API 570 Exam Prep: What to Study and in What Order

Know the exam before you study for it

API 570 uses the same format as API 510 and API 653, according to the API 570 page and the comparison guide:

• 170 questions, 140 of them scored. The other 30 are pretest questions you can't tell apart from the rest, so treat every one as live.
• A closed-book part of 110 questions in 2.75 hours. No notes, no codes. That is an average of 1.5 minutes per question.
• An open-book part of 60 questions in 3.75 hours. Only the PDFs API puts on screen are available, and that is about 3.75 minutes per question.
• In person at a Prometric center, with a 45-minute lunch between the parts.

Those two parts need different preparation. The closed-book part rewards methods you can run from memory. The open-book part rewards knowing which document and which section to open. Our guides to the closed-book part and the open-book part cover how each one runs for API 510, and the rules for the on-screen part carry over in spirit, but check the API 570 page for its own wording.

Buy the right editions first

Every API 570 study plan starts with the effectivity sheet for your window. It lists the editions the exam is written from, even if your plant works to another one. For the February and June 2027 sheet the main entries are:

• API 570, 5th edition (February 2024)
• RP 571, 3rd edition, Section 2 and the listed paragraphs
• RP 574, 5th edition with Addendum 1; RP 576, listed sections; RP 577; RP 578
• ASME B31.3, 2024 edition, and B16.5, 2020 edition
• ASME Section V and Section IX (welding only), 2023 edition
• PCC-2, 2022 edition, listed articles

Buy those from API and ASME, not from a free "PDF download" site. Rehosted copies are unauthorized, and they are often an older edition, which can send you to the wrong paragraph. Once the books arrive, the API 570 study plan puts them on a calendar. Check the sheet again a week before you book, in case API revised it.

What to drill, in priority order

Start with the work that scores the most for the least time.

1. Thickness and corrosion calculations. Corrosion rate, remaining life and inspection interval show up in every inspector exam in this family. Work them by hand with a four-function calculator, then check yourself with the remaining life calculator.
2. Piping-specific topics from the Body of Knowledge. Piping adds topics vessels don't have, such as flange ratings and thermal expansion. Read API's API 570 Body of Knowledge and tick each topic you can already do without notes.
3. Damage mechanisms. RP 571 is on the sheet for all three programs, with paragraph limits that differ by program. Our damage mechanisms guide shows how to study it for API 510, and the habit is the same: for each mechanism, write where it shows up and how it is found.
4. Open-book navigation. Time yourself finding ten topics in your own copies, with search off.
5. Welding and NDE review. Section IX and Section V questions reward a step order you can repeat.

An invented example to warm up with

A pipe has a measured thickness of 0.318 in. and a required thickness of 0.260 in. Two readings of the same location, taken 4 years apart, were 0.350 in. and 0.318 in.

• Corrosion rate: (0.350 minus 0.318) divided by 4 = 0.008 in. per year.
• Remaining life: (0.318 minus 0.260) divided by 0.008 = 7.25 years.

Now ask what the next step is. The exam rarely stops at the arithmetic. It asks what the inspector does with the number, and that answer lives in your copy of API 570. Open it, find the section on inspection intervals, and write down the section number next to the result. That habit, calculation plus location, is what the open-book part tests.

Test yourself before you book

Practice that matches the exam tells you more than rereading. The free 10-question API 570 check covers piping inspection, with an explanation for every answer. Use it to see how you do under a clock and which Body of Knowledge area is weakest, then use the Body of Knowledge to tick off the topics a 10-question sample can't reach.

Want practice right now? The free API 570 practice test has three original explained questions and the link to the free 10-question check.

Next step

Take the free 10-question API 570 check to see exactly which topics to fix, then ask the study buddy at /study-assistant for a plan built around your exam date.

FAQ

How long should I study for API 570?

It depends on how often you work with piping inspection and how rusty your calculations are. Many working inspectors plan 8 to 14 weeks of evening study. Count back from your window, not forward from today.

Is API 570 harder than API 510?

API publishes the same exam length and format for both, so the difference is the equipment and the references. Piping brings B31.3, flange and thermal expansion topics. Judge it by how your own scores break down by topic.

What does the API 570 exam cost?

API lists 510, 570 and 653 in one fee row. The 2027 initial certification fee is $890 for API members and $1,140 for non-members. A late application adds $200. Confirm current fees on API's fee page.

Can I use my own code books on the exam?

No. Papers and books are not allowed in the room. The open-book part gives you PDFs on screen, limited to what API lists for your window.