PCS practice exam

[John Otto]

Hi good day!

I am currently taking the NACE PCS (Protective coating specialist) exam with interest, but I am failing repeatedly.
Do you know where I can find exam resources or practice exams? I am desperately searching for it.

Regards

 

[3DDave]

You should not need practice exams if you understand the subject material the exam is covering.

From NACE 2019 exam prep guide:

The Protective Coating Specialist exam is designed to assess whether a candidate has the
requisite knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that a minimally qualified Protective Coating
Specialist must possess. The 85 questions are based on the KSAs a Protective Coating Specialist
needs to be successful in the job. A candidate should have advanced ability in the theory and
practice of corrosion prevention and control in the protective coatings field.

Target Audience
A Protective Coating Specialist is responsible for planning, engineering, and supervising
personnel in industrial coatings and linings. This certification is geared toward persons who
have a high level of working knowledge creating paint maintenance programs, conducting site
surveys and compliance audits. The Protective Coating Specialist will review bidders’ lists,
evaluate coating related bid documents, recommend coating systems, conduct failure analysis
of coating systems, and understanding appropriate safety, environment and health issues.

The NACE PCS exam requirements lists no course requirements, only 8 years of extensive experience in corrosion related work with a 4 year related engineering degree or 12 years of corrosion related work without a degree.

See

https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amaz...es/NII-Certification/pdf/PCS-CBT-EPG-2019.pdf

for the 2019 exam prep guide.

The above guide is similar to the 2020 version here:

https://www.ampp.org/education/job-function/specialty-certifications/protective-coating-specialist

 

[John Otto]

thank you for your reply.
A practice exam was necessary to increase understanding more.
It is possible to study and understand the content perfectly enough that you do not need it, but the book is helpful to further increase your understanding.
Please think about why practice exam textbooks for various different types of tests are sold on the market.

 

[3DDave]

I have an aerospace engineering degree. I have passed a lot of exams to get there.

Please think about why they want you to have enough experience you don't need a practice exam. If study for the exam was possible they would recommend a course of study, classes, books, and so forth.

You say you have failed repeatedly, which means you have taken the actual exam. You should know from that the type of questions they have and the content they cover, which is what they discuss on the pages I linked to.

They include the following as what you need to know:

Preparation
Suggested Study Material
Corrosion Prevention by Protective Coatings 3rd Edition, by Charles G. Munger
Local and International safety rules/regulations (i.e. OSHA, ISO, etc.)

Standards
SP 0188 Discontinuity (Holiday) Testing of New Protective Coatings on Conductive Substrates
SP 0198 Control of Corrosion Under Thermal Insulation and Fireproofing Materials—A Systems Approach
NACE SP 0287 Field Measurement of Surface Profile of Abrasive Blast-Cleaned Steel Surfaces Using a Replica Tape
ASTM D714 Standard Test Method for Evaluating Degree of Blistering of Paints
NACE No. 12/AWS C2.23m/SSPC-CS 23.00 Specification for the Application of Thermal Spray Coatings (Metallizing) of Aluminum, Zinc, and Their Alloys and Composites for the Corrosion Protection of Steel (2003)
ANSI/NSF 61/WRAS-BS 6920 Drinking Water System Components - Health Effects
SSPC Guide 6 Guide for Containing Surface Preparation Debris Generated During Paint Removal Operations
ISO Sa 2.5 Shot blasting / Surface prep for Near White Finish
NACE TPC-9 User’s Guide to Hot Dip Galvanizing
NACE SP 0394 or Application, Performance, and Quality Control of Plant-Applied Fusion Bonded Epoxy External Pipe Coating
SSPC PA 2 Measurement of Dry Film Thickness with Magnetic Gages

Prepare as if you were going to answer questions from an audience on the contents of the above documents/books.