CSWP Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CSWP facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What does the $DESCRIPTION@ column header in a Design Table control? → The Description custom property for each configuration
2. Balloons in a SolidWorks assembly drawing are used for what purpose? → Tagging each component by linking it to its BOM item number
3. What is the most effective way to prepare for the CSWP exam? → Practicing with SOLIDWORKS tutorials and sample exams.
4. In SolidWorks, what is the primary purpose of the 'Profile Center' mate? → Centers the cross-section centroid of one component's face with another face's centroid
5. When creating a linear sketch pattern in SolidWorks, which parameter controls the spacing between instances? → Spacing
6. The Ordinate dimensioning scheme in SolidWorks drawings measures all dimensions relative to what? → A common baseline or datum origin
7. In the SolidWorks equation editor, the 'sgn()' function returns which values? → −1, 0, or 1 depending on whether the argument is negative, zero, or positive
8. In a SolidWorks Sweep feature, what is the required minimum input? → A profile sketch and a path sketch
9. What does the 'Ixx', 'Iyy', and 'Izz' values represent in a SolidWorks Mass Properties report? → Moment of inertia about the X, Y, and Z axes respectively
10. What is the primary advantage of using derived configurations over creating independent configurations? → Changes to the parent automatically propagate to children unless overridden
11. In SolidWorks, what happens to the mass properties of an assembly when you create an exploded view? → Mass properties remain unchanged because no geometry or material is altered
12. In SolidWorks, what color indicates a fully defined sketch entity? → Black
13. When setting up a mechanical Gear Mate between two spur gears, how does SOLIDWORKS typically determine the default gear ratio? → Based on the relative sizes of the selected cylindrical faces or circular edges.
14. In Motion Analysis, if you want to apply a motor that drives a component at a constant angular velocity, which motor type should you select? → Rotary motor with constant velocity profile
15. What is the main purpose of the Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP) certification? → To assess advanced proficiency in SOLIDWORKS design tools.
16. What happens if you fail a segment of the CSWP exam? → You can retake only the failed segment.
17. What is a 'dangling' sketch relation in SolidWorks? → A relation whose referenced entity has been deleted or modified
18. Which of the following Design Table header tokens controls whether an entire body in a multibody part is suppressed? → $BODYSTATE@BodyName
19. In a SOLIDWORKS Design Table, what is the correct syntax for a column header to control the suppression state of a feature named 'Pocket-Cut'? → $STATE@Pocket-Cut
20. In SolidWorks, what does the 'Thin Feature' option in an Extrude dialog do? → Creates a solid from an open sketch contour by adding thickness to it
21. During a CSWP exam scenario, you are told to use a plane to split a body and keep only the upper portion. Which feature accomplishes this? → Split, selecting the plane as the trim tool and deselecting the lower body
22. In SolidWorks, what is the effect of applying a 'Draft' feature to a face after extrusion? → Tilts the face by a specified angle relative to a neutral plane or pull direction
23. A Chamfer applied with the 'Distance-Distance' method requires which two inputs? → Two separate distances
24. Which SolidWorks tool allows you to propagate design changes from a master multi-body part to derived part files? → Insert Part
25. A user wants a Design Table configuration named 'Left Hand' to show as 'LH' in the BOM. Which column header achieves this? → $BOM_NAME@model
26. In a Motion Study, what does the 'Results and Plots' feature allow you to output? → Graphs of displacement, velocity, acceleration, or force for selected components over time
27. To suppress a hole feature named 'HoleWizard1' in a specific configuration using a Design Table, which cell value is correct? → S
28. In a SolidWorks assembly, 'SpeedPak' creates a simplified configuration that does what? → Creates a lightweight proxy with only selected faces and edges exposed
29. An under-defined sketch entity appears in what color in SolidWorks? → Blue
30. The Mirror feature in SolidWorks requires which type of element as its mirror reference? → A plane or planar face