The Certified Quality Engineer

Exam Given by American Society

for Quality

Quality Minds, Inc. June 2009

Professional Development Paths

Using ASQ Certifications

CCT

CMI

CQT

CQA

CQM

CQE

SSGB

SSBB

CRE

CQIA
Typical Starting Points:
CQPA

1. CQT
2. CQE
3. CQA

Subjects Covered on Exam by

Approximate Number of Questions
Approximate Number of Questions on
Exam

Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)

50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Quantitative
Methods and
Tools

Process and
Product
Control

Continuous
Improvement

Process and
Product
Design

Management
and
Leadership

Quality System

Sections of Exam

The exam lasts five hours, is open book, and consists of 160 multiple choice questions.
You have approximately 1.88 minutes per question.

What Makes or Breaks a Certified

Quality Engineer
Basic Statistics
Probability
Descriptive Statistics

Statistical Applications
Control Charts
Process Capability
Z Values

Advanced Statistics

Confidence Intervals
Tests of Hypothesis
Regression Analysis
Analysis of Variance
Design of Experiments

In my experience, most
prospective CQEs have never
heard of these subjects or
know very little about them

Again, in my experience,
these subjects cant be self
taught. You need help to
learn them.

Preparing for the Exam

Over the years, in my opinion, these seem to be key factors for exam
success:
Textbook
Quality Council of Indiana: The book is well written and designed for test preparation. I
have never heard anyone say it was not appropriate for the exam.

Study time
Develop a routine for studying-I suggest studying every day at a certain time, whatever
works best for you.

Working problems
Practice makes perfect
Dont get behind on the homework
Work extra problems

Equipment

Bring no more than one other reference material-I suggest the Juran Handbook
Have a good statistical calculator-see next slide
Plenty of # 2 pencils
Plenty of scratch paper for working problems

Calculator
You will need a statistical calculator for the
exam. You can get a good one for less
than $50 at most retailers.
Here are the critical keys you will need to
use. We will cover these during the class:

+ X x
n1

nPr

nCr

n!

Calculators
Calculator

Where to Buy

CASIO FX 200
Solar (see next
slide)
TI-30X II5

Staples

Retail Price (per the

website)
$8.95

Walmart

$14.58

TI-36X

Walmart

$22.44

Example of Calculator

n1

nPr, nCr

Exam Taking Strategy

There are three types of problems on the
exam
Easy
Moderately difficult
Difficult

Avoid panic!
Work easy problems first

Contact Us
For on site or online preparation training for the CQE
exam, contact Stephen Deas:
sd@qualitymindsinc.com
(843) 814 3864

To register for online training, go to:

www.cpionlinecourses.com
The CQE course is designed to be 16 weeks and costs $240
You pay online and receive a link to videos covering each
subject. Each video is a Powerpoint presentation with narration
from Stephen Deas
Stephen is President of Quality Minds, Inc, a process
improvement and human capital development firm located in
Charleston, South Carolina.
Stephen was certified as a Quality Engineer in 1991 and as a Six
Sigma Black Belt in 2003.
10