- What "CSWAP-DT Training" Actually Means
- Issuer Course vs. Self-Directed Practice
- Setting Up Your Practice Workstation
- Drill Block One: The View-Creation Domains
- Drill Block Two: View Focus and Sketch Transfer
- Drill Block Three: BOM Tables, Item Numbers, and Visibility
- Drill Block Four: Linked Notes and Imported Model Items
- Sequencing the Domains Over Several Weeks
- Rehearsing the Exam-Day Environment
- What Training Does Not Cover
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The issuer's current exam title is SOLIDWORKS Drawing Tools Professional (CSWP-DT); CSWPA-DT is a legacy search alias.
- The exam is hands-on, runs 100 minutes, and requires 75% to pass; the clock never pauses.
- Issuer-recommended preparation is the SOLIDWORKS Drawings and CSWP-Drawing Tools Exam Prep Course, which is optional, not an eligibility gate.
- Thirteen published objective areas set your training scope, and BOM Table creation has the deepest nested topic list.
What "CSWAP-DT Training" Actually Means
Searching for "CSWAP-DT training" usually leads to a naming puzzle before it leads to a course. On this site, the term refers to preparation for Certified SOLIDWORKS Advanced Professional Drawing Tools. On the issuer's side, the current public exam title is SOLIDWORKS Drawing Tools Professional (CSWP-DT), and you will also see the older alias CSWPA-DT across forums, tutorials, and practice sites. They all point to the same SOLIDWORKS Drawing Tools certification, governed by SOLIDWORKS (Dassault Systemes). If you are new to the naming, our explainers on what CSWAP-DT is and what CSWAP-DT stands for sort out the vocabulary quickly.
Training for this credential is unlike training for a multiple-choice exam. The assessment is a hands-on SOLIDWORKS drawing test. You open provided files, build or modify drawings in your own SOLIDWORKS installation, and submit answers through the testing interface. That means "training" is really repetition at the keyboard: creating views, editing BOM tables, and tracking down drawing settings until the commands are automatic and your timing is reliable.
Issuer Course vs. Self-Directed Practice
SOLIDWORKS points candidates toward two preparation resources: the SOLIDWORKS Drawings training offering and the CSWP-Drawing Tools Exam Prep Course. Both are recommended preparation, not requirements. The certification program FAQ states that professional exams have no formal prerequisites, and a prior CSWP credential is not imposed for Drawing Tools. A prerequisite for a training course is a different thing from exam eligibility, and the two should never be conflated. Our CSWAP-DT requirements guide covers the eligibility picture in full.
| Approach | Strengths | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer-recommended courses | Aligned with how SOLIDWORKS teaches drawing tools; structured progression | Separate cost; course lesson-by-lesson contents were not reviewed for this article |
| Self-directed practice on your own parts | Free beyond your software; you choose weak areas | Easy to skip uncomfortable domains such as alternate position or relative-to-model views |
| Community practice exams and tutorials | Cheap, plentiful repetition of exam-style tasks | Quality varies; older files may reflect outdated interfaces or question counts |
| Timed mock sessions with a scoring habit | Builds the speed the 100-minute limit demands | Only useful once the individual domain skills are solid |
Many candidates blend these. A common pattern is to use official or structured material to learn the intended workflow, then switch to self-built drills for repetition. For a wider planning framework, pair this article with the CSWAP-DT study guide.
Setting Up Your Practice Workstation
Your practice environment should mirror test day as closely as possible. The issuer's requirements shape what that looks like:
- SOLIDWORKS 2019 or later. The exam page lists 2019 as the minimum software version. Practice in a version at or above that line, and be cautious about files saved in a much newer release than you plan to test with.
- Your own working installation. Candidates supply their own SOLIDWORKS and internet access. There is no provided lab seat in this model.
- Dual monitors recommended. One screen for the exam interface and instructions, the other for SOLIDWORKS. Practice this layout early so it feels natural.
- VirtualTester Web Client. Current program instructions and the linked SOLIDWORKS Exam Procedure use the VirtualTester Web Client at webclient.virtualtester.com. Some older or general instructions still reference TesterPRO. Follow the current linked procedure rather than treating the two interfaces as interchangeable.
Drill Block One: The View-Creation Domains
Six of the thirteen published objective areas concern building views. They are the foundation of the whole drawing, so treat them as your first block of training. The issuer publishes these as unweighted objective headings, so there is no official percentage allocation to plan around. Cover all of them. The full list is walked through in our exam domains guide.
