SOLIDWORKS Certifications are a great way to show your level of competency with the full SOLIDWORKS portfolio, allowing you to stand out amongst your colleagues and the wider SOLIDWORKS community.
SOLIDWORKS offer 33 different exams for users to take to further their skills and focus on key areas of the software that you or your company use regularly. These can range from the initial CSWA (Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate exams) to the CSWE (Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert) or individual areas of the software, such as Simulation, Electrical or the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.
A full range of exams can be found🔽
For those looking to sit their first SOLIDWORKS Exam, the best place to start would be with the Associate exams, particularly the “SOLIDWORKS Design Associate (CSWA)” exam, which is recommended for anyone who has attended a SOLIDWORKS Essentials Training Course and has some experience with the software. This is a great starting point for any SOLIDWORKS user looking to put their training and skills to the test.
The other Associate exams are also great starting points for users wishing to focus on Simulation, Electrical or other SOLIDWORKS areas without things getting too challenging. Not all exams will have an ‘associate’ level of exam.
Professional-level exams are normally a step up from the associate level, with a moderate increase in difficulty. The CSWP (SOLIDWORKS Design Professional) exam is the first step up from the CSWA exam and is a unique exam due to being split into three different segments, which can be taken separately, but all three must be completed (passed) for the CSWP certificate to be awarded. This should help those who find it difficult to find the time to sit down for a three-hour exam. The CSWP exam is recommended for those who have also attended both the Advanced Part Modelling and Advanced Assembly Modelling Training Courses.
Expert-level exams are the most prestigious but difficult exams, and often will come with multiple prerequisite exams to have been passed first.
This means that the coveted title of “SOLIDWORKS Design Expert” means that the users must have passed a minimum of 7 exams. Accumulating over 17 hours of exam time. Those who have achieved this award and are lucky enough to attend 3DEXPERIENCE World can attend an exclusive CSWE event.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do exams cost?
If you went through the links on the SOLIDWORKS website, or the practise exams (mentioned below), then you may notice that all exams vary in price.
However, any customer with an active subscription to SOLIDWORKS is entitled to three free exam vouchers every 6 months (Jan-Jun and July-Dec) for each seat of SOLIDWORKS on subscription. This means if you have 5 seats of SOLIDWORKS (on subscription) at your organisation, you would have 15 free exam vouchers to use in each time period.
NOTE – only 1 free exam voucher is given for each license of Draftsight on Subscription
The following licenses do not qualify for free exam vouchers;
SOLIDWORKS for Makers
SOLIDWORKS Machinist
Education and Student - Education has its own process for certification exams
How do I get these free exam vouchers/credits?
To start the process, you will need to have the following ;
- 3DEXPERIENCE Certification Account (please create one here if you don’t).
- 3DEXPERIENCE ID (please create one following these instructions if you don’t).
- Have your 3DEXPERIENCE ID linked to your company’s assets/account. Please contact your company administrator or TMS for assistance on this.
First, you will want to log into the 3DEXPERIENCE certification Centre then click the options for: $ Symbol > Your Credits > Subscription Offer > Lookup My Licenses
The system should detect your company licenses, and assuming you have free vouchers remaining, you should be prompted to pick which exam you want to sit.
NOTE – Expert-level exams are not part of the free exam certification program, so those exams will need to be purchased separately.
How do you take an exam?
Once you have obtained your exam voucher, and assuming you already have SOLIDWORKS (or the required add-in/product) installed and working, you will then want to download the exam software called Tangix Tester. This can be downloaded from the homepage of the certification centre at the top-right.
Additional steps on using this software can be found HERE.
Once installed, this is the application you will use to sit your exam. Please make sure you have set enough time aside to take the exam in one sitting, with no distractions, as you will not be able to pause the exam/timer once the exam starts.
Some exams and questions will provide you with files in .zip format, it is a good idea to check your IT department hasn’t blocked zipped files from being downloaded on your machine prior.
What if I fail an Exam?
If you unfortunately fail an exam, you will be able to have another attempt. All exams have a cooling-off period, which varies in length for each exam. For the CSWA, a user must wait at least 14 days before making another attempt. At the end of any exam, you should be given areas in which you are both stronger and weaker, so it would be a good idea to practice those areas before trying again. Another attempt will require another exam voucher.
How can I practice for an exam?
The best way to prepare for an exam is to attend its respective SOLIDWORKS training course.
You can also visit ‘MySolidWorks’ and have a look at the training material available here. There are also ‘Learning Paths’ for various exams which group together a handful of different lessons and exercises which are relevant for the given exam. For example, the link to the CSWP Exam Prep Course here.
Is there a practice exam?
Full details on each of the exams, including a free sample exam, can be found on the SOLIDWORKS website here. The sample exam also details how to download and install the software required to sit the exams.
Why take an exam?
If you wish to learn a little bit more about how the SOLIDWORKS Certified exams can benefit you in getting that job you want, look for the promotion your after or just to prove you’re the better SOLIDWORKS user compared to your colleague then have a listen to the group of SOLIDWORKS users in the video below and try sitting your own exam, and see how you get on.
If you have any questions regarding SOLIDWORKS Certifications, please just give us a call on 01324 550 760 or send an email to solidworks@tmscadcentre.com, and we would be happy to assist.
Interested in SOLIDWORKS? Request a Quote
