- The Two-Exam Pathway at a Glance
- Exam Format, Fees and Test-Day Rules
- The Six General Drilling Headings and Their Item Counts
- Eligibility Checklist
- Choosing Your Drilling Specialty Exam
- Renewal Facts and the Late-Fee Conflict
- NGWA Certification vs. State Licensing
- The One-Page Fact Table
- Sequencing Your Review Around the Domains
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Certified Well Driller requires General Drilling plus at least one drilling-method specialty, both passed with 70% or better within 12 months.
- Passing General Drilling alone does not confer CWD; it is only half of the pathway.
- General Drilling is 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes; the exam fee is $75 per examination.
- Construct Water Well carries the largest General Drilling allocation: 16 of 50 items.
The Two-Exam Pathway at a Glance
The single most important fact for a Certified Well Driller candidate is structural: the credential is not earned by one exam. The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) requires you to pass General Drilling and at least one drilling-method specialty examination, both within the same 12-month period, scoring at least 70% on each. If you pass General Drilling and never complete a specialty, you do not hold the CWD credential.
That structure shapes everything else on this cheat sheet: your budget, your calendar, and the way you divide study time. Many candidates over-invest in the General Drilling content because it is the one with a published outline, then run short of time for the specialty. Treat the two exams as a paired project from day one. For a deeper walkthrough of how to plan the whole path, see our CWD study guide.
Exam Format, Fees and Test-Day Rules
Format
NGWA exams are administered by PSI Services as closed-book, computer-based tests at proctored centers. No reference materials are allowed in the room. The General Drilling exam is 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, which leaves a little over a minute per item. Drilling specialty examinations normally have 50 questions as well, with one notable exception: Exam M, Augering and monitoring, has 75 questions. If you are leaning toward that specialty, plan for a longer, more demanding sitting.
Passing score
The required score is 70% on each exam. That is the cut score, not a pass rate. No current aggregate pass rate for Certified Well Driller has been verified, so be wary of any site quoting one. For more on how the threshold works, read our guide to the CWD passing score, and see what the data shows on pass rates.
Fees
The published examination fee is $75 per examination, the same for members and nonmembers. Two first-attempt exams therefore cost at least $150. That figure is a floor, not a full budget. It does not include study materials, travel to a testing center, retakes, or other costs. The candidate bulletin also warns of a separate certification-application fee for nonmembers but does not state the amount, so confirm it with NGWA before you budget. Our CWD certification cost breakdown walks through the line items.
Test-day materials
- A nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator without an alphabetical keypad is permitted.
- Scratch paper is supplied and collected at the end.
- No outside notes or references.
The Six General Drilling Headings and Their Item Counts
The General Drilling exam is organized around six formal objectives. These six headings are the General Drilling exam objectives only; they are not a complete blueprint for the additional specialty you must also pass. The allocations below are published item counts out of 50, not percentage weights.
| Heading | Published Items | Where It Sits in a Job |
|---|---|---|
| Mobilize for the Site | 10 | Before drilling starts |
| Construct Water Well | 16 | The core drilling and completion work |
| Rehabilitate Wells | 5 | Restoring existing wells |
| Develop Wells | 11 | Finishing a new well for production |
| Decommission Wells | 3 | Permanent closure of wells |
| Demobilize the Site | 5 | Cleanup and site restoration |
The items sum to 50. Our companion article on the complete CWD exam domains guide goes deeper on each heading.
Construct Water Well (16 items, the largest allocation)
Nearly a third of the General Drilling exam sits here, so it deserves the most review time. Expect questions that mirror the work done at the rig.
- Drilling-process fundamentals and how method choice interacts with the formation
- Casing and screen selection and installation concepts
- Annular sealing and grouting practices intended to protect the aquifer
- Calculations tied to borehole and casing dimensions, a good use of the permitted calculator
Develop Wells (11 items)
The second-largest block after construction. Development is what turns a drilled hole into an efficient producing well.
- Purpose of development and how it differs from drilling
- Common development approaches and the conditions each suits
- Recognizing when a well is adequately developed
Mobilize for the Site (10 items)
Often underestimated because it comes "before" the real work, yet it carries 10 items, more than rehabilitation, decommissioning, and demobilization combined with room to spare.
- Site assessment and planning ahead of equipment arrival
- Safety, utilities awareness, and regulatory preparation
- Equipment and materials readiness
Rehabilitate Wells (5), Demobilize the Site (5), Decommission Wells (3)
These three together account for 13 of 50 items. Do not skip them, but do not let them crowd out construction and development either.
- Rehabilitation: diagnosing declining performance and restoring capacity
- Demobilization: site cleanup, restoration, and closing out the job
- Decommissioning: the smallest allocation at 3 items, covering permanent, protective closure of wells
Eligibility Checklist
Eligibility is strict and experience-based, which is one reason the credential carries weight with employers. For the full walk-through, see our CWD requirements guide. The essentials:
- Age: 20 or older.
- Experience: 24 consecutive months of full-time drilling or pump-installation experience.
- References: two written professional references from people not affiliated with your current employer.
- Agreement: the required certification agreement.
- Affidavit: a current-year affidavit.
- Timing: application materials must arrive within 12 months of the qualifying examination session.
Key Takeaway
Start collecting your two outside references early. Because they must be unaffiliated with your current employer, they can take longer to arrange than anything else on the application, and the 12-month window leaves little slack for a stalled reference.
