ASQ® CQI [2023] | How to pass your Certified Quality Inspector Exam?

The Certified Quality Inspector (CQI) is an inspector who, in support and under the direction of quality engineers, supervisors, or technicians, can use the proven techniques included in the body of knowledge. Under professional direction, the CQI evaluates hardware documentation, performs laboratory procedures, inspects products, measures process performance, records data, and prepares formal reports. (Reference: ASQ.org)

Eligibility

Before applying for the ASQ® CQI certification you might want to do is to check if you qualify to appear in this exam.

You need to have a minimum of 2 years of work experience in mechanical inspection or a related field, or successful completion of an *ASQ-approved accredited technical/apprenticeship training course (please contact ASQ to get further information on the list of approved training courses).

If you do not have a high school diploma, then you need an additional 3 years of experience (total 5 years).

For more details on the minimum qualification and experience to take this exam, please refer to this link.

If you qualify for the exam, then submit your application for the exam.

Exam Details

The computer-based ASQ® CQI examination consists of  110 multiple choice question, four-and-a-half-hour exam and is offered in English only. 100 multiple choice questions are scored, and 10 are unscored. You will not know whether a question is scored or not scored.

It is the open book exam. You can take any book or binder in the exam. Loose sheets and multiple choice questions are not allowed in the examination room.

In this exam around 15 to 20 questions require the use of a calculator. Hence make sure that you are comfortable with the calculator that you plan to take with you in the exam. Our recommendation is to use TI-30Xa calculator.

ASQ® CQI Exam Passing Score

You need 550 marks out of 750 to get certified. However these marks are not calculated simply by dividing the correct answers divided by total number of questions. Instead ASQ® does do the balancing to ensure that difficulty of the particular exam is taken into consideration.

ASQ® CQI Body of Knowledge

Here is the break down of questions:

In this exam around 20% questions require the use of a calculator.

Suggested Study Material

I would strongly recommend the  Certified Quality Inspector Handbook and/or CQI Primer for study.

Currently we do not offer Certified Quality Inspector (CQI) exam preparation course. However we have many courses that can help prepare you for this exam.

We also a have a CQI Exam Preparation Quiz where you can attempt 10 random questions at a time. You have free access to this quiz. 

In addition we provide two full length 100 questions CQT practice tests with explanation for each correct answer. These practice tests can be purchased from Udemy at a special discount using this link.

Calculator:

ASQ does not allow programmable calculator in the exam. It does suggest a list of calculators allowed in the exam. Most commonly used calculator is TI-30Xa. This is a simple calculator and has statistical functions.

Summary