Track document numbers, revisions and people explicitly.
• Write what the supplied evidence establishes and what remains unresolved.

Connect the records with CWI D1.1 preparation

NDT Academy's CWI AWS D1.1 track includes lessons on codes and welding records, review of WPS/PQR/welder documents, WPS qualification by testing, and welder performance qualification. Use these topics together: understand the document's purpose, then practice locating the rule and evidence that answer the question.

For an examination exercise, use its specified reference and instructions. For a production assignment, establish the governing documents and revisions. A familiar form alone does not establish which requirements apply.

The course provides examination preparation. AWS sets the separate CWI eligibility, application and examination requirements; completing preparation does not by itself award the CWI credential.

Sources: AWS: current CWI certification and application requirements.