The publications effectivity sheet: which editions and sections are on your exam

Start with your exam window

✓ The linked effectivity sheet explicitly covers September 2026, January 2027 and May 2027. Its internal label says 510_EffSheet2025; use the stated exam windows to identify its coverage. Do not extend it to a later window without checking API's exam information page.

Save the sheet alongside your appointment information. When you change windows, repeat the edition check before continuing with the same study plan. Mark the applicable window on your reference checklist so that an older download does not quietly become your working source.

Editions and section limits

The following identifiers come from that effectivity sheet. These are reference pointers, not extracts from the codes:

• ✓ API 510: 11th edition, October 2022; Errata 1, March 2023, and Errata 2, 2025.
• ✓ API RP 571: 3rd edition, March 2020; Section 2 and paragraphs 3.3, 3.8, 3.9, 3.11, 3.14, 3.15, 3.17, 3.22, 3.27, 3.35, 3.36, 3.37, 3.46, 3.61 and 3.67.
• ✓ API RP 572: 5th edition, November 2023.
• ✓ API RP 576: 5th edition, September 2024.
• ✓ API RP 577: 3rd edition, October 2020; Errata 1, September 2025.
• ✓ API RP 578: 4th edition, February 2023.
• ✓ ASME BPVC: 2025 edition. Section V: Articles 1, 2, 6, 7 and 23, with Article 23 limited to SE-797. Section VIII, Division 1: U, UG, UW, UCS and Appendices 1–4, 6, 8 and 12. Section IX: welding only.
• ✓ ASME PCC-2: 2022 edition; Articles 101, 201, 202, 209, 210, 211, 212, 215, 216, 304, 305, 312, 501 and 502, including their appendices.

Read the full linked sheet when checking your own copies. Keep a separate column for edition, errata and allowed sections. An edition match alone does not establish that every section belongs in your study plan.

Read the Body of Knowledge alongside it

The Body of Knowledge supplies topic-level direction. It excludes RP 576 annexes and contains an unresolved inconsistency about RP 572: its opening reference list includes Annex B while excluding the other annexes, but its final topic list includes Annexes A and B and excludes Annex C.

Unresolved in API's documents: whether RP 572 Annex A is covered. Ask API before relying on either reading; the effectivity sheet lists RP 572 without annex limits.

Do not let that conflict disappear into an unqualified checklist. Keep it visible when comparing a course syllabus or reviewing practice explanations. The Body of Knowledge guide explains how the topic groups fit together.

Turn the list into a study routine

Use your authorized references to build a navigation log. Record the publication, section identifier, topic and what you found difficult to locate. Practice finding the relevant section before working through the calculation or inspection decision. Keep navigation errors separate from method errors: they need different practice.

API's exam page says only the effectivity-sheet sections are available during the open-book portion. Practice within that boundary. Avoid relying on a personal reference arrangement as a substitute for understanding where a topic belongs.

Return to the Long Seam overview for the preparation sequence, or use the API 510 diagnostic to identify study priorities. Recheck the official documents whenever your exam window changes.

Sources

Show the list

• API 510 Exam Publications Effectivity Sheet, September 2026–May 2027, American Petroleum Institute. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
• API 510 Body of Knowledge, September 2026–May 2027, American Petroleum Institute. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
• API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspector: Exam Information, American Petroleum Institute. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.