They are three rungs of the same ladder. Each one assumes the level below it.

Most divers start at 3.1u, and it is the level I sell most of. If you are moving up to 3.2u, be aware the exam still leans on 3.1u theory, which is why both my 3.2u bundles, the Exam Bundle and the Complete Study System, carry the 3.1u material inside them rather than assuming you remember it.

Entry requirements are set by CSWIP, not by me. Confirm your own route with TWI before you book a course, especially if you are coming in as an ROV inspector, a surface NDT practitioner or an engineering graduate rather than off the dive team.

On the standard diver route you need to have held CSWIP 3.1u or 3.2u for at least 3 years, with a minimum of 100 logged hours of underwater inspection work.

Other entry routes exist for ROV inspectors, surface NDT practitioners and engineering graduates. TWI assess eligibility case by case, and they will ask for your CV before they confirm a place. Send it to them and get the answer in writing before you book flights.

The 3.4u course itself runs about 10 days and is followed by a 2 day exam, so it is a longer commitment than the levels below it.

No, and this catches people out. CSWIP certification is re-examined every 5 years at every level, and a refresher sits the same exam a first timer sits. The theory has not changed, so the prep does not change either.

That is deliberate on my side. There is no separate refresher product to buy. You buy the normal bundle for your level, and it does the job of knocking the rust off knowledge you already have and pointing it back at the exam.

Most divers start their refresher 2 to 3 months out, usually across one or two trips. If that is you, read the 3.1u and 3.2u refresher and renewal guide first. It is free.

The pass mark for the 3.1u and 3.2u theory exams is 70%, and you need it on each paper. Each level has two multiple choice papers, General and Sector Specific. Each paper is 50 questions in 75 minutes, so you need 35 right on each one. A strong score on one paper does not carry a weak one. That comes from the official CSWIP scheme document, CSWIP-DIV-7-95, 7th Edition, June 2024.

3.4u is marked differently. The theory exam is three parts, and each part is marked on its own. If you fail one part you retest that part, not the whole exam. The scheme document does not publish a percentage pass mark for the 3.4u parts.

Practical assessments are marked separately at every level, and you have to pass those too. A strong theory paper does not carry a weak practical.

3.1u and 3.2u run roughly 5 days at an approved training centre, with the exam at the end. 3.4u runs about 10 days followed by a 2 day exam.

Middlesbrough in the UK and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia are the two centres divers ask me about most, but they are not the only ones. Check current dates and locations with TWI, and look at my CSWIP course dates page for what I have gathered.

The thing divers underestimate is how technical the week is. You are not being eased in. Turning up having already met the theory once is the single biggest difference between a comfortable week and a scramble.

Two different questions sit inside that one, so let me split them.

The certification course. 3.1u and 3.2u have to be done in person at an approved training centre. 3.4u can be done online in two parts, theory and practical, so you only attend a centre for the final exam. Confirm the current arrangement with TWI, since they set it.

Your preparation. That can be done entirely online, and that is what I build. Every NDTPrep course runs in a browser, at your own pace, designed around rotations rather than around a classroom. Access runs for 12 months from purchase, which covers a normal trip pattern and the exam at the end of it.

On the easy stuff, which is the frustrating part.

• Weld defect naming. Divers who can point at a defect all day lose marks because they cannot name it in the terms the marker wants. This is the cheapest set of marks on the paper and the most commonly dropped, which is why my free weld defects guide exists.
• Loose terminology. The exam is precise about words. Close enough is wrong.
• At 3.4u, structure. Candidates who know the answer still lose marks because they wrote a paragraph instead of a structured answer the marker can award points against. Knowing it and scoring it are two different skills.

Every course I build is written around how the paper is marked, not just what is on the syllabus, and I flag where the marks go as I teach it.

Three parts. It is a loop, not a line, and you can enter at any of them.

• Theory. Understand the why before you drill the what. Module aligned lessons that respect your experience instead of dumbing it down.
• Q&A. Train the way you will be tested. Your first run through a module is a diagnostic, not a test. It shows you exactly which topics are weak.
• Flashcards. Lock it in and keep it in. Drill the gaps the Q&A found, then keep them warm right up to exam day.

Most divers get the best return from a Q&A pass before they drill, because it tells you which cards actually matter instead of spreading the reps evenly over things you already know. That is a reason, not a rule. Start wherever you are.

Theory. That is the only difference.

• Exam Bundle is Q&A plus Flashcards. For the diver who has the knowledge and needs the reps.
• Complete Study System is Theory plus Q&A plus Flashcards. For the diver who wants to learn it properly first, then drill it.

At 3.1u the Exam Bundle is $129 and the Complete Study System is $199. Bought separately those three courses come to $287, so the Complete Study System saves you $88.

If you are refreshing a ticket you already hold, the Exam Bundle is usually enough. If the theory is new or genuinely rusty, take the Complete Study System and do not pretend otherwise.

Yes. Every course is sold on its own, and the bundles simply cost less than the parts.

• CSWIP 3.1u Interactive Theory$129
• CSWIP 3.1u Q&A Exam Prep$79
• CSWIP 3.1u Flashcard Trainer$79
• CSWIP 3.2u Interactive Theory$129
• CSWIP 3.2u Q&A Exam Prep$79
• CSWIP 3.2u Flashcard Trainer$79
• CSWIP 3.4u Long Questions Exam Prep$179
• CSWIP 3.4u Isometric Drawing$149

The bundles, which is what most divers take:

• 3.1u Exam Bundle$129
• 3.1u Complete Study System$199
• 3.2u Exam Bundle$229
• 3.2u Complete Study System$299
• 3.4u Exam Bundle$329
• 3.4u Complete Study System$399

Yes, and I would rather you did. It is a straight look at how I teach before you spend anything.

• Weld Defects and Terminology for Divers, a visual study guide with annotated images. This is the material divers drop easy marks on.
• Welding Defects Practice Exam, the companion course to the guide. Short, image based, and it explains why each answer is right.
• MPI Field Guide, the offshore quick reference for 3.2u and 3.4u. Procedure, key standards, coil formulas and magnetisation techniques.
• Shift Study Mode, a free study console built for twenty minute sessions between shifts.

Everything free is gathered on the resources page.

12 months from the date of purchase, at every level, on every course and bundle.

That is deliberate rather than mean. Twelve months covers the normal pattern of booking a course, working a trip or two, and sitting the exam at the end of it, with room for a date that slips. It does not leave you paying for a subscription you forgot about.

Yes. If you ever feel like any NDTPrep course is not working for you, let me know within 30 days of purchase and I will give you a 100% refund. No questions asked, no conditions.

I would rather refund you than have you sit an exam on prep that did not suit how you learn.

Yes, and this happens often enough that I have a routine for it. Card problems are common for divers buying from the Gulf, India and West Africa, and it is almost never anything to do with you.

• Email me at support at ndtprep.com with your name and the course you want.
• I will send you bank transfer details.
• Once the payment lands, I send a coupon code that gives you immediate access.

It is usually sorted the same day.

No. NDTPrep is independent. I am not affiliated with, approved by, or endorsed by The Welding Institute or CSWIP, and I do not run the exams or issue the certificates.

What I sell is exam preparation, built by someone who has sat these exams and worked the job. Eligibility, official syllabus scope and certification rules are TWI's to confirm, not mine, so check those with TWI Certification Ltd directly before you book.