For inspectors sitting API 510
API 510 course and practice exams
Practice that matches the API 510 exam: same length, same clock.
Practice “Corrosion rates, remaining life and inspection intervals” in the courseThis module is in the course. The course has the full lesson and its practice questions, one at a time with the explanation after each answer.
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- 8 modules of lessons with worked examples
- 2 timed exams at real length: 170 questions, 390 minutes
- Timed API 510 lookups, 8 a set, with your median time
Lifetime access, including your retake
Paid to API, not us API 510 exam fee $875–$890 member, $1,125–$1,140 non-member. Our prices above cover the prep, not the exam.
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Everything in API 510 course
Learn every Body of Knowledge section, work the calculations step by step, then prove it on timed exams.
- 8 lesson modules covering every task in API's API 510 outline
- Timed lookups in API 510 by section and paragraph number, 8 a set, with your median time on each set
- 6 worked calculations you can repeat with your own numbers
- A week-by-week study plan built from your free check and exam date
- 617 original questions, each explained with the code section it uses
- 2 full-length timed exams (170 questions, 390 minutes), weighted like the real exam
- An optional 45-minute break separates the closed-book and open-book parts.
- After each timed exam, see how each domain moved since your last one
- Domain scores after every drill show what to study next
- Exam-day checklist: what to bring, allowed references and the calculator rules
- Today's 10: ten a day, and every miss comes back until you get it right
- Listen to Today's 10 on the go
- Readiness by domain, from your own practice results
- Every question, reshuffled into new sets aimed at your weakest domain
- Flashcards for every domain, with spaced review
- Code-book tab map
- Patch, your AI study assistant
Best if: You want a structured path through the whole Body of Knowledge.
What's covered
- API 510: scope, the inspector, repairs and rerating
- Corrosion rates, remaining life and inspection intervals
- Required thickness and MAWP under Section VIII Division 1
- Pressure testing and impact test exemptions
- Welding procedures, qualifications and welding practice
- Nondestructive examination
- Damage mechanisms, materials and vessel inspection practice
- Relief devices, material verification and repair methods
In API 510 course
- 617original questions
- 2timed exams at real length
- 8modules of lessons
- 8timed code lookups a set
Try Patch on a real question
Patch explains the why in plain words, for any practice question you answer. Answer this free practice question, then tap Ask Patch why. In the course you can ask Patch about any practice question you answer, with follow-ups.
V. Practical knowledge - specific (RP 571 listed mechanisms, RP 572, RP 576, RP 578, PCC-2 listed articles)
Inside a carbon steel overhead accumulator in sour water service at about 100 F, the inspector finds smooth bulges on the plate. UT shows a flat reflector parallel to the surface at mid-wall under each bulge, with no measurable wall loss elsewhere. Which damage mechanism is this?
Press A-D or 1-4 to choose an answer while this question is on screen.
Choose an answer to begin
What members get
With the course.
Today's 10 10 questions a day from your misses and your weakest domain, so what you got wrong comes back. Plus a missed set of up to 50.
A plan to your exam date Set your date and get a week-by-week plan you can add to your calendar in one tap.
Readiness by domain Your practice results against a 75% study target, and how they moved this week. A study target, not a pass prediction.
- Timed exams on the real clock. A live pace line, and Save and exit when you need a break. You pick up with the time you had left.
- A printable formula sheet. API 510: the course's formulas with worked example arithmetic.
- An exam-day guide. What to bring, the references you may use and the calculator rules.
- 617 original questions, every one explained. Review every miss after each timed exam. Practice sets show you the ones you haven't seen first.
- Wrong answer key? We fix it within 2 business days and log it publicly.
- One payment. No subscription, nothing renews.
- Didn't pass? Every plan except the 7-day pass has lifetime access. Your retake prep is already paid for.
Look inside the course
The real course screens you get after checkout, shown here with sample questions and answers.
Timed exam with flagsA countdown clock, a flag button on every question and a navigator that shows what you answered and flagged. Review every missAfter the exam, open any question you missed to see your choice, the correct answer, why, and the code section to read. Readiness by domainEach domain rated from your own answers, with a one-click drill where you need work.
Practice drawn to the API 510 outline: every domain at its exam weight
- Thickness measurements, inspection intervals and vessel integrity30%
- Welding procedure and qualification evaluation20%
- Nondestructive examination15%
- Practical knowledge - general20%
- Practical knowledge - specific15%
See the numbers
Each domain's weight on the API 510 outline, as our timed exams draw it, beside its share of the 617-question bank.
| Domain | Outline | Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness measurements, inspection intervals and vessel integrity | 30% | 30% |
| Welding procedure and qualification evaluation | 20% | 20% |
| Nondestructive examination | 15% | 15% |
| Practical knowledge - general | 20% | 20% |
| Practical knowledge - specific | 15% | 15% |
Next API 510 window: May 2027. API's application deadline is 4 Mar 2027.
