How do you prepare for the ASQ CRE exam?

I am ASQ certified CRE ; and I have taught the prep classes both at Ford Motor Company and at GM in the Detroit metropolitan area. My advice is about probability and statistics - even if you are weak and scared of it, first “do not be” and second you can still clear the exam with basic understanding PDF and CDF etc. You should know how to work with exponential and Weibull distributions and some basic equation for calculating sample size for reliability distribution. You should be clear about statistical confidences and connection with sample sizes. I have done 30 plus years of reliability engineering and this certification is awesome ; and gives you a lot of confidence. The exam questions do ask for hands on reliability questions.

I agree that this should be the first step. One way to do this is to get the CRE Handbook 3rd Ed by Mark Allen Durivage. This will help with understanding the different sections/domains of the exams. This textbook doesn’t go deep enough but it is a great starting point.

I took the CRE exam once and passed it. The CRE Primer from the Quality Council Indiana was a great help. This Primer has some questions at the end of each section that helps in solidifying the knowledge. There is also a solution to the question that one can also get alongside. Finally, one can also obtain the 1000 simulated exam questions and practice. For me once I started hitting 90% consistently in the simulated exams from the 1000 questions. I knew I was ready. I only had 2 months from the time I was approved for the exam to the time I took the exam. The materials from the quality council Indiana were very helpful. Although I had been studying the CRE Handbook about 3 months prior to the time I was approved for the exam.

I think this can be very helpful if you can find one and if your schedule allows it. But I will advise for anybody taking the exam to go through the material and have a basic understanding of the different section and be able to identify areas of weaknesses. I am a member of the Calgary ASQ. I will be willing to tutor if anybody needs the help in Calgary.

There are solved previous year question papers and some youtube channels have also covered the syllabus for this which will be handy for preparation

This is important. I will recommend about 20 hours of intense study per week for 3 to 4 months before attempting the exam. The way I did this was I spent between 2 to 3 hours every night during the weekday (10pm to 12am). I have a supportive wife as well. During the weekend. I spent about 4 to 5 hours. Usually I will recommend taking the simulated exam from Quality Council Indiana during the weekend. It’s a 4.5 hour exam. And after the exam you need about 1 to 2 hours to review the ones you got wrong.

Practice tests are worthwhile to get feedback on the BOK category that needs to be improved upon. There are a few online practice tests available today. Here's one I used that had detailed answers and scoring: https://www.udemy.com/course/crepracticetest/

I have already touch on this in the previous points. This is very important. I am not sure it will be easy to pass the exam without this. And after taking the exam simulating exam condition, set out time for review as well. There is no point failing some questions and not understanding the reason for the failure. The more one takes the exam and perform a review, the more confidence you will get. All the best in the exam.

Preparing for the ASQ CRE exam requires a strategic approach. Begin by reviewing the Body of Knowledge and identifying areas where you’re less experienced. Use ASQ resources, like the CRE Question Bank, to familiarize yourself with the exam format and question types. Create a study schedule that allows ample time for each topic, and stick to it. Practice with sample questions and simulate the exam environment to build confidence. Lastly, ensure you meet the eligibility requirements of education and work experience

One thing I've found helpful for exam preparations is that we will be using the same calculations in our project work which could be useful just while performing for projects only we can change simple parameters to understand. This will be helpful to answer the application based questions