Basic View Creation
The entry point for every drawing: placing standard orthographic, projected, and model views and controlling how they display.
- Create base and projected views from a model, then change scale and display style
- Know where view properties live so you can alter a view without recreating it
- Practice placing views from different model orientations
Section Views
Cutting planes drive section views, and exam tasks reward precision in how the cut line is defined.
- Create full and offset sections and edit the section line after the fact
- Practice controlling which components are excluded from sectioning
- Rehearse flipping direction and adjusting labels
Auxiliary Views
Used to show true shape of inclined faces. Searchers often look for "auxiliary views SOLIDWORKS" because the reference-edge logic trips people up.
- Select a reference edge and place the view perpendicular to it
- Practice on parts with angled faces until the workflow is automatic
Alternate Position Views
Shows a component in two positions on one drawing, typical for mechanisms.
- Configure the alternate position from assembly positions or configurations
- Check how the alternate position displays relative to the primary view
Relative to Model Views
Builds a view by selecting two orthogonal faces or planes of the model, rather than relying on a standard orientation.
- Pick the first and second orientation references deliberately
- Practice on models whose useful viewing direction is not a standard view
Broken-out Section
A local cutaway defined by a closed profile, with a depth setting that determines how far into the part the cut goes.
- Sketch a closed profile on the view and set the depth reference
- Verify the cut reveals the intended internal feature
An effective drill is to take a single moderately complex part and generate every view type from it in one session. Moving across all six types on the same model builds the pattern recognition you need when each task arrives with a new file.
Drill Block Two: View Focus and Sketch Transfer
Two domains concern 2D geometry on the drawing sheet: View Focus when creating 2D geometry and Transferring sketch elements to/from Views. They are subtle because the mistakes are invisible until you inspect which view owns the geometry.
View focus
When you sketch on a drawing, geometry attaches to the active view. Draw with the wrong view active and the sketch behaves wrongly when views move or change. Build the habit of confirming the active view before every sketch operation, and practice deliberately activating a different view to see how the geometry's ownership changes.
Transferring sketch elements
Moving sketch entities between a sheet and a view, or from one view to another, changes how they scale and follow the model. An original exercise: create a drawing with two views at different scales, draw a few lines in one, transfer them to the other, and observe what happens to their size and behavior. Repeat in reverse. This kind of hands-on cause-and-effect drill sticks better than reading a command reference.
Key Takeaway
For both of these domains, the fastest diagnostic after any step is to select the geometry and check which view or sheet it belongs to. Make that check a reflex before you move on.
Drill Block Three: BOM Tables, Item Numbers, and Visibility
The BOM domain is the heaviest in terms of listed sub-topics, so allocate extra training time to it. Under BOM Table creation and modification, the issuer lists several nested objectives: top level, parts-only, indented, part configuration grouping, missing items, accessing custom properties in BOM, and using equations with BOM data. These are nested objectives under a single top-level domain, not separate domains.
BOM Table Creation and Modification
Expect tasks that require producing a specific table type and then altering its contents or grouping.
- Top level versus parts-only versus indented: know what each shows and when to choose it
- Part configuration grouping: control whether configurations roll up together or list separately
- Missing items: handle components that should appear but do not
- Custom properties in BOM: add columns that pull from custom properties
- Equations with BOM data: compute values from table columns
Item Numbers and Their Display
Balloons and item numbers must match the table and display in the required style.
- Control numbering order and starting values
- Adjust balloon style and what each balloon shows
- Confirm balloons stay in sync after the BOM changes
Hide/Show Components
Suppressing the display of selected components in a drawing view without touching the model.
- Hide and show components at the view level
- Check how hidden components affect balloons and the BOM
For hands-on BOM practice, build a small assembly with a repeating fastener, a part that has two configurations, and a component with a custom property. Then produce each BOM table type from that single assembly and compare the results. The differences between table types are the knowledge the exam probes. Search interest around "BOM table exam practice" exists precisely because this domain rewards repetition.
Drill Block Four: Linked Notes and Imported Model Items
Linked Notes
Notes whose text pulls from properties or other data, so they update when the source changes.
- Link a note to a custom property and confirm it updates
- Practice linking to model and sheet-level properties
- Test what the note displays when the property is empty
Importing Model Items
Bringing dimensions and annotations from the model into the drawing.
