API 570 Piping Inspector Certification
The credential for inspectors of in-service process piping — corrosion, thickness, flanges, welding, repairs and pressure tests.
About the exam
API 570 certifies inspectors of in-service metallic process piping. It shows you can classify piping circuits, plan and interpret thickness surveys, recognize damage mechanisms such as CUI, injection-point and soil-to-air corrosion, judge welding and NDE, and control repairs, alterations and rerating under API 570 and ASME B31.3.
The closed-book section tests everyday working knowledge: inspection practices from API RP 574, damage mechanisms, welding, NDE, PMI and relief devices. The open-book section shows the codes on screen for calculations and look-ups: corrosion rates, remaining life and intervals, B31.3 pressure design thickness and blank thickness, weld joint and casting quality factors, MAWP of corroded pipe, leak test pressures, impact-test exemption, preheat, thermal expansion and B16.5 flange ratings.
Our practice follows API's effectivity sheet for the February and June 2027 exams, which lists the same editions as the 2026 windows: API 570 5th edition (2024), API RP 574 5th edition (2024, Addendum 1), RP 571 3rd edition (15 named mechanisms), RP 576 5th edition (2024, selected sections), RP 577 3rd edition, RP 578 4th edition, ASME B31.3-2024, ASME B16.5-2020, the 2023 ASME BPVC Sections V and IX, and ASME PCC-2 2022.
How we track your progress
Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:
- Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
- Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
- DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
- ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
- Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.
The exam blueprint
API 570 Body of Knowledge and Publications Effectivity Sheet for the February 2027 and June 2027 exams (same editions as the 2026 windows) — 170 items (140 scored, 30 pretest): 110 closed-book, 60 open-book across 8 Body of Knowledge areas; weights are QuizMe estimates. Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Piping inspection practices and intervals about 18% (est.) of the exam
60 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Corrosion, thickness and pressure calculations about 16% (est.) of the exam
56 practice questions in this domain so far
3 Damage mechanisms (API 571) about 11% (est.) of the exam
36 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Welding: ASME IX, B31.3 and API 577 about 14% (est.) of the exam
48 practice questions in this domain so far
5 NDE, leak testing and PMI about 11% (est.) of the exam
36 practice questions in this domain so far
6 ASME B31.3 design, materials and testing about 11% (est.) of the exam
36 practice questions in this domain so far
7 Flanges and fittings (ASME B16.5) about 7% (est.) of the exam
24 practice questions in this domain so far
8 Repairs, alterations, rerating and relief devices about 13% (est.) of the exam
44 practice questions in this domain so far
What you get when you access this exam
Free with your QuizMe account.
Inspector scenarios aligned to the Body of Knowledge
Every question is tagged to one of the 8 API 570 areas and its topics — piping classes, corrosion math, B31.3 thickness, flange ratings, WPS/PQR review and what the inspector does next.
Exam-critical hints
Reveal the code concept that unlocks the question — the formula, the governing rule, the value that matters. Every answer comes with the full rationale and worked solution.
Adaptive testing
Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted by our estimate of how much each counts on the real exam, and get harder as you get stronger.
Timed practice exams
Full-length exams at the real pace — 170 questions in 6.5 hours of testing — with a live pacing indicator and a full review.
Flashcards, case simulations and guides
100 flashcards for damage mechanisms, B31.3 terms and formulas, 6 inspection cases where a piping circuit's thickness data, damage and repair decisions unfold step by step, and interactive illustrated guides you explore hotspot by hotspot.
Progress for every blueprint area
Each area moves from Not started to Getting started, Developing, Proficient and Exam ready — so you know exactly what to study next.
Test at home or at a center
Apply through API's ICP portal by the deadline for your chosen window. Once approved, you get an authorization to schedule your API 570 exam with Prometric on any open day inside that window. The next windows are January 29–February 19, 2027 (apply by November 26, 2026) and June 4–25, 2027 (apply by April 1, 2027).