Instant access. Everything in the plan you choose opens as soon as checkout completes.
See the teaching before you buyRead a complete lesson from the course, “Corrosion rates, remaining life and inspection intervals”, and try a short practice set with full explanations. Free, no signup.
Read the free lessonWhat the course covers
8 modules covering every task in the API 510 outline. Taught to API 510 11th ed. (2022) and the effectivity-sheet references.
- API 510: scope, the inspector, repairs and rerating (5 sections)
- Corrosion rates, remaining life and inspection intervals (4 sections)
- Required thickness and MAWP under Section VIII Division 1 (5 sections)
- Pressure testing and impact test exemptions (4 sections)
- Welding procedures, qualifications and welding practice (4 sections)
- Nondestructive examination (5 sections)
- Damage mechanisms, materials and vessel inspection practice (4 sections)
- Relief devices, material verification and repair methods (3 sections)
Questions
When do I get access?
Straight away. Checkout takes you to your course, and the receipt email has the same link.
How do I get back into my course?
Use the link in your receipt email. If you can't find it, enter your email on the course page and we resend it to the address on your order.
Is 617 questions enough?
Each one comes with a worked explanation and its reference. You also get 24 end-of-module checks, timed code-lookup drills in sets of 8 and 6 worked calculations. Today's 10 and your missed set bring your misses back on later days, so you work the bank instead of reading it once.
Can I get a refund?
Eligibility depends on your plan, when you request a refund and your paid use. See the refund terms for the conditions and exceptions.
What if I need a retest?
Keep studying in the same course. Your access has no end date, so your retake prep is already paid for, and your practice history, missed questions and readiness by domain are still there. The 7-day pass is the exception: it ends after 7 days.
How long do I keep access?
Lifetime access: your access has no end date. Updates are included, so if American Petroleum Institute moves this exam to a newer code edition while you have access, your course moves with it. The 7-day pass is the exception. 7-day pass: access ends 7 days after payment, to the minute. It does not renew and is not a subscription. A timed practice exam started before then can still be finished.
More questions (12)
Which editions does the course use?
The questions are written to API 510 11th ed. (2022) and the effectivity-sheet references.
If I buy the 7-day pass now, is its price taken off a bigger plan later?
No. Each plan is a separate purchase at its listed price, and the $39 paid for the 7-day pass is not credited toward another plan. With more than a week before your exam, a full plan is the better buy.
Are the questions copied from the exam?
No. Every question is original and written to American Petroleum Institute's published content outline. Exam content is confidential and we never use it. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by American Petroleum Institute.
How are the questions written?
In our own words, to API's current published outline. See how many questions cover each domain.
Do I need my own copy of API 510?
No. In the open-book part of the exam, API shows only the sections of the publications on its Publications Effectivity Sheet on your screen as PDFs, and papers, notes and books are not allowed in the testing center. A copy of those publications is still useful for practice, so you can find your way around them before the clock starts. We cite sections by number and never reproduce the text of any API or ASME document. Check the sheet for your exam date.
When are the API 510 exam windows and application deadlines?
API's schedule lists a January 2 to 22, 2027 window with an application deadline of October 29, 2026. The next ones are May 7 to 28, 2027 (deadline March 4, 2027) and September 3 to 24, 2027 (deadline July 2, 2027). The exam is given in person at designated test centers.
Am I eligible to sit the API 510 exam?
It depends on education and experience with pressure vessels from the last 10 years, documented on your application and verified by API. In short: a bachelor's degree needs 1 year, a 2-year degree needs 2 years, a high school diploma needs 3 years, and no formal education needs 5 or more years. At least one year must be supervising or performing inspection work.
How is the exam day laid out?
It runs 7.5 hours: a short tutorial, 2.75 hours closed book (110 questions), a 45-minute lunch and 3.75 hours open book (60 questions). Of the 170 questions, 140 are scored and the rest are pretest. In the open-book part only the sections of publications on API's effectivity sheet are on screen as PDFs. Papers and books are not allowed in the room.
What does API 510 recertification need?
Certification lasts 3 years. To recertify you need to show that at least 20% of your time over the 3 years went to performing or supervising pressure vessel inspection, plus 24 hours of continuing professional development in each 3-year cycle. You can apply 90 days before expiry and for a 90-day grace period after, with late fees after the expiration date. Without active inspection work you take the full exam again.
Can my employer pay?
Yes. Pay at checkout and we email a receipt you can expense, or download a reimbursement request to send your manager.
Is Patch AI?
Yes. Patch is an AI study assistant, not a person or an instructor. Check important details against your lessons and references.
Can you promise I will pass?
No, and nobody honest can. We promise everything listed in your plan, and a fix within 2 business days for any wrong answer key.
Employer paying?
Many employers fund API 510 prep. Generate a reimbursement request PDF to send to your manager. Buying for a crew? Request a quote