- What the Letters Stand For
- Why It Is Not an Electrician License
- What the Credential Certifies
- The Five Published Exam Topics
- Format, Timing and Scoring
- Reasoning Through the Official Sample
- Registration, Fee and Retake Mechanics
- Who Benefits From Holding It
- Sequencing Your Preparation by Topic
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CSWA-E means Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate - Electrical, a SOLIDWORKS (Dassault Systèmes) credential for the SOLIDWORKS Electrical software.
- It is a 50-question knowledge test, 60 minutes, with a passing score of 35/50 (70%).
- It is not an electrician license and is not a hands-on CAD build exam.
- The published fee is USD 20 in North America for one attempt; retakes need 14 days and a fresh exam credit.
What the Letters Stand For
CSWA-E expands to Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate - Electrical. Every word in that name carries meaning:
- Certified - the holder passed an exam administered under the SOLIDWORKS Certification Program.
- SOLIDWORKS - the issuing brand, owned by Dassault Systèmes. The credential comes from the software vendor itself, not from a trade union, licensing board, or independent standards body.
- Associate - the entry tier of the program. Associate and Professional exams carry no formal entry prerequisites, so "associate" signals a foundational level rather than a gated one.
- Electrical - the product track. The exam is about SOLIDWORKS Electrical, the electrical schematic and design application, rather than part modeling, assemblies, or simulation.
On the issuer's own site the current title is listed as "SOLIDWORKS Electrical Design Associate (CSWA-E)." Older materials, including the official sample exam guide, use the "Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate Electrical" phrasing. Both names refer to the same exam, so you may see either on study resources. If you want the definition phrased in other ways, our pages on what CSWA-E stands for and what CSWA-E is cover the same ground from different angles.
Why It Is Not an Electrician License
The most common misreading of the acronym is assuming it relates to electrical trades. It does not. A journeyman or master electrician license is issued by a jurisdiction, requires documented work hours and a code-based exam, and authorizes someone to perform installations. The CSWA-E authorizes nothing of the sort. It verifies that a person understands how to use a particular piece of design software and the electrical concepts that software depends on.
The domain name of this site is specific to the SOLIDWORKS credential. Other certifications elsewhere in the industry share the same abbreviation, but none of their details apply here: the issuer, exam format, fee, and passing score discussed in this article belong only to the SOLIDWORKS Electrical associate exam.
What the Credential Certifies
SOLIDWORKS Electrical is used to draw electrical schematics, manage the components behind them, and carry that data into a 3D layout of the physical cabinet or machine. The CSWA-E certifies that you grasp the workflow end to end at an associate level: the underlying electrical ideas, how schematics are built and numbered, how the 3D side relates to the schematic side, and how the finished design becomes something that can be installed.
Practical concepts a candidate should be comfortable with include:
- Electrical schematics - symbols, components, and how circuits are represented.
- Wire numbering - how wires receive identifying numbers and why consistency matters for later assembly and maintenance.
- Equipotentials - the grouping of connected points that share the same electrical potential, a core idea in how the software tracks wiring.
- Project settings
Project settings and similar examples are useful preparation topics, but they should be read as study context, not as extra objectives beyond the five published headings.
The Five Published Exam Topics
SOLIDWORKS publishes five exam topic headings. They are exact, but they are not a weighted blueprint: the issuer does not state how many questions come from each, so avoid assuming equal shares or a "biggest" domain. For a deeper walk through them, see our complete guide to the five CSWA-E content areas.
Domain 1: Electrical theory
The foundational electrical knowledge that makes the software make sense. If you cannot reason about circuits, you will struggle to interpret what a schematic is meant to do.
- Basic circuit concepts and how components relate
- How electrical connectivity is understood, including the idea behind equipotentials
Domain 2: SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematics
The 2D side of the product: creating and organizing the schematic drawings that define a design.
- Placing and connecting symbols and components
- Wire numbering and how it is generated and managed
- Navigating schematic project structure
Domain 3: SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D
The physical layout side, where schematic data is linked to a three-dimensional representation of a cabinet or enclosure.
- How 3D components relate to their schematic counterparts
- Why consistent component data matters across both views
Domain 4: Electrical design
The broader design decisions and workflow choices that sit above individual drawings.
- How a design project is structured and checked
- How design intent is carried from concept to documentation
Domain 5: Installation
"Installation" is a published heading, but the issuer has not published an exhaustive list of subtopics or a weighting for it. Treat it as a reminder that the exam cares about the path from design to something buildable and maintainable.
- Expect questions that connect design output to practical use
- Do not over-invest in guessing unpublished subtopics
Format, Timing and Scoring
The format is where candidates most often arrive with the wrong expectation. The exam is a knowledge test, not a hands-on CAD assessment. According to the official guide and a September 23, 2025 issuer lesson, the numbers are:
| Item | Published detail |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | 50 |
| Question types | Multiple-choice and true/false |
| Points per question | 1 point each |
| Time limit | 60 minutes |
| Passing score | 35 out of 50 (70%) |
| Hands-on modeling required | No |
You will sometimes see the exam described as a two-hour practical. That is a confusion with other SOLIDWORKS exams. For this one, the published length is 60 minutes and the items are answered, not built. Interactive use of SOLIDWORKS Electrical is not required, although the guide and the lesson note that you may run the software to help work out an answer. Our dedicated page on the CSWA-E passing score explains how the 35-point threshold plays out.
One source wrinkle is worth knowing: the issuer's exam page contains a generic sentence about "hands-on challenges," while the same page and the exam-specific materials state plainly that this is not a hands-on exam. The exam-specific statements govern. The sample guide also includes some unrelated boilerplate about drawing tools and model-based definition, which does not apply to this exam.
