API 510 pass rates by exam window (from API's published statistics)
✓ Checked 17 Oct 2026 against API's April 2026 ICP Status Update and its Program Updates statistics index.
API publishes API 510 exam results by window. The latest row in the April 2026 report is January 2026: 61.6% passed among 688 candidates (provisional, see below). This describes that administration's reported outcomes. It does not predict an individual candidate's result or measure the performance of a preparation product. API ICP Status Update, page 14.
Recent published results by window
The following rows reproduce the candidate totals and pass percentages printed in that report's API 510 table. Percentages are API's published values, without recalculation:
- ✓ January 2023: 911 candidates; 62.0% passed.
- ✓ May 2023: 1,084 candidates; 63.5% passed.
- ✓ September 2023: 1,167 candidates; 64.0% passed.
- ✓ January 2024: 902 candidates; 69.2% passed.
- ✓ May 2024: 1,146 candidates; 68.5% passed.
- ✓ September 2024: 1,211 candidates; 65.9% passed.
- ✓ January 2025: 997 candidates; 66.9% passed.
- May 2025: 1,000 candidates; 61.8% passed (provisional).
- September 2025: 1,024 candidates; 54.7% passed (provisional).
- January 2026: 688 candidates; 61.6% passed (provisional).
Source: API ICP Status Update, breakdown as of 30 April 2026, printed page 14. API marks September 2025 as having undergone standard setting.
Read the source limitations
The report's historical-performance introduction still says completed exams through March 2025, although the table includes later windows. The September 2025 row also prints 561 passes out of 1,024 candidates alongside 54.7%; those counts would round to 54.8%. We retain the printed percentage rather than silently correcting API's table.
Why three rows are provisional: the report's note says it covers exams completed as of March 2025, so the May 2025, September 2025 and January 2026 rows (including the 61.6% headline) fall after that cutoff, and the September 2025 counts don't match its printed percentage. Treat those three rows as provisional until API corrects or updates the report.
Not yet published: the linked report has no results for the May or September 2026 windows.
The Program Updates statistics index is the place to check for a replacement. Keep the report date and exam window attached whenever sharing a figure. A recent retrieval date does not make an older exam result current.
A pass rate is different from a passing score
A pass rate describes how many candidates succeeded. A passing score is the standard used to assess an exam result. API's scoring explanation describes equating for differences between exam forms and says another candidate's performance does not determine whether you pass.
Do not turn the published rate into a target percentage for practice. A diagnostic uses a different set of items and does not reproduce API's scoring process. Treat missed topics as evidence about what to review, rather than converting your diagnostic percentage into a promised exam outcome.
What these figures cannot tell you
The displayed API 510 table does not separate first attempts from repeat attempts or identify preparation providers. It cannot establish a first-time pass rate for a course. Nor does a higher rate in a particular month establish that the month is easier. That conclusion would require evidence about the candidates and exam forms, not just their aggregate results.
Choose a window around application readiness, study time and practical availability. Avoid postponing solely because another historical window had a higher percentage. Read the schedule and fees guide before changing an application or appointment.
Use the numbers to plan preparation
Start with the Body of Knowledge guide, then confirm your references against the effectivity-sheet guide. Build a review log that distinguishes an unfamiliar topic, an incorrect calculation setup and a slow reference lookup. Use each category to choose the next practice task.
The API 510 diagnostic can help identify those priorities. Return to the Long Seam overview for the study sequence. Keep your preparation decisions tied to the work you can demonstrate, while using API's published statistics as background context.
Sources
Show the list
- Individual Certification Programs Status Update, April 2026, historical performance and API 510 table, American Petroleum Institute, printed pages 13–14. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- ICP Program Updates: Statistics, American Petroleum Institute. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- ICP Policies: How are ICP exams scored?, American Petroleum Institute. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
Facts checked 17 October 2026 against the sources listed above. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.
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