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Petroleum Engineer CDR Sample & Writing Guide

If you’re an overseas petroleum engineer planning to migrate to Australia, the Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) is the single most important document in your visa journey. Engineers Australia (EA) uses your petroleum engineer CDR to decide whether your knowledge and experience meet Australian standards under ANZSCO 233612 – Petroleum Engineer. A successful skills assessment for petroleum engineers can lead to skilled visas like 189 (Skilled Independent), 190 (State Nominated), 491 (Regional), or employer

In 2025, rejection rates remain high (30–40%) for poorly prepared CDRs, mainly due to plagiarism, weak career episodes for petroleum engineers that focus on “we” instead of “I,” and missing links to the 16 competency elements. This updated guide gives you everything you need to write an original, EA-approved petroleum engineer CDR that stands out.

Petroleum engineer CDR sample for Engineers Australia

Why the Petroleum Engineer CDR Matters More Than Ever

Australia’s LNG and carbon-capture projects (Gorgon, Scarborough, Barossa, and new CCS hubs) continue to create strong demand for petroleum engineers. However, most overseas qualifications are not covered by the Washington Accord, so EA requires independent proof of competency. A positive petroleum engineer skills assessment is mandatory for points-tested visas and dramatically improves your chances with employers in Perth, Brisbane, and Darwin.

Complete CDR Structure for Petroleum Engineers (2025 MSA Booklet)

Your petroleum engineer CDR must contain exactly four components:

  1. Curriculum Vitae (CV): 2–4 pages
  2. Continuing Professional Development (CPD): 1-page table
  3. Three Career Episodes: 1,000–2,500 words each
  4. Summary Statement: 1–2 pages with cross-references

All documents must be in PDF, use Australian English, and have numbered paragraphs (e.g., CE1.1, CE1.2…).

1. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – Keep It Simple & Recent

List activities after graduation. No need for certificates, just a clear table.

Year

Activity

Provider

Hours

2025

SPE Carbon Capture & Storage Workshop

Society of Petroleum Engineers

20

2024

Advanced Reservoir Simulation with CMG

CMG Training

40

2024

PETREL Reservoir Modelling (Level 2)

Schlumberger

32

2023

Offshore Drilling & Well Control (IWCF Level 4)

IWCF

40

2022

HSE Risk Management in Oil & Gas

NEBOSH

25

Include memberships (SPE, PESA, and Engineers Australia if applicable) and relevant journal readings.

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2. Writing Career Episodes for Petroleum Engineers – The Heart of Your CDR

You must write each career episode in the first person (“I designed…” “I recommended that you focus on what you did.” Use the STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and put numbers on everything.

Petroleum engineers should think about these three different project ideas:

  • CE1 → Drilling Engineering (planning wells, creating paths, and keeping a watch on things as they happen)
  • CE2 → Reservoir Engineering (historical matching, Eclipse/Petrel simulation, and EOR proposal)
  • CE3 → Production Engineering or HSE (flow assurance, artificial lift, safety case, and putting in place carbon capture)


3. Example of a Career Episode 1 Drilling Optimization: An Overview (1,650 words)

  • The introduction should be about 150 words long.
  • From January 2022 to August 2023
  • XYZ Petroleum is the company, and it is based in the Middle East’s offshore field.
  • Engineer in charge of drilling
  • The project’s goal is to drill six horizontal wells on schedule and within budget.

Background (≈300 words)

Field description, depth of the reservoir, and problems (high pressure, H2S).

Personal Engineering Activity (around 1,000 words)

  1. I used Techlog to do a geomechanical analysis to determine the best mud weight.
  2. I used Landmark Compass to plan a well trajectory that cut down on the severity of doglegs by 18%.
  3. I used real-time geosteering to change the path 14 times and save 9 days of drilling.
  4. I started using managed-pressure drilling (MPD), which cut NPT by 42%.
  5. Result: Total cost reduction of $2.1 million (15% less than AFE).

Summary (≈150 words)

The summary talks about what was learned and how it shows the parts of PE1-PE3. Sample Career Episode 2 Outline – Reservoir Simulation & EOR (1,800 words)

Things to Include in Your Personal Highlights

  1. I made a dynamic model in Eclipse 100 that has 1.2 million cells.
  2. I got a 96% match in history by changing the permeability and skin factor.
  3. I looked into water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection and thought it would lead to a +11% recovery.
  4. I told management what I found, and they gave the project the go-ahead with a budget of $180 million.

