EXAM GUIDE · CHECKED 16 SEPTEMBER 2026
API 570 Exam Guide
API 570 Piping Inspector exam for the 2026 and February–June 2027 windows: format, eligibility, the effective publications and which sections are examined, and how to prepare for the closed- and open-book parts. Every exam fact on this page comes from API's own documents, linked at the bottom. Where API has not published something, this page does not guess.
Exam format
| Questions | 170 in total: 140 scored and 30 unscored pretest questions |
|---|---|
| Split | 110 closed-book, 60 open-book |
| Exam day | 7.5 hours: a short tutorial, 2.75 hours closed-book, a 45-minute lunch break, 3.75 hours open-book |
| Delivery | Computer-based, in person at Prometric test centres |
| Open-book references | PDFs of the relevant codes and standards are provided on screen, in English |
| Results | Score report from Prometric by email within 24 hours; final result in the API ICP portal within 3 business days |
| Retake | Not in the same exam window — book the next window |
| Certification | API 570 certification is valid for three years, then recertification |
Time per question
The two parts are timed separately, and the time available per question is very different. Worked out from API's published timings:
CLOSED-BOOK
1.5min per question
110 questions in 165 minutes
OPEN-BOOK
3.8min per question
60 questions in 225 minutes
Eligibility
API sets a minimum amount of experience that depends on your education, and issues the certification only once your application has no open deficiencies.
| EDUCATION | EXPERIENCE | IN |
|---|---|---|
| BS or higher in engineering or technology, or 3+ years of military technical training | 1 year | Supervision or performance of inspection activities as described in API 570 |
| 2-year degree or certificate, or 2 years of military technical training | 2 years | Design, construction, repair, operation or inspection of in-service piping systems — 1 year of it in supervision or performance of inspection |
| High school diploma | 3 years | Design, construction, repair, operation or inspection of in-service piping systems — 1 year of it in supervision or performance of inspection |
| No formal education | 5+ years | Design, construction, repair, operation or inspection of in-service piping systems — 1 year of it in supervision or performance of inspection |
Publications examined
These are the editions on API's effectivity sheets. Where API limits the exam to certain sections, the list says so — anything outside those sections is not examined. The documents are copyrighted; buy them from an authorised seller.
For 2026 exams, February 2027 and June 2027
API's 2026 sheet and its February–June 2027 sheet list the same editions.
API 570, Piping Inspection Code: In-service Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration of Piping Systems
5th Edition, February 2024
API RP 571, Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining Industry
3rd Edition, March 2020
- Section 2: Definitions
- 3.3 Amine Stress Corrosion Cracking
- 3.8 Atmospheric Corrosion
- 3.9 Boiler Water and Steam Condensate Corrosion
- 3.14 Caustic Corrosion
- 3.15 Caustic Stress Corrosion Cracking
- 3.17 Chloride Stress Corrosion Cracking
- 3.22 Corrosion Under Insulation
- 3.27 Erosion/Erosion-Corrosion
- 3.31 Galvanic Corrosion
- 3.37 Hydrochloric Acid Corrosion
- 3.43 Mechanical Fatigue (Including Vibration-induced Fatigue)
- 3.45 Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion
- 3.57 Soil Corrosion
- 3.58 Sour Water Corrosion (Acidic)
- 3.61 Sulfidation
API RP 574, Inspection Practices for Piping System Components
5th Edition, February 2024, Addendum 1 (March 2025)
API RP 576, Inspection of Pressure-relieving Devices
5th Edition, September 2024
- Sections 5, 6.1–6.5 and 7
API RP 577, Welding Processes, Inspection, and Metallurgy
3rd Edition, October 2020
API RP 578, Material Verification Program for New and Existing Assets
4th Edition, February 2023
ASME BPVC Section V, Nondestructive Examination
2023 Edition
- Articles 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 23 (Section SE-797 only)
ASME BPVC Section IX, Qualification Standard for Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Procedures; Welders; Brazers; and Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Operators
2023 Edition
- Welding only
ASME B16.5, Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings: NPS 1/2 Through NPS 24 Metric/Inch Standard
2020 Edition (issued January 2021)
ASME B31.3, Process Piping
2024 Edition (issued December 2024)
ASME PCC-2, Repair of Pressure Equipment and Piping
2022
Each referenced Article and its Appendices:
- 101 Introduction
- 201 Butt-Welded Insert Plates in Pressure Components
- 206 Full Encirclement Steel Reinforcing Sleeves for Piping
- 209 Alternatives to Postweld Heat Treatment
- 210 In-Service Welding on to Carbon Steel Pressure Components or Pipelines
- 211 Weld Buildup, Weld Overlay, and Clad Restoration
- 212 Fillet Welded Patches
- 304 Flaw Excavation and Weld Repair
- 305 Flange Repair and Conversion
- 306 Mechanical Clamp Repair
- 501 Pressure and Tightness of Piping and Equipment
- 502 Nondestructive Examination in Lieu of Pressure Testing for Repairs and Alterations
How to prepare
Start from the effectivity sheet, not from a textbook
Several documents are only partly examined: fifteen damage mechanisms plus the definitions from RP 571, three sections of RP 576, seven articles of ASME V and twelve articles of PCC-2. Mark the in-scope parts in your own copies before you start; time spent outside them does not come back on the day.
