DS SolidWorks Corp. offers various stages of certification representing increasing levels of expertise in 3D CAD design as it applies to engineering: Certified SolidWorks Associate CSWA, Certified SolidWorks Professional CSWP and Certified SolidWorks Expert CSWE along with specialty fields in Simulation, Sheet Metal, and Surfacing.

SolidWorks CSWA Certification:

Click to download a CSWA sample exam in .pdf format. 

The main requirement for obtaining the CSWA certification is to take and pass the on-line proctored 180 minute exam (minimum of 165 out of 240 points).

The CSWA exam consists of fourteen questions in the following categories and subject areas:

Drafting Competencies: (Three questions - multiple choice - 5 points each)

Questions on general drawing views: Projected, Section, Break, Crop, Detail, Alternate Position, etc.

Basic Part Creation and Modification: (Two questions - one multiple choice / one single answer - 15 points each). 

Sketch Planes:

• Front, Top, Right

2D Sketching:

• Geometric Relations and Dimensioning

Extruded Boss/Base Feature

Extruded Cut Feature

Modification of the basic part (sketch dimension and or feature)

Intermediate Part Creation and Modification: (Two questions - one multiple choice / one single answer - 15 points each).

Sketch Planes:

• Front, Top, Right

2D Sketching:

• Geometric Relations and Dimensioning

Extruded Boss/Base Feature

Extruded Cut Feature

Revolved Boss/Base Feature

Mirror and Fillet Feature

Circular and Linear Pattern Feature

Plane Feature

Modification of the intermediate part:

Sketch, Feature, Pattern, etc.

Advance Part Creation and Modification: (Three questions - one multiple choice / two single answers - 15 points each).

Sketch Planes:

• Front, Top, Right, Face, Created Plane, etc.
• 2D Sketching or 3D Sketching

Sketch Tools:

• Offset Entities, Convert Entitles, etc.

Extruded Boss/Base Feature

Extruded Cut Feature

Revolved Boss/Base Feature

Mirror and Fillet Feature

Circular and Linear Pattern Feature

Shell Feature

Plane Feature

More Difficult Geometry Modifications

Assembly Creation and Modification: (Two different assemblies - four questions - two multiple choice / two single answers - 30 points each).

Insert the first (fixed) component

Insert all needed components

Insert Standard Mates

Modification of key parameters in the assembly

Note: Download the needed components during the exam to create the assembly.

A total score of 165 out of 240 or better is required to obtain your CSWA Certification.

During the exam, SolidWorks provides the ability to click on a detail view (as illustrated) to obtain additional information and dimensions during the exam.

The New SolidWorks Certification Center!

There is a whole new look to the SolidWorks Certification Center thats available to anyone who take a SolidWorks Certification exam. You can log into the center here. Your log-in is the email address you used when you took your exam. 

Once logged in you will see a whole new user interface with tabbed browsing: See Below: 

Note: Go to www.solidworks.com/edutour for information on available curriculum and a sample CSWA Certification exam.

Helpful Links on the CSWP:

http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/797_ENU_HTML.htm

http://www.mikescadblog.com/

http://www.3dengr.com/

http://gabijack.com/category/certification/

Official Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) Examination Guidewith additional tutorials and practice questions.

The primary goal for this book is not only to help you pass the CSWA exam, but also to ensure that you understand and comprehend the concepts and implementation details of the CSWA process.

The second goal of this book is to provide the most comprehensive coverage of CSWA exam related topics available, without too much coverage of topics not on the exam.

The third and ultimate goal is to get you from where you are today to the point that you can confidently pass the CSWA exam.

The intended audience for this book and the CSWA exam is anyone with a minimum of 6 - 9 months of SolidWorks experience and basic knowledge of engineering fundamentals and practices. You must know how to read and interpret 2D drawings and engineering documentation.

SolidWorks recommends that you review their SolidWorks Tutorials on Parts, Assemblies, Drawings, and SimulationXpress as a prerequisite and have at least 45 hours of classroom time learning SolidWorks or using SolidWorks with basic engineering design principles and practices.

At ASEE 2011 in Vancouver, BC

Arwind Gore a design engineer from Pittsburg PA wrote:

These are my sincere comments. I would be glad if you to use them and promote the efforts that are very valuable to the engineering community."

