API 570 Study Plan: 14 Weeks to the Jan 2027 Window

The calendar you are working with

• Now to 26 November 2026: gather your experience record, apply, and start studying. Studying and applying run side by side. Eligibility routes and fees are in our API 570 requirements and cost guide.
• After API authorizes you: book a seat at a Prometric center inside the window. Book early so the date fits your shifts.
• 29 January to 19 February 2027: your testing window.
• Late application: $200 on top of the fee, per API's fee page. Missing the deadline costs money and may cost you the window.

The fee for a 2027 initial certification is $890 for API members and $1,140 for non-members. A new application is valid for six months from the first exam date you request, so you have room to retake inside that period, but a retake needs a new booking and an extra fee. Our exam schedule and fees guide walks through the validity rule and the rescheduling charges for API 510, and API lists 570 in the same fee row.

If 14 weeks is too tight, the next listed window after this one is 4 to 25 June 2027. Choose the window you can prepare for, not the one that comes first.

Weeks 1 to 2 (by 6 November): set up and measure

1. Start your application. Pull together your education and a dated list of piping inspection work. API checks the experience, so be exact about years and duties. The comparison guide summarizes the four education routes and the experience each needs.
2. Order the references on the effectivity sheet. Shipping takes days, and you can't drill navigation without the books.
3. Take a baseline. The free 10-question API 570 check shows your weakest Body of Knowledge area. Log each miss as a concept gap, a math slip or a slow lookup.
4. Print the Body of Knowledge and tick off what you can already do.

Weeks 3 to 6 (to 4 December): calculations

Run calculation drills four evenings a week, 45 minutes each. Cover corrosion rate (short-term and long-term), remaining life and inspection intervals, then the piping-specific items on the Body of Knowledge. Work each by hand first, then check it with the corrosion rate calculator. The calculations guide explains how to set up each type, written for vessels but with the same method.

A drill to write for yourself, with invented numbers: a reading of 0.412 in. was taken in 2021 and a reading of 0.371 in. at the same location in 2025.

• Rate: (0.412 minus 0.371) divided by 4 = 0.01025 in. per year.
• If the required thickness is 0.300 in., remaining life is (0.371 minus 0.300) divided by 0.01025 = 6.9 years.

Then change one input, for example a second reading, and redo it. Ten fresh versions beat one repeated twenty times. This is closed-book work: the exam gives you 1.5 minutes per closed-book question on average.

Weeks 7 to 10 (to 1 January): mechanisms, welding and NDE

• Damage mechanisms, 2 evenings a week. For each RP 571 paragraph on the sheet, write one line on where it shows up in piping and one on how it is found. Our damage mechanisms guide shows the format.
• Welding and NDE, 1 evening a week. Work through Section IX and Section V items using the step order you'll reuse on exam day.
• One weekend block to read the API 570 Body of Knowledge section by section and write one sentence per topic in your own words.

Holiday weeks will cost you evenings. Plan a lighter week 9 now rather than pretend it won't happen.

Weeks 11 to 13 (to 22 January): open-book navigation and timed blocks

This is where the open-book part is won. Write 15 prompts from the Body of Knowledge ("where do I find the rule for X?"), then find each in your own copies with search off and time it. Anything that takes more than about three minutes goes on a list and gets re-drilled. Add tabs for sections you open repeatedly, keeping in mind that books and notes are not allowed in the room, so the tabs are practice aids only. The open-book strategy guide has the full drill.

Add one timed block each weekend: 55 closed-book questions in 82 minutes, half of the closed-book part, then review every miss.

Week 14 (to 29 January): taper

Stop learning new material 3 days out. Reread your one-page method sheets, redo your five slowest lookups and rest. Confirm your appointment, ID and route to the center.

For what to practice in each block, see API 570 practice questions, and for the full overview, API 570 exam prep.

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

What is the API 570 application deadline for the January 2027 window?

The deadline for the 29 January to 19 February 2027 window is 26 November 2026. Confirm it on API's schedule page before you pay, since API controls the date.

Is 14 weeks enough to prepare for API 570?

For many working inspectors, yes. If you rarely do thickness calculations or have no recent code reading, plan the June 2027 window instead and use the extra weeks on the references.

Do I have to finish studying before I apply?

No. Application review and preparation run in parallel. Apply first so the deadline doesn't decide your window for you.

What if I miss the 26 November deadline?

API lists a $200 late application fee. Check the schedule page for whether late applications are still open for your window, or pick the next window.