API 570 Piping Inspector Exam Guide & Preparation
API 570 Piping Inspector certifies your competency to inspect, repair, alter, and rerate in-service metallic piping systems in accordance with API 570 and ASME B31.3, the process piping code.
Reviewed by Senior Metallurgical Inspection Engineer, 35+ years · Updated 16 Oct 2026
API 570 Piping Inspector certifies your competency to inspect, repair, alter, and rerate in-service metallic piping systems in accordance with API 570 and ASME B31.3, the process piping code.
It shares an identical exam structure with API 510 and API 653: 170 total questions, 140 scored, split across a closed-book and open-book portion, but tests a distinct body of knowledge centered on piping-specific construction, inspection, and repair rules rather than pressure vessel or storage tank requirements.
Piping introduces inspection challenges that don't apply the same way to vessels: circuit-based corrosion monitoring, since a single pipe run can have very different corrosion rates at different points depending on flow, elbows, and dead legs, plus a wider range of joint types than a typical pressure vessel presents.
Whether you're looking for a structured API 570 course, self-paced API 570 online training, or simply a focused way to study for API 570 certification around a working schedule, EIM's API 570 training platform is built to fit all three.
API 570 vs API 510, 653, and 571
API 570, 510, and 653 are equipment-specific: each tests code compliance, repair procedures, and inspection intervals for a particular asset type, piping, pressure vessels, and storage tanks respectively. A structural note worth understanding before you study: API treats all three as separate, independently maintained credentials, not tiers of one broader qualification. Experience inspecting pressure vessels doesn't automatically count toward API 570 eligibility, and vice versa, each exam's eligibility table looks specifically for equipment-matched experience.
API 571 sits underneath all three as a mechanism-focused certification: instead of asking how to inspect a specific equipment type, it asks why any of that equipment degrades in the first place. Unlike API 510 and 653, holding API 570 does not by itself grant automatic eligibility for anything further, but many piping inspectors pursue API 571 next to deepen their damage-mechanism knowledge.
Qualification & Prerequisites
Body of Knowledge Breakdown
Several domains, weighted by question share. This is the map the question bank is built directly against.
| Domain | Covers |
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How to Register and What to Expect on Exam Day
Candidates apply directly through API's Individual Certification Programs (ICP) portal, not through EIM or any third-party training provider. Exams are administered at Prometric testing centers worldwide during specified testing windows throughout the year.
API's 2026 fee schedule lists the official API 570 exam fee at $875 for API members and $1,125 for nonmembers, the same fee structure used across API's ICP inspector exams. This official fee covers only your Prometric exam seat; it does not include study material, a question bank, or structured exam preparation.
Senior Metallurgical Inspection Engineer, 35+ years
This material was reviewed by a mechanical engineer with over 35 years in inspection, corrosion management, failure analysis and QA/QC across refineries in India and the Middle East.
Sample Practice Questions
Two corrosion monitoring locations on the same piping circuit show corrosion rates of 0.004 in/yr and 0.012 in/yr respectively. Which rate should govern the next thickness-inspection interval for that circuit?
Which configuration is most vulnerable to vibration-induced fatigue?
Which B31.3 chapter covers inspection, examination and testing?
If Section V and the referencing code conflict, which governs?
About how much time is available per question in the open-book session?
Which mechanism is confirmed by deposit sampling and biological analysis?
Who must approve an alteration before the inspector authorises it?
What's Included in the Self-Prep Package
API 570 Question Bank
Scenario-based questions mapped to the current API 570 Body of Knowledge, with a worked explanation for every answer.
API 570 Study Notes
Downloadable study material covering ASME B31.3, inspection classes, and repair and alteration procedures.
API 570 Mock Test
Full-length practice exam mirroring the real closed-book and open-book split under timed conditions.
Related Certifications
Common Questions
What is the API 570 certification?
What is the difference between API 570 and API 510?
How long is the API 570 exam?
How much does API 570 certification cost?
How many years of experience do I need for API 570?
What does EIM's API 570 training include?
Is API 570 recognized as an inspector certification internationally?
What does the open-book portion of API 570 actually let me reference?
Why API 570 Piping Inspector Matters for Asset Integrity Careers
A pattern that consistently trips up API 570 candidates is treating corrosion monitoring as a single number per circuit rather than a set of location-specific readings. Two corrosion monitoring locations on the same piping circuit can show meaningfully different rates depending on flow velocity, turbulence at elbows and tees, and whether a segment is a dead leg. Effective API 570 exam preparation means practicing scenario questions that require you to identify which reading actually governs the next inspection interval, not just calculating a single average.
EIM's API 570 question bank and study notes are built around this reality: every practice question is scenario-based and mapped to the current Body of Knowledge, and the accompanying API 570 mock test mirrors the real exam's closed-book and open-book time pressure so your practice time trains the actual skill the exam demands.
- Fundamentals, Components & Inspection Practices40 Q
- Damage Mechanisms & High-Risk Locations45 Q
- Corrosion Rate, Remaining Life & Intervals105 Q
- B31.3 & B16.5 Calculations185 Q
- Welding, ASME IX & RP 57785 Q
- NDE, PMI & PRDs106 Q
Plus 964 questions in full-length timed mock papers, for 1,841 in all.
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