"Certifications are a great way to establish proficiency standards and to prepare engineers and designers for their industry careers and they need to be readily available. This drive by SolidWorks is greatly appreciated. I have used other 3 CAD software, but have not come across ones who are promoting these types of educational efforts to prepare designers/engineers for the industry.

I went through the Official Certified SolidWorks Associate CSWA Exam Guide a few times and worked on all of the problems. I found the book to be extremely useful.

Patrick a CAD Student wrote:

I am a CAD student here in Ohio at itt-tech. They are only teaching Autodesk applications. However, my passion is SolidWorks.

I received your CSWA exam guide yesterday and I AM ADDICTED. I was up till 1:30 AM last night and I am already on Chapter 3. What an EXCELLENT, Well Composed and Concise Manual. Just from the first 3 chapters I already feel way more Confident in passing this test. I dont like to just Pass Exams, I like to ACE them. Specially one of this Magnitude.

Specifing a CSWA or CSWP certification on your resume is a great way to increase your chances of landing a new job, getting a promotion, or looking more qualified when representing your company on a consulting job.

_{Robbie Bettilyon wrote:}

My name is Robbie Bettilyon and I have great news for you. I passed the CSWA exam (95 out of 100) and thanks to you and Marie for writing the book called Official Certified SolidWorks Associate Examination Guide. This is a great book on preparing for the CSWA exam. It was published by the SDS publications and the ISBN is 978-1-58503-533-5. I just want to say thank you to you and Marie for writing a wonderful book and taking the time to put together all the important elements that was critical for passing the exam.

Below are a few of the models which are covered in this book. All models were created in SW 2007SP2.

First download the models, and then open them in SolidWorks.

Official Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) Certification Guide with DVD to address the new version of the exam.

Christopher Davis wrote:

The CSWP Certification is offered in a single three hour segment (only at SolidWorks World) or three separate segments. This book covers the three seperate segments of the exam. You do not need to past the first segment before you can take the second or third segment.

Each segment of the CSWP CORE exam covers a different set of disciplines.

In Segment 1, you create a part and modify various dimensions. The key difference between the CSWA and the CSWP is the number of features and sketches to create the part and the complexity of the features and modifications. A total score of 85 out of 115 or better is required to past this segment.

Segment 2 of the CSWP CORE exam is 40 minutes with 9 questions (11 total but two are instructional pages) divided into two main categories. The format is either multiple choice or single answer.

A total score of 115 out of 155 or better is required to past the second segment of the CSWP exam.

Segment 3 of the CSWP CORE examis 80 minutes with 12 questions (13 total but one is an instructional page). The format ismultiple choice or single fill in the blank. In this segment you address assemblies, mates (Standard, Advanced, and Mechanical), inserting components, positioning, and replacing.

Visualization of movement is critical. Knowledge of the Collision Detection tool, Measure tool, and creating a coordinate system is needed.

Note: SolidWorks displays a circle, ellipse or a square around the areas and features that requires modification from the original part in the exam.

Once all three segments have been successfully completed, you will automatically receive your CSWP Certification.

Take a look at the explanation of what the CSWPis straight from Solidworks.

Obtain a sample CSWP test from Solidworksfor Segment 1.

Below are a few quesitons that I've received over the past few months on the new CSWP exam.

1.)Are there any major changes coming up in the nearfuture that will effect the present exam? If so, can you inform me on them?

No major changes are planned for this year or next.

2.) Segment 1 of the CSWP CORE exam is 90 minutes with (6) questions. The Exam Information dialog box states that you are allowed to answer the questions in any order that you prefer. Is this true?

Yes and No! Segment 1 is made up of six (6) questions. In those 6 questions there are three major stages to be modeled: Stage 1 (question 1), Stage 2 (question 4) and Stage 3 (question 5). Questions 2, 3 and 6 then ask the user to make a modification to those stages.

Strategically it's best if a user does question 1, 4 and 5 to model the major stages and compare their mass properties to the multiple choiceanswer. You should be within 1% of the stated value before you move to the next section to modify the original part. Then you can go back to questions 2, 3 and 6 to make the changes.

3.) Is Segment 1 of the CSWP CORE exam a pre-requisite for Segment 2 or Segment 3.

No, you can take any segmenton the CSWP CORE exam in any order.

4.) If I fail a segment of the exam,do I need to wait 14 days until I can retake that segment?

