API 510 Certification Exam Study Plan

Body of Knowledge
You should have received a document called the "Body of Knowledge". This details the items covered by the exam. It's a

The Examination
The certification examination has 150 multiple-choice questions. Each question has four possible answers. A few of the m
a calculation. You will need to perform the calculation and then pick the correct answer. The test is divided into two sectio
section. The closed-book portion of the test generally has about 100 to 105 questions. Most inspectors spend about 2 hou
portion of the test has about 45 to 50 questions and most inspectors spend about 3 hours on this section. The open-book
looking up detailed info from Tables or Code paragraphs.

Closed Book vs Open Book

Open book generally contains:

All calculations (except Corrosion Rates, Remaining Life, Inspection Intervals)
Data from Tables (e.g. MDMT for SA-516 Gr 60 that is 1 thick)

Insignificant data that an inspector should be able to find.

Closed book generally contains:

Only calculations - Corrosion Rates, Remaining Life, Inspection Intervals
Most of the data from the API 510, 572 & 576

Key items from the ASME documents

Two example questions

On a RT, what is the maximum film density allowed in the Area of Interest (weld)? This could be close
the inspector.

When temper-bead welding, the maximum electrode size for the initial pass is? This should be open b
important to memorize?

Study Materials
The first step in preparing for the exam is to obtain the reference publications. The "Effectivity Sheet" has a complete list o
Make sure your publications have the correct revision. Now don't immediately dive into all the books. It's time to see the b
understanding of what each publication covers. Do this by reviewing the opening paragraph of each publication. (This is g
is often overlooked and the inspector then fails to get the big picture. Get the big picture! As you review the scope of each
Contents. This will help familiarize you with the contents and the unique organization of the document. Different committe
significance variation in how each document is organized.

Study Priority
You have only a limited amount of time to study, so you need to invest your time wisely where you can get the MAXIMUM
directly from API 510, 572 & 576. So that's your priority! For every hour spent studying the other publications, spend
We cannot over-stress the importance of using your study time wisely. One last set of data, there will be about 85 test que
documents together total about 60 pages. That averages almost 1-1/2 questions per page. The remaining 65 questions w
other documents. That's less than 1 question for every 10 pages. Spend your time mining in the rich veins of API . To be m
Majors, and Minor on the Minors". For this exam, the API documents are the "Majors"!

Suggestions to Study
So how to Study easily? Start with the API documents and then spell "SUCCESS". If you use "SUCCESS" you will be SU
SUCCESS" represents.

S - SECTION by section.
Don't jump around in the API documents. Start with Section 1 and thoroughly study it before moving on to the next section

U - UNDERLINE or highlight key words. (Remember, you can highlight and write in the books!) Highlighting helps our me
information as we review. (Note! Don't highlight every line, it loses its emphasis.)

C - CHART when possible. Draw your own charts or tables when it might help you summarize a lot of information. For exa
inspections detailed in API 510. For each of these inspections, API 510 identifies who can perform the inspections, maxim
and you will significantly increase your memorization speed. Also keep track of important numbers, i.e. temperatures, dist
questions coming from important numbers in the codes.

C - CLARIFY issues. Always try to understand the reasoning behind the statements in the Code. If you understand the co

E - EXAMINATION by others.
Have others ask you questions, questions, and more questions. Questions should come from your highlighted key concep
to your success. (Group Study is good opportunity to ask questions)

S - SEEK assistance when stumped. Don't waste valuable time researching answers when confused. call experts or your
Remember time is limited.

S - STAY on track. Be methodical and organized in your study. Don't overdo some sections only to rush through the last s

Time Management
Time is your limited resource. If you follow the above suggestions, your learning efficiency will increase. Why spend 100 h
as much or even more in 50 hours with a disciplined and organized approach. See below given preparation plan that prov
The plan is based on 6 weeks of preparation with a minimum of 8 study hours each week. This plan will allow you to stud
satisfaction will significantly increase with this disciplined approach. Do not wait and cram the week before the test. You m
what little you learned. Preparing for these certification exams are a great opportunity to really increase your inspection kn

Week One
Review scopes of all reference publications
Read and outline API 510 Sections 1-5

Read and highlight API 572

Week Two
Read and outline API 510 Sections 6-7
Read and highlight API 576

Week Three
Review API 572
Review API 576

Review all highlighted key ideas

Week Four
Read and study appropriate sections of Inspection Guide Chap II
Review all cue cards and all highlighted key ideas

Week Five
Practice each required calculation
Try to find answers in the big books

Highlight and tab key areas

Ask questions, dont leave class confused about concepts

Week Six
Read and study BPV Section IX (QW Section)
Read and study BPV Section V (Primarily Article 2)

Review all highlighted key ideas

Clarify any outstanding issues

then PASS the EXAMINATION

 If you have any doubts or clarification contact us by E-mail or fill feedback form and send. Our goal is to help you to achie

Tips to Prepare for APIs 7-hour Individual

Certification Program Exams
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For an inspector or potential inspector in the oil and gas industry, getting an API 510 (pressure vessel),
API 570 (piping), and API 653 (storage tank) inspector certifications is a no-brainer to advancing their
career and finding stable work. The examination process is tough however, and involves a 8.5-hour day,
broken down into a short tutorial session, 3 hours to write the closed-book portion of the exam, 1 hour
for lunch, and 4 hours to write the open-book portion of the exam. Using CASTIs experience from
helping thousands of inspectors obtain their API certifications, we have developed 3 tips that anyone can
follow to better prepare for API certification exams.

1. Study on a Computer

All API certification exams are done on a computer at Prometric test centers located around the world.
This means that if you study for the exams using pen and paper, you might end up scrambling to adjust
to the computer when it comes time to write your exam. For example, the exams only allow candidates
to view either a single question or a code document, not both, at any given time. If you are not
accustomed to viewing a screen for several hours at a time, that could also put you at a disadvantage.
API provides a sample of what the examination software looks like with their CBT tutorial. Exam
candidates should be familiar with the exam format before stepping into the exam room. CASTI provides
the full computer experience by having students study and answer practice questions online, providing
them with computer-based testing experience before writing their actual exam.

2. Use Exam-Specific Code Documents

Not everything in the code documents listed for each API certification will be tested on. CASTI
recommends that exam candidates obtain exam-specific code documents, which contain only the
sections being tested. Having exam-specific documents prevents exam candidates from being distracted
by sections of code documents that are not being tested. Consider the API 510 certification, which
covers 8 code documents; a complete set of those code documents contain nearly 3,000 pages. A set of
exam-specific code documents for API 510 would contain about 1,300 pages, which is a lot fewer pages
to get lost in and waste valuable study time.

The Body of Knowledge and Effectivity Sheets for each certification outline which sections of each code
document are relevant to the exam, so someone with a full set can remove unrelated pages. CASTI also
sells exam-specific documents to eliminate having to figure out which sections are required and
manually sorting them.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice

All code documents contain notes on special circumstances, exceptions, additional rules, and references
that exam candidates will be tested on. It is difficult for most people to memorize over a thousand pages
of text, so the best way to get familiar with the material is to do practice problems. CASTIs API training
programs were developed by certified API inspectors who use the codes regularly. As such, we are able
to provide students with several exams worth of practice questions. This allows exam candidates to see
which areas they need to spend more time studying before taking the actual exam, thereby boosting
their chances of passing.

Obtaining an API certification is a challenge for most people, but we have found that by putting in the
time and effort, exam candidates who follow these tips perform much better than the ones who do not.
If you would like more information on API certifications and training, you can contact us at
training@casti.ca