How to prepare for the pressure vessel design reviewer exam

First, get familiar with the major standards by finding past exam questions to practice with. Next, sign up for the review classes offered by the Rong Biao Wei and take good notes. Here are some recommended books: 1\ Pressure Vessel Training Manual (compiled by Li Shiyu) 2\ Quick Reference Handbook for the Design of Petrochemical Equipment (2nd edition), compiled by Luoyang Institute 3\ Comprehensive Book on Chemical Equipment Design 4\ Design Guide for Pressure Vessel Engineers (this book contains many examples, making it useful as a reference) 5\ Manual for the Use of Pressure Vessels and Chemical Equipment (two volumes); the second volume covers the design of towers and mixing equipment well, including calculations related to internal components as well as structural aspects

The exam consists of a written test and a defense. The written test can be prepared by attending training courses organized by the Pressure Vessel Standards Committee, but passing the one-on-one review of drawings and the defense is not easy; it requires gradual accumulation of knowledge over time and cannot be achieved quickly. One needs to have knowledge of various aspects such as relevant standards, materials, welding, manufacturing, and construction. Especially if you have little experience in container-related work in the past, it’s almost impossible to pass.

What was said upstairs is correct – the exam for the certification is quite tough; it’s a national standardized exam, and it’s difficult to pass without 5 years of relevant experience. You need to prepare well.

