CRI Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CRI exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CRI Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CRI Topics to Study (69)
✍️ Sample CRI Questions & Answers
1. Which discontinuity in a casting is characteristically shown as a feathery, jagged dark indication following grain boundaries?
Hot tears form during solidification and follow grain boundaries, producing jagged, branching dark indications on the radiograph.
2. Which welding defect occurs due to improper cooling rates?
Cracking in welds can often be attributed to improper cooling rates, especially when the metal cools too quickly. Rapid cooling can induce high residual stresses and promote the formation of brittle microstructures, such as martensite, which are highly susceptible to cracking. This is particularly true for hydrogen-induced cracking or solidification cracking.
3. Which artifact in CT radiography appears as circular rings centered on the isocenter of the image?
Ring artifacts in CT are caused by a malfunctioning or mis-calibrated detector element, which consistently mis-measures attenuation at one angular position, creating a ring at a fixed radius.
4. What is the typical advantage of a cesium iodide (CsI) scintillator over a gadolinium oxysulfide (GOS) screen in flat-panel detectors?
CsI grows in needle-shaped columns that channel light toward the photodiodes, significantly reducing lateral light spread and improving spatial resolution compared to granular GOS.
5. What condition defines a 'High Radiation Area' under NRC regulations?
A High Radiation Area is defined as any area where dose rates can exceed 1 mSv/hr (100 mrem/hr) at 30 cm from the source or surface.
6. Which of the following statements about RT record retention is most accurate under ASME and AWS requirements?
Codes like ASME Section V and AWS D1.1 specify minimum retention periods for RT records, which can range from one year to the lifetime of the component depending on the application.