At a Prometric test center
- API 570 is offered in person only — API stopped remote testing for 510, 570, 653 and 1169 in September 2024.
- Bring government-issued photo ID; the name must match your API account exactly.
- No papers or code books in the room. A calculator, scratch paper and pencil are provided, and an on-screen calculator is built in.
- Phones, watches, bags and notes go in a locker.
Before you book
- Your application is valid for 12 months from the first window you request; moving to a different window means a new application and fees.
- Prometric rescheduling inside a window: free 60+ days out, $35 at 30–60 days, $70 at 5–29 days, not allowed under 5 days.
- Buy or borrow the exact code editions on the effectivity sheet and study from them — the exam shows those PDFs, not your copies.
- Work through API's exam tutorial so the on-screen PDF viewer isn't new on exam day.
Exam-day game plan
How to walk in ready — and how to pace 170 questions in 6.5 hours.
Pacing checkpoints
Hit these and you finish with time to revisit your flagged questions. Our timed practice exams run at this same pace.
The week before
- Take one full-length timed practice exam 3–5 days out, then rest.
- Spend your last sessions on the heaviest areas — inspection practices, calculations and welding — plus anything still below Proficient.
- Rework every calculation type in the Body of Knowledge from a blank page, in both US customary and SI units.
- Practise finding paragraphs in the effectivity-sheet editions using bookmarks and the table of contents, not memory.
Exam morning
- Eat a real breakfast; the day runs about 7.5 hours with one 45-minute lunch break.
- Arrive 30 minutes early at the Prometric center with ID that matches your API account.
- Use the restroom right before you start.
During the exam
- The first section is closed-book: 110 questions in 2 hours 45 minutes. Answer everything before you click Finish — you can't come back.
- After the break, the open-book section shows the codes on screen: 60 questions in 3 hours 45 minutes, so there's time to look things up.
- Look up only what you need. Write down every given value, the formula and the units before you calculate.
- For flange questions, find the material group first, then read the class column at the design temperature.
- Answer every question — there's no penalty for guessing, and multiple-select items need every correct choice.
- 30 questions are unscored pretest items you can't identify.
Keep your head
- A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the stem.
- You're measured against a fixed standard, not other test-takers.
- Change an answer only when you find a real reason in the stem or the code.
Keeping your API 570 certification
- Certification lasts 3 years.
- To recertify, show that at least 20% of your time over the 3 years was spent performing or supervising in-service piping inspection.
- You also need 24 continuing professional development (CPD) hours per 3-year cycle, across at least two CPD categories.
- Every 6 years — every second recertification — you also pass API's online open-book quiz: 25 questions in 4 hours, two attempts. Fail twice and you must retake the full exam.
- Apply from 90 days before your expiration date; a 90-day late window carries extra fees.
Official sources and further reading
- API 570 Piping Inspector ↗The official program page: exam format, eligibility and recertification.
- API 570 Body of Knowledge (Feb – June 2027) ↗Every topic, calculation and exclusion on the 2027 exams.
- API 570 Publications Effectivity Sheet (Feb – June 2027) ↗The exact code editions and sections in scope.
- API ICP — Schedules and fees ↗Exam windows, application deadlines and fees for every program.
- API ICP — Examinations ↗Scheduling with Prometric, scaled scoring and what you may bring.
- API — Exam tutorial for 510, 570 and 653 ↗How the closed-book and open-book sections and on-screen codes work.
- Prometric — American Petroleum Institute exams ↗Book, reschedule and find a test center.
Ready to start?
340 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.
API 510, API 570, API 653 and API 1169 are certification programs of the American Petroleum Institute. QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by API, ASME or Prometric. API and ASME codes and standards are copyrighted — candidates need their own copies of the editions on API's effectivity sheet, and our practice items are original, not recalled exam questions. Exam details are summarized from API's published Body of Knowledge, effectivity sheet and program pages; fees, dates and editions change — always confirm at api.org before you apply. Our domain weights are estimates; API publishes no percentages.