The following are the exam experience tips from predecessors that I collected previously: (from the Internet, anonymous author) Exam content: In accordance with the requirements set out in the \"Provisions on the Qualification Assessment for Pressure Vessel Designers (Trial)\\" issued by the Pressure Vessel Standards Committee, ① the exam content includes: (1) Basic knowledge related to pressure vessel design, including materials, structure, fundamental mechanics, design calculation methods, heat treatment, corrosion, non-destructive testing, etc； (2) Standards and specifications related to pressure vessel design, mainly including: GB150 \"Steel Pressure Vessels\", GB151 \"Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers\", GB12337 \"Steel Spherical Tanks\", JB4710 \"Steel Tower Vessels\", JB4731 \"Steel Horizontal Vessels\" (which are still based on the provisions of GB150-89), JB4708 \"Welding Procedure Qualification for Steel Pressure Vessels\", JB4709 \"Welding Regulations for Steel Pressure Vessels\", JB4730 \"Non-Destructive Testing of Pressure Vessels\", JB4734 \"Aluminum Welded Vessels\", and JB4745 \"Titanium Welded Vessels\" – among other relevant standards ； (3) Regulations and documents for pressure vessels: The \"Regulations on Safety Supervision of Pressure Vessels\" and the \"Rules for Licensing and Management of Design Organizations for Pressure Vessels and Pressure Pipelines\", etc ； (4) Common practical engineering problems in the design and manufacturing of pressure vessels ； (5) Responses to questions on the professional website of the Pot Capacity Standards Committee ； (6) Pattern defense: The applicant must bring a set of pressure vessel patterns corresponding to the category applied for, and provide an on-site defense regarding the technical aspects of those patterns. ② Information on the exams published online: The Certification Committee currently has a total of 6 batches of exams – the first and second sessions in 2003, sessions 1 to 3 in 2004, and session 1 in 2005. Summaries of these exams are available online for the first and second sessions of 2003, sessions 2 and 3 of 2004, and session 1 of 2005. The first session was the most difficult; the highest score for the closed-book exam was 78.5 points, with a pass rate of around 60%. The pass rate for the second session in 2003 was around 64%, around 68.6% for the second session in 2004, and around 66.1% for the third session in 2004. The highest score for the open-book exam was 88 points, while the highest score for the closed-book exam was 89 points. In the first issue of 2005, the assessment was conducted directly without any training; the pass rate was ~71.4%, with the highest score for the open-book exam being 79 and the highest score for the closed-book exam being 87. ③ Report on the 2004 exam: I took the certification exam in 2004 and attended training provided by the Rong Biao Wei. Upon registration, the evaluation committee assigns a student ID, and exams are held in separate rooms based on these IDs. If I remember correctly, the student ID should be written on the upper page of the test paper. The exam consists of 128 questions in total: 50 fill-in-the-blank questions and 50 multiple-choice questions, each accounting for 25 points; 20 true/false questions worth 10 points each; and 8 essay questions totaling 40 points (10 such questions, with the first 7 being compulsory and the last 3 requiring the candidate to choose one to answer). For specific details and format, refer to the test paper for Issue 1 of 2003 published by the Procurement Evaluation Committee. There are 6 days of training. During the day, those who formulated standards such as GB150 and those who create exam questions give lectures. You’ll gain something by listening to it; you can go back to the classroom in the evening to review it. There is a break in the middle, followed by a 3-hour open-book exam in the morning and a 2-hour open-book exam in the afternoon. Finally, there is the defense for the three types of drawings, lasting half an hour. When I have time, I also take them to read the relevant standards, but personally I start preparing one week in advance; I borrowed a copy of the \"Design Guide for Pressure Vessel Engineers\" from a friend and found it very useful. During class, write down the basic concepts related to the standards every night and review the reference materials. Just as the senior colleagues in the preparation room explained to me before the exam, passing is easy; achieving good grades requires effort. The topics for open-book exams cover a wide range of areas and require a solid foundation; a considerable portion of the content derives from various sources or standards. The topics for closed-book exams are relatively simpler, but memorization is still necessary. ④Points regarding answering questions (from discussions on the Internet, among evaluation committees, and fellow examiners). Excerpted from the Internet: Techniques for defending one’s answers (Shoubi Nanyu): 1. Bring in as complex drawings as possible, as the judges will score based on the complexity of those drawings. With the diagram simplified, the judges’ questions no longer have any meaning at all! 2. Provide a brief introduction; speaking too much inevitably leads to mistakes, and any flaws make one vulnerable to attacks ； 3. Don’t explain things you don’t understand, as it will cause confusion in thinking. Defense: One should be familiar with the relevant knowledge in their own drawings; for example, those defending tower drawings should have a better understanding of JB4710. Those who give oral defenses should at least know things such as the bending moment diagram and the locations of stress points. (During the drawing defense in 2004, a candidate failed the defense due to reasons such as being unable to recall the bending moment diagrams clearly.) ) Recommended standard references: Code for Pressure Vessels, GB150, GB151, JB4710, GB12337. Regarding the exam papers: 1. Don’t be nervous; believe in your own abilities – you will definitely pass. 2. It is recommended to start with the multiple-choice questions when taking the exam; these questions carry higher scores. Answering all 8 questions correctly earns 40 points, making it easier to pass. 3. For each question in the open-book format, it takes time to consult the standard provisions and ensure clarity; therefore, questions that are well-known can be answered in a closed-book manner, without the need for further verification, in order to save time. 4. Although opening books for reference is allowed, when answering questions, it is essential not to leave any blanks; if something is not clear, it’s better to write a few extra lines so that the teacher can grade it more easily. 5. Answer the questions you can do first; put those you can’t answer aside for now. 6. When starting to work, try to find the answers to several questions in one standard to save time on switching standards. Be sure to remember the questions from Issue 1 of 2003 published online by the Evaluation Committee; it is said that identical questions appear in both closed-and-open-book exams, with varying scores. Finally, once again thank you all. I wish everyone success in obtaining their certificates on the first try!

Upstairs, it’s no longer the case of a \"(6) Diagram Defense: the applicant must bring a set of pressure vessel diagrams corresponding to the category they are applying for.\" Instead, depending on the category of reviewer you have applied for (such as Category A, D, or C), diagrams containing intentional errors are selected from the dozens of sets prepared by the Pressure Vessel Standards Committee. Within 30 minutes, errors of various severity – major and minor – number around 10 in total – need to be identified and recorded; suggestions for corrections along with the reasons for them must also be provided. Then, the applicant must answer questions posed by the defense examiner one by one, and the questions are not limited to those related to the diagrams alone.