Sample Career Episode 3 Outline: Production and CCS Implementation (1,550 words)

Main Points

  1. I devised a technique for injecting CO2 into an old offshore field.
  2. I did a risk assessment (HAZID/HAZOP) and cut the risk of a major accident by 68%.
  3. I was in charge of putting in the amine unit and the monitoring wells.


4. Summary Statement – The Most Critical Page

This section is where 80% of rejections happen. You must map every paragraph from the three career episodes to the exact EA competency elements.

Competency Element

Career Episode & Paragraph

How Demonstrated

PE1.1 Comprehensive knowledge

CE1 1.8–1.12

Applied geomechanics and pore-pressure prediction

PE1.3 In-depth technical competence

CE2 2.5–2.15

Built and history-matched dynamic model in Eclipse

PE2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques

CE1 3.1–3.9

Real-time drilling optimisation with LWD data

PE3.2 Effective communication

CE2 4.3–4.7

Presented EOR recommendation to board

PE3.5 Professional ethics & safety

CE3 2.1–2.10

Led HAZOP and implemented safety controls

Cover all 16 elements at least once; most applicants need 70–90 cross-references in total.

Most Common Reasons Petroleum Engineer CDRs Are Rejected in 2025

  • Plagiarism or heavy AI-generated content (EA uses Turnitin + their own AI detector)
  • Writing in passive voice or “we did” instead of “I did”
  • Career episodes longer than 2,500 words or shorter than 1,000 words
  • Using the same project for all three times
  • Missing technical depth (no software names, no calculations, no results)
  • Summary Statement with wrong or missing paragraph references

Proven Tips to Get First-Time Approval

  1. Write 100% originally; never copy even one sentence from samples.
  2. Use active voice: “I designed,” “I calculated,” and “I recommended.”
  3. Quantify everything: “reduced NPT by 38%,” “increased recovery by 9.5%,” “saved USD 1.8 million.”
  4. Mention industry-standard tools: Petrel, Eclipse, CMG, Landmark, Techlog, OLGA, Pipesim, IWCF, etc.
  5. Align every episode with ANZSCO 233612 duties (planning extraction, reservoir evaluation, and safety compliance).
  6. Receive a professional review before submission (optional but increases success rate to 90%+).

Final Checklist Before Lodging Your Petroleum Engineer CDR

  1. All files in PDF, A4, margin 2 cm
  2. Paragraphs numbered continuously in each episode
  3. CPD in chronological order (most recent first)
  4. Summary Statement in landscape table format
  5. Declaration page signed and dated
  6. Plagiarism report <10% (use Turnitin yourself first.)

Conclusion

A well-written petroleum engineer CDR is your golden ticket to Australia’s high-paying LNG and energy-transition jobs. With average petroleum engineer salaries in 2026 ranging from AUD 142,000 (national) to over AUD 220,000 in Perth with FIFO, the effort is worth it many times over. Follow the 2025 MSA booklet exactly, write three original career episodes for petroleum engineers that showcase your personal technical contribution, and cross-reference every competency element accurately. Do this right and you’ll receive your positive petroleum engineer migration skills assessment within 4–6 months, opening the door to permanent residency and one of the best-paid engineering careers in the world.

FAQs - petroleum engineering in Australia

Q. How long does Engineers Australia take to assess a petroleum engineer CDR in 2025?

Standard 4–6 months; Fast Track reduces to 20 working days (extra fee).

Q. Can I use the same project in all three career episodes?

It is conceivable, but not advised, because working on different projects gives you a better range of skills.

Q. Do I need to submit degree certificates with the petroleum engineer CDR?

Indeed, the CDR requires certified color scans of academic transcripts and completion letters.

Q. What is the highest salary for a petroleum engineer in Australia?

Senior petroleum engineers in Australia can make as much as A$342,000 a year, depending on their expertise, where they work, and how many jobs are available in the field.

Q. Where do petroleum engineers make the most money?

Switzerland has the highest average wage for petroleum engineers, at about US$222,000 per year. Other nations with high salaries for petroleum engineers include Iceland and Luxembourg.