Choosing Your Drilling Specialty Exam
General Drilling is the shared foundation; the specialty is where you demonstrate competence in the method you actually use. Specialty exams normally run 50 questions, and Exam M (Augering and monitoring) runs 75. Because the six General Drilling headings do not map the specialty content, you will need to consult the current NGWA exam information for the specialty you choose and build a separate review plan for it.
A few practical principles for selecting one:
- Match your daily work. Experience in the field is your biggest asset on a specialty exam, so choose the method you run most often.
- Weigh length against comfort. A 75-question exam is a different stamina test than a 50-question one.
- Consider your market. Employers hiring for specific drilling methods may value one specialty over another. Our overview of CWD jobs discusses who tends to look for the credential.
- Remember the shared clock. Both exams must fall inside the same 12-month period, so schedule the specialty with that window in mind. Our article on CWD exam dates and scheduling covers timing.
Renewal Facts and the Late-Fee Conflict
Certified Well Driller is not a one-and-done credential. Renewal is annual and requires:
- Seven continuing education points (CEPs)
- An affidavit
- Applicable fees
- Compliance with licensing requirements
The stated renewal due date is December 31. The currently linked 2027 renewal form lists $50 for members and $150 for nonmembers. These are renewal fees and should never be confused with the $75 examination fee.
Because renewal carries a membership-dependent price gap ($50 versus $150), it is worth running the numbers on NGWA membership if you intend to hold the credential for years. Our ROI analysis of the CWD certification covers the long-run economics.
NGWA Certification vs. State Licensing
One of the most common sources of confusion is whether Certified Well Driller replaces a state license. It does not. CWD is a voluntary NGWA certification, while licensing is set by individual states and is required to practice where such rules apply. The two interact in a specific way: renewal of the NGWA credential includes compliance with licensing requirements, so letting your state license lapse can jeopardize your certification renewal.
| Aspect | NGWA Certified Well Driller | State Licensing |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Voluntary professional certification | Legal authorization to operate, where required |
| Issued by | National Ground Water Association | Individual state authorities |
| Exam administration | PSI Services, proctored computer-based centers | Varies by state |
| Maintenance | Annual renewal, 7 CEPs, affidavit, fees | Varies by state |
Always check your own state's rules separately; this article cannot tell you what your state requires.
The One-Page Fact Table
Here is the compact reference version. Screenshot it or print it for the week before your exam.
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Credential | Certified Well Driller (CWD), voluntary, NGWA |
| Administrator | PSI Services, closed-book, computer-based, proctored |
| Required exams | General Drilling + at least one drilling-method specialty |
| Time window | Both passed within the same 12-month period |
| Passing score | At least 70% on each exam |
| General Drilling format | 50 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes |
| Specialty format | Normally 50 questions; Exam M (Augering and monitoring) has 75 |
| Exam fee | $75 per exam, members and nonmembers |
| Minimum for two exams | At least $150, not an all-inclusive budget |
| Calculator | Nonprinting, nonprogrammable, no alphabetical keypad |
| Minimum age | 20 |
| Experience | 24 consecutive months full-time drilling/pump-installation |
| References | Two written, unaffiliated with current employer |
| Renewal | Annual; 7 CEPs; affidavit; due December 31 |
| 2027 renewal fee | $50 members / $150 nonmembers |
For a plain-language explanation of what the credential represents overall, see what CWD certification is, or the broader CWD certification overview.
Sequencing Your Review Around the Domains
Rather than a generic schedule, tie your calendar to the item counts. The idea is to put your heaviest time where the points are, then rotate through the lighter headings so nothing goes cold. This sample assumes you are preparing for General Drilling first and layering in your specialty afterward.
Construct Water Well (16 items)
- Build your core notes on drilling, casing, screens, and sealing
- Work calculation-style problems with your approved calculator
Develop Wells (11) and Mobilize for the Site (10)
- Cover development concepts, then site preparation and planning
- Together these two headings hold 21 of 50 items
Rehabilitate (5), Demobilize (5), Decommission (3)
- Cover the three lighter headings in a single pass
- Then take a full-length timed practice set of 50 questions in 60 minutes
Specialty focus and weak-spot repair
- Shift to your chosen specialty content
- Revisit any heading where timed practice showed gaps
The NGWA-authored General Drilling Exam Study Guide maps preparation references to the same six headings, which makes it a natural companion to this plan, but it does not supply complete specialty coverage. You can also test yourself with our CWD practice test, which is built around these six categories, and then see how your results compare to the format described in our article on how hard the CWD exam is.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. CWD requires General Drilling and at least one drilling-method specialty, each passed with at least 70% within the same 12-month period. General Drilling alone does not confer the credential.
General Drilling has 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. Drilling specialty examinations normally have 50 questions, except Exam M (Augering and monitoring), which has 75.
The published fee is $75 per examination for members and nonmembers, so two first-attempt exams cost at least $150. That is not a full certification budget; the candidate bulletin also warns of an additional application fee for nonmembers without stating the amount.
Construct Water Well, with 16 of the 50 published items. Develop Wells follows with 11, then Mobilize for the Site with 10. These are item counts, not published percentage weights.
Renewal is annual and due December 31, requiring seven CEPs, an affidavit, and fees. NGWA's webpage and the linked renewal form disagree about late fees, so confirm the applicable deadline rather than assuming a grace period.
Use this sheet as your anchor, then fill in the details with a full-length run through our CWD practice questions and a closer read of our earnings analysis if you are weighing the career payoff. Verify all fees, dates, and requirements against NGWA's current pages before you register, since they can change.