NOTE ON PREPARATION

FOR NDT LEVEL III EXAMINATION

1. To become an NDT Level III certificate holder, one has to appear for and
PASS the BASIC paper (Compulsory) and minimum one NDT method
(such as VT, RT, UT,MT, etc.)

2. At present, the examination is organized in India by the Indian NDT
professional body and held twice a year in India (around April and Nov.)


3. ELIGIBILITY : -
3.1)For Degree Engineers: minimum 1 year experience beyond NDT Level
II experience requirements.
3.2)For Diploma Engineers / Science Graduates: minimum 2 years experience
beyond NDT Level II experience requirements.
3.3)For all others: minimum 4 years experience beyond NDT Level II
experience requirements.

Note: a) It is not necessary to be certified NDT Level I or II.
b) However, if you have NDT level II certification in the respective
method, it is ideal.

c) The experience should be equivalent to the NDT Level II work
requirements.

This work experience should be certified by your employer,
in detail and it should be attached to your application.

4. To appear for NDT Level III Examination, NO COURSE IS
COMPULSARY.

Level III preparatory classes are organized by many Institutes.
In principle, NO CLASS IS REQUIRED.
If a candidate studies all relevant course material, prepares for at least 6
months with good understanding of the fundamentals, has proper Hands
On practical experience & reasonable English, he will succeed in the
examination.
However, attending the classes helps in clarifying the theory concepts and
it is better to make inquiries in the field to decide which course you should
attend and when.
Ideally attend a course at least 3 or 4 months before the exams.

5. BASIC PAPER (Compulsory) This paper has 135 Questions and duration of 4
hours. The paper can be broadly divided into 3 areas:

a) Questions on certification scheme documents published by the
American NDT body.
(Confirm with examination authorities as to the applicable edition)
b) Questions on Materials & Processes
( i.e. Metallurgy, Manufacturing Processes & Discontinuities,
Composite Structures, Plastics, etc)
c) Questions on major NDT Methods
Namely: RT, UT, MT, PT, ECT, VT, LT, NRT, TI, AET
(Questions are up to Level II difficulty).

6. METHOD QUESTIONS DURATION
RT 135 4 Hrs
UT 135 4 Hrs
ECT 135 4 Hrs
LT 135 4 Hrs
AET 135 4 Hrs
MT 90 2 Hrs
PT 90 2 Hrs
VT 90 2 Hrs

6. COST :

a) The cost per paper in India is about Rs. 15,000/ - each.
b) You have to pay about Rs. 10,000/- towards MEMBERSHIP AND AS
OVERSEAS CHARGES, to the Examining body
(The above charges to be paid to the American examining body by DD
or by Credit card in US Dollars)
c) In India there is a cover charge by the local organization of about Rs.
15,000/ - in addition to the charges of American Examining Body( i.e.
to appear for Basic & RT he would have to pay RS 55,000 / - (15,000 +
15,000 +10,000+ 15,000).
d) First time candidates should plan to appear for the following papers
in the first attempt : BASIC , MT and UT or RT.
The selection of NDT methods should be based on the relevant work
experience in field. The other methods can be attempted later as
professional experience is gained in them.


CONTINUED

8. PREPARATION :

Start the studies early, preferably one year in advance!
Note that it is relatively easy to pass the NDT L -III examination but it is very
difficult to become a GOOD Level- III, which should be the aim of every L III.

a) Study well, all Books recommended by the examining body.

b) Give attention to Technical Terminology, Fundamentals as well
as new developments in each NDT method.

c) As mentioned earlier, if you can study and understand the course
material on your own, NO CLASS IS REQUIRED.
However, if you wish to attend a class, then attend a good, reputed
class, at least 4 / 5 months before examination. This will allow you to
find out what are your weak areas and give you time to improve on
them.

d) If possible, attend classes and get certified to Level II in as many
NDT methods as possible ( ideally RT,UT,MT,PT,VT,ET).
Any professional Welding Inspector certification is also very useful.
This will help you perform better in the field after you become L III.

e) Improve your English comprehension and Logic Skills.

f) Read and understand various American Codes / standards used in
Pressure vessel and construction industry.

g) While studying, prepare as many questions as possible, of your own!

h) Read American Publications first.

i) DO NOT expect to attend L - III classes and pass the L III
exams without self study. It is not possible to cover the entire
syllabus within the limited time frame of any L - III course.
If you are planning to attend any classes, your main aim should be to
clear any doubts you may have from the self study.

j) You must do self study as much as possible.

k) You should avoid mugging and try to develop THOROUGH
understanding of the subject fundamentals.