Closed book is API 570 and the piping recommended practices
About a minute and a half per question with no references. It rewards knowing API 570's inspection intervals, responsibilities, repair and alteration rules, and the inspection practices of RP 574, well enough to answer from memory. Work through them one publication at a time.
Open book leans on B31.3, B16.5 and the calculations in API 570
Nearly four minutes per question, most of it spent finding the right table or paragraph. B31.3 and B16.5 are the two codes a piping candidate has to navigate quickly, and API 570's corrosion rate, remaining life and interval arithmetic comes up alongside them. The references are on-screen PDFs, so practise searching the PDFs rather than tabbing paper copies.
Practise the two parts separately
Fast recall and careful lookup are different skills, and mixing them in one session hides which one is weak. Drill each on its own, then sit a full timed paper with the lunch break in the middle.
PRACTISING WITH ASSETRONX
The API 570 bank has 5,261 questions — 4,600 closed-book and 661 open-book — each with its answer, the reasoning and the clause it comes from, plus 10 full mock exams timed like the real day. Questions are grouped by publication, so you can work through one document at a time.
| PUBLICATION | CLOSED BOOK | OPEN BOOK |
|---|---|---|
| API 570 | 654 | 144 |
| API RP 574 | 701 | 52 |
| API RP 577 | 730 | 8 |
| ASME PCC-2 | 685 | 82 |
| ASME Section IX | 541 | 137 |
| ASME Section V | 466 | 57 |
| API RP 571 | 455 | 0 |
| API RP 578 | 135 | 0 |
| ASME B31.3 | 88 | 121 |
| ASME B16.5 | 75 | 50 |
| API RP 576 | 70 | 10 |
Questions
How many questions are on the API 570 exam?
170: 140 scored questions and 30 unscored pretest questions, split into 110 closed-book and 60 open-book questions.
How long is the API 570 exam?
The exam day is 7.5 hours: a short tutorial, 2.75 hours for the closed-book part, a 45-minute lunch break and 3.75 hours for the open-book part.
Which editions of B31.3 and B16.5 are examined?
For the 2026 windows and for February and June 2027, API lists ASME B31.3 2024 Edition (issued December 2024) and ASME B16.5 2020 Edition (issued January 2021).
When do I get my result?
Prometric emails a score report within 24 hours for most computer-based exams, and the final result reaches the API ICP portal within 3 business days.
If I fail, can I retake it in the same window?
No. API does not allow a retest in the same exam window; you reschedule for the next window.
How long is API 570 certification valid?
Three years, after which it has to be recertified.
Sources
Checked on 16 September 2026. API updates these documents for each exam window; if anything here differs from API's current documents, API is right.
- API — API 570 Piping Inspector certification page
- API — API 570 Exam Publications Effectivity Sheet for 2026
- API — API 570 Exam Publications Effectivity Sheet for February 2027 and June 2027
- API ICP — Introducing Instant Scoring (results and retest policy)
AssetronX is an independent exam preparation provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the American Petroleum Institute. API 570 is a certification of the American Petroleum Institute.