- Import to the entire model or to selected features, and choose the destination views
- Control which item types come across and how duplicates are handled
- Know what to clean up afterward, since imports can place items you do not want
A useful routine: import model items into a fresh drawing, delete everything that is not required, and see how fast you can get a clean result. Speed in cleanup is a quiet differentiator on a 100-minute clock.
Sequencing the Domains Over Several Weeks
This is the one place for scheduling advice, tied to domain dependencies. Views come first because everything else is placed on them. BOM comes next because it is the deepest topic. Annotation and import work comes last because it assumes finished views. Adjust the length to your starting level; a daily SOLIDWORKS user may compress this, and a newcomer to drawings may stretch it. For a sense of difficulty to calibrate against, read how hard the CSWAP-DT exam is.
Views I
- Basic View Creation and Section Views on several parts
- Auxiliary Views until the reference-edge workflow is automatic
Views II
- Alternate Position, Relative to Model, and Broken-out Section
- Mix all six view types on one model
Geometry and BOM
- View Focus and Transferring sketch elements drills
- BOM table types, configuration grouping, and equations
Annotations and Timed Runs
- Item numbers, hide/show components, linked notes, importing model items
- Full timed mock sessions against a 100-minute limit
Rehearsing the Exam-Day Environment
The mechanics around the exam are part of readiness. Registration and delivery run through the SOLIDWORKS/3DEXPERIENCE Certification Center, with testing in VirtualTester. Read the current SOLIDWORKS Exam Procedure before your first attempt rather than relying on older instructions or forum memory. For scheduling details, our exam dates guide is the place to start.
- Score target. The minimum passing grade is 75%. See the passing score guide for what that means in practice.
- Time budgeting. With 100 minutes and no pause, practice triaging: do the tasks you can finish cleanly first, then return to harder ones.
- Retake economics. A failed attempt requires a 14-day wait and a new exam credit. Unused purchased credits do not expire, which makes buying ahead low-risk, but that rule says nothing about credential validity.
- Subscription benefit. Eligible commercial subscription customers can get qualifying exam benefits under the issuer's subscription offer, up to three eligible exams per seat twice a year, subject to license and exam restrictions. Check with your reseller or employer.
What Training Does Not Cover
Be realistic about what this credential certifies. Proficiency with SOLIDWORKS drawing tools is not an ISO or GD&T qualification. The exam tests whether you can operate the drawing environment, not whether you can interpret or apply dimensioning-and-tolerancing standards. If your role demands standards fluency, plan separate training for it.
Likewise, avoid assuming a guaranteed career outcome. Drawing Tools can count as one of the advanced-topic certifications used alongside CSWP toward CSWE eligibility, which matters for people on the Expert path, but Expert-path prerequisites are not admission requirements for Drawing Tools itself. As for employment value, treat the credential as a portfolio signal of drafting competence rather than a salary lever; no certification-specific pay premium is established here. For a balanced take, see the ROI analysis, the CSWAP-DT jobs overview, and the salary guide. And if you are wondering about published success rates, read what the pass rate article says about the limits of the available data.
Key Takeaway
The best training plan covers all thirteen published objective areas, spends extra time on the nested BOM topics, and ends with timed runs in the same dual-monitor, current-software setup you will use on exam day.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The certification program FAQ states that professional exams have no formal prerequisites, and a prior CSWP credential is not required for Drawing Tools. The issuer recommends the SOLIDWORKS Drawings and CSWP-Drawing Tools Exam Prep courses, but that is preparation guidance, not an eligibility rule.
The exam is hands-on with a 100-minute limit and a minimum passing grade of 75%. It cannot be paused, and the clock continues even if your computer crashes or restarts.
The current catalog lists USD 20 per attempt for North America. Training, practice materials, and your SOLIDWORKS installation are separate costs. Regional pricing may differ, so confirm in the Certification Center.
You must wait 14 days and purchase a new exam credit before retaking. Unused purchased credits do not expire, so you can buy a credit in advance without a deadline.
The exam page requires SOLIDWORKS 2019 or later, and current instructions use the VirtualTester Web Client. Some older instructions mention TesterPRO, so follow the current linked SOLIDWORKS Exam Procedure and use dual monitors if you can.
Training for this credential comes down to deliberate, hands-on repetition across the thirteen published objective areas, a stable workstation, and honest timed rehearsal. Pair this plan with the one-page cheat sheet for last-minute review, and use the main practice test to check your readiness before you book an attempt.