Reasoning Through the Official Sample
The issuer-linked sample guide contains only eight questions, so it is a taste of the style, not the full exam. Rather than memorizing answers, use it to practice a way of thinking. Here is the approach that works for CSWA-E-style items:
- Identify the topic first. Is the item testing theory, schematic behavior, 3D linkage, design workflow, or installation? Labeling the topic narrows what knowledge you need.
- Look for the concept, not the menu path. Because the exam is not hands-on, questions lean on understanding what something does or why a setting matters rather than which button to click.
- Read true/false statements for absolutes. Words like "always" or "never" in a statement about software behavior or electrical principles are often where an otherwise plausible statement fails.
- Use the software only as a tie-breaker. Since running SOLIDWORKS Electrical is permitted, it can confirm a behavior you are unsure about. But with only 60 minutes for 50 items, spending long stretches in the application is a poor trade.
That time budget works out to a little over a minute per question, which is comfortable for items you know and tight if you stop to experiment on every one. Mark uncertain items, finish the ones you are sure of, and return. Our one-page CSWA-E cheat sheet is a handy final-day review of the concepts that recur.
Registration, Fee and Retake Mechanics
The mechanics are straightforward and have no formal eligibility gate. Associate and Professional exams carry no entry prerequisites, and recommended learning (the Electrical Schematic, Electrical 3D, and Electrical Learning Path material) is preparation advice rather than a mandatory training-hour requirement. See our CSWA-E requirements page for the eligibility picture in full.
| Topic | What the issuer states |
|---|---|
| Fee | USD 20 in North America for one attempt |
| Free routes | Available through eligible Academic Certification Providers; this does not make every retail attempt free |
| Delivery | Online through SOLIDWORKS / VirtualTester (the guide names Tangix TesterPRO; current program instructions point to the VirtualTester Web Client) |
| Software familiarity | Principles from SOLIDWORKS Electrical version 2015 or later; no need to buy or install a 2015 license |
| Retake wait | At least 14 days, plus a fresh exam credit |
| Certificate validity | No official expiration date for customer or student certificates |
Two details commonly trip people up. First, the retake wait is 14 days under current exam page and program policy; the older guide's 30-day wording has been superseded. Second, academic proctoring language does not establish a universal webcam rule, so check the instructions shown for your own booking rather than assuming. For the money side in detail, read our CSWA-E certification cost breakdown, and for scheduling logistics see exam dates and testing windows.
Who Benefits From Holding It
The credential suits people whose work touches electrical design inside the SOLIDWORKS ecosystem: students building a portfolio, control-panel and machine designers, electrical drafters, and engineers at manufacturers that standardize on SOLIDWORKS Electrical. It also helps people moving from mechanical SOLIDWORKS work into the electrical side of product design.
It is worth being measured about expectations. No certification-specific salary uplift has been verified, and we do not quote earnings figures for it. The credential's value is mainly that it gives a hiring manager or instructor a quick, vendor-backed signal of baseline competence. Whether that is worth your time depends on your situation, which we examine in our ROI analysis and, for the earnings question specifically, our salary guide. If you are researching employers and roles, our CSWA-E jobs page is the place to start.
Key Takeaway
Think of the CSWA-E as a verified entry-level statement about software fluency. It opens conversations and supports a portfolio; it does not replace experience, and it does not substitute for any trade license.
Sequencing Your Preparation by Topic
You only need one structured plan, and it should follow the logic of the software rather than a generic calendar. Theory comes first because everything else depends on it; installation comes last because it builds on the finished design. For the complete method, see our CSWA-E study guide. A compact sequence looks like this:
Electrical theory
- Refresh circuit fundamentals and the idea of equipotentials
- Why first: schematic questions only make sense once connectivity does
SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematics
- Work through the Electrical Schematic learning path
- Focus on wire numbering and component placement behavior
Electrical 3D and electrical design
- Learn how schematic data maps to the 3D layout
- Review how project-level choices affect the whole design
Installation, then timed practice
- Cover the design-to-build connection
- Run 50-question sets against a 60-minute clock
When you reach timed practice, use a realistic set from our CSWA-E practice test so that you get used to the question style and pacing. If the difficulty worries you, our difficulty guide sets honest expectations, and the broader CSWA-E training overview lists learning resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
CSWA-E means Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate - Electrical. It is a SOLIDWORKS (Dassault Systèmes) certification for people who understand SOLIDWORKS Electrical at an associate level. For more variations of this question, see what CSWA-E means.
No. It is a software-skills credential issued by the software vendor. It does not authorize anyone to perform or approve electrical installations, which is the role of a jurisdictional trade license.
The exam has 50 multiple-choice or true/false questions worth one point each, with 60 minutes allowed. You need 35 out of 50 points, which is 70%, to pass.
No. It is a knowledge test, and interactive use of the software is unnecessary, though you may run it to help answer questions. You should be familiar with SOLIDWORKS Electrical principles from version 2015 or later, but you do not need to buy or install a 2015 license.
The published fee is USD 20 in North America for one attempt, and free opportunities exist through eligible Academic Certification Providers. If you do not pass, you must wait at least 14 days and obtain a fresh exam credit before retaking. Certificates have no official expiration date.
In short, the CSWA-E is a compact, inexpensive way to document baseline competence in SOLIDWORKS Electrical. Understand what the name stands for, respect the five published topics, practice the knowledge-test format under time pressure, and you will be positioned well for the exam. A good next step is to review the full CSWA-E certification overview and then test yourself with a timed set on our practice exam site.