API 510 effectivity sheet: which editions and sections are on your exam
Buy the right code books once. The September 2026 window has passed, so this guide leads with the January 2027 and May 2027 windows. The API 510 effectivity sheet tells you which publication editions apply to your exam window, and the Body of Knowledge explains the topics and adds scope details. Use them together before you buy references or pick study material, because the edition you use at work may differ from the one assigned to your exam.
Start with your exam window
The effectivity sheet covers January 2027 and May 2027, along with the September 2026 window that has now passed. Its internal label reads 510_EffSheet2025, so go by the stated exam windows. For a later window, get the new sheet from API's exam information page.
Save the sheet with your appointment information. When you change windows, repeat the edition check, and mark the window on your reference checklist so an older download never becomes your working source.
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IV. Practical knowledge - general
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Editions and section limits
These identifiers come from the effectivity sheet. They are reference pointers, not extracts from the codes:
- API 510: 11th edition, October 2022; Errata 1, March 2023, and Errata 2, 2025.
- API RP 571: 3rd edition, March 2020; Section 2 and paragraphs 3.3, 3.8, 3.9, 3.11, 3.14, 3.15, 3.17, 3.22, 3.27, 3.35, 3.36, 3.37, 3.46, 3.61 and 3.67.
- API RP 572: 5th edition, November 2023.
- API RP 576: 5th edition, September 2024.
- API RP 577: 3rd edition, October 2020; Errata 1, September 2025.
- API RP 578: 4th edition, February 2023.
- ASME BPVC: 2025 edition. Section V: Articles 1, 2, 6, 7 and 23, with Article 23 limited to SE-797. Section VIII, Division 1: U, UG, UW, UCS and Appendices 1 to 4, 6, 8 and 12. Section IX: welding only.
- ASME PCC-2: 2022 edition; Articles 101, 201, 202, 209, 210, 211, 212, 215, 216, 304, 305, 312, 501 and 502, including their appendices.
Keep a column for edition, errata and allowed sections when you check your own copies. Our RP 571 damage mechanisms guide lists the 15 paragraphs one by one and shows how the list changed from the 2024 cycle.
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Read the Body of Knowledge alongside it
The Body of Knowledge gives topic-level direction. It excludes RP 576 annexes. For RP 572 annexes, its opening reference list includes Annex B and excludes the others, while its final topic list includes Annexes A and B and excludes Annex C. The effectivity sheet lists RP 572 without annex limits, so ask API if an annex matters to you. The Body of Knowledge guide explains how the topic groups fit together.
Turn the list into a study routine
Use your own references to build a navigation log. Record the publication, section identifier, topic and what was hard to locate. Practice finding the section before you work the calculation or inspection decision, and keep navigation errors separate from method errors, since they need different practice.
API's exam page says only the effectivity-sheet sections are available during the open-book portion. Our open-book guide explains how those PDFs appear on screen, what the viewer can't do, and a timed drill for finding sections without a search function.
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Sources
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- API 510 Exam Publications Effectivity Sheet, September 2026 to May 2027, American Petroleum Institute
- API 510 Body of Knowledge, September 2026 to May 2027, American Petroleum Institute
- API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspector: Exam Information, American Petroleum Institute
Facts come from the sources listed above. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.
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- ASME PCC-2 on the API 510 Exam: The 14 Articles to Study