CQE ASQ Certified Quality Engineer Exam Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

The Student's t statistic is calculated as follows:

t = (X̄ - μ) / (s / √n)

Given:

Sample mean (X̄) = 515

Population mean (μ) = 500

Sample standard deviation (s) = 9

Sample size (n) = 6

t = (515 - 500) / (9 / √6) = 15 / (9 / 2.45) ≈ 3.73

References:

Montgomery, D.C., & Runger, G.C. (2010). Applied Statistics and Probability for Engineers.Wiley.

NIST/SEMATECH. (n.d.). e-Handbook of Statistical Methods. Retrieved fromhttps://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/

The fishbone diagram, also known as the Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram, is used to identify and evaluate all possible causes of a problem.

It visually organizes potential causes into categories, helping to isolate the most probable ones.

This tool is effective for brainstorming and systematically analyzing the root causes of a quality issue.

References: ASQ's "Quality Toolbox" and Ishikawa's original works on cause-and-effect diagrams.

The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle specifies the use of a feedback cycle. It is a continuous loop of planning, doing, checking, and acting, aimed at continuous improvement and problem-solving in quality management.

The constant failure rate per hour is calculated as the inverse of the mean time between failures (MTBF). Given an MTBF of 200 hours: Failure rate (λ) = 1 / MTBF = 1 / 200 = 0.005

The starting point for conducting a risk-based audit is to identify and quantify risks. This allows the organization to focus on the areas with the highest potential impact and ensure that resources are allocated effectively to manage these risks.

In the context of GD&T, the symbol "M" within a circle denotes Maximum Material Condition (MMC). MMC is a concept where a feature contains the maximum amount of material within its specified tolerance limits. This is often used to ensure that parts will fit together even when manufactured at their maximum permissible material limits.

Maximum Material Condition (MMC): The condition of a part feature which contains the greatest amount of material within the tolerance limits. For example, for a hole, it is the smallest diameter, and for a shaft, it is the largest diameter.

References:

ASME Y14.5-2009 - Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing Standard.

Neumann, B. (2009). Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Fault tree analysis (FTA) is a tool that begins at the point of failure and works back through the process to the components. FTA is used to identify the root causes of system failures by constructing a logical diagram of the various possible causes. This method helps in understanding the paths leading to a failure and identifying corrective actions. Reference: "Reliability, Maintainability, and Risk" by David J. Smith, which describes fault tree analysis and its application in failure analysis.

The authority for customer audits at a supplier’s facility is typically outlined in contracts or purchasing agreements.

These documents specify the terms and conditions under which the supplier agrees to allow audits by the customer.

Quality management system documents and certificates of conformance do not usually grant audit authority.

References: The ASQ "Auditing Handbook" and ISO 9001 standards emphasize that contractual agreements define the rights and obligations regarding audits.

Short-run Statistical Process Control (SPC) is particularly useful in situations where many different parts are made in small lots. This is because traditional SPC methods may not be effective when production runs are short and the volume of data for individual parts is limited. Short-run SPC techniques allow for effective monitoring and control of processes that produce a variety of parts in small quantities by standardizing and coding data to detect shifts and trends over multiple short runs.References:

Montgomery, D. C. (2009). Introduction to Statistical Quality Control.

ASQ Quality Press: The Certified Quality Engineer Handbook.

In the provided FMEA table, the potential failure mode "No solder" has the highest severity rating (S = 9), making it the most critical failure that could affect the customer by causing an open circuit. Higher severity indicates a more significant impact on the customer, thus making it the most likely to be seen by the customer.