Yes, there is a 14 day waiting period to retake anyone of the three segments.In that time, you can take another segment that you might not have taken until them.

TESTING TIPS:

I've collected various testing tips over the years from my colleagues and friends on the SolidWorks Certification exams. Below is a list that may help you prepare and pass the CSWP exam.

1. It's an exam: It is timed. There is no partial credit. Be precise in your work and entering your answers with the correctly amount of decimal places. Were you perfect in the sample CSWP exam or on the examples is this book? If not, why? Correct the mistakes before taking the real exam; you'll be glad you did.
2. The sample CSWP exam only covers Segment 1 of the CSWP CORE exam. Time yourself on the practice exam. You should be able to finish the sample Segment 1 exam in approximately 60 - 75 minutes.
3. Read up on the contents of the exam that you are not familiar with (collision detection, interference detection, Advanced mates, measure tool, design tables, equations, coordinate locations, replace components, etc.) before you take any segment of the CSWP CORE exam.
4. You will be tested on data found in the Mass Properties section of SolidWorks. It's important to be familiar with accessing Mass Properties and interpreting them correctly.
5. The first question in each segment is usually in a multiple choice format. You need the exact answer (within 1% of the stated value) before you move on to the next question (fill in the blank). If you dont find your answer (within 1%) in the multiple choice single answer format section, recheck your solid model for precision and accuracy.
6. SolidWorks Mass Properties calculates the center of mass for a model. At every instant of time, there is a unique location (x, y, z) in space that is the average position of the systems mass. The CSWP exam asks for center of gravity. For the purpose of calculating the center of mass and center of gravity near to earth or on earth, you can assume that the center of mass and the center of gravity are the same.
7. In Segment 1 of the CSWP CORE exam use Link Values for variables A thru E. Use Equations for X & Y. This will save you time. With Link Values; modify the dimensions not the equations.
8. Create a directory and file structure to save your model during the exam.
9. Take the test on a system you are familiar with. Don't look for a workstation with enhanced performance unless you plan to import your user settings. There is no point in wasting time looking for a command that for years has been on your principal toolbar but isn't on others.
10. Read the test question carefully. Rely only on dimensions and provided information. Do NOT rely on the image provided as a template. Dimensions are changed from test to test so the image used will not be to scale (this is noted in the exam).
11. SolidWorks displays a circle, ellipse or a square around the areas and features that require modification from the original part.
12. Notice where the dimensions are referenced in the drawing views. If the dimensions are referenced from the lower right-hand corner, this is where you should begin with the origin for your Base Sketch (Sketch1). Most questions ask for a center of gravity or overall mass. For the former it is crucial that the model is oriented exactly as illustrated, for the latter not so much but don't take the chance.
13. Read all questions before beginning. Pay attention to material changes, origin location, dimensional changes. Note which values appear in balloons as these are the ones that will change.
14. If you use faces vs. a dimension, this can help when you need to create a design change to maintain the design intent of the part.
15. Suppress features before you delete them. This will inform you if there are any rebuild or feature errors during modification.
16. A question will be presented to you in multiple steps and you need to get each step correct to get the final question correct. There is no partial credit on the exam.
17. Always enter the needed decimal places in the answer field.
18. Always confirm that your math is correct. Use the Measure tool.
19. As a general rule, insert relations before dimensions in a sketch.
20. Fillets are modified often. Use caution when taking the exam.
21. In Segment 3 of the CSWP CORE exam the first component in the assembly should be fixed to the origin or fully defined.
22. You may be required to measure angles between flat surfaces. Be certain to understand the direction, complement or supplement of the required angle.
23. Confirm the position of components inside an assembly when using the Replace Components tool. Apply the Change Transparency tool or a section view to confirm mated component location.
24. SolidWorks will provide a part to create that is not orientated correctly in the assembly. Knowledge of component orientation in an assembly is required along with creating a coordinate system.
25. Save your work frequently and rename saved parts in all segments of the exam.
26. Imported components have imported geometry. Select no on Feature Recognition. Import the geometry as quickly as possible.
27. The images displayed on the exam are not to scale due to differences in the parts being downloaded for each tester.
28. You must use SolidWorks 2008 SP3.1 or a newer version to take all three segments of the exam.
29. Utilize the split bar to work between the FeatureManager and the ConfigurationManager.
30. Relax. Exam anxiety can be a killer. Take a deep breath and enjoy.