API 510 EXAMINATION

OVERVIEW
The API Exams are given the first
Wednesday of June and December.

The Exam is given in two halves. The

morning is the Open Book portion. The
afternoon portion is Closed Book.

4 hours are allotted to each half.

In the Open Book portion you are
allowed to have all the Code books and
the API Recommended Practices to use
as needed.

These books can be highlighted, tabbed

and may have hand written notes in the
margins of the pages.
In the Closed Book portion you are not
allowed to use the Code books or the API
Recommended Practices.
All questions are multiple choice, there
are a total of 150 questions each worth
2/3 point.
The Open Book half will have from 45 to
55 questions.
The balance of the questions will be on
the second half Closed Book portion in
the afternoon.
The examination is scored using a curve.
The number of correct questions to pass
varies from exam to exam.
This is based on the difficulty level of one
exam to another. Each question when
written is assigned a level of difficulty from
1 to 4, 4 being the hardest.
If a given exam has a high number of
harder questions, it may only require 98
correct to pass, likewise easier exams
may require 115 correct.
Code Books and Recommended
Practices Required for the Exam
The following is a list of the required Codes and Practices and the Editions of each.

• API Standard 510, Pressure Vessel Inspection Code: Maintenance Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration, 8th Edition,
June 1997, Addenda 1, 2, 3 and 4 (August 2003). Global Engineering Product Code API CERT 510
• API Recommended Practice 571, Damage mechanisms Affecting fixed equipment in the refining industry, 1st Edition,
December 2003
ATTENTION: Only the following mechanisms to be included:
Par. 4.2.3 – Temper Embrittlement
4.2.7 – Brittle Fracture
4.2.9 – Thermal Fatigue
4.2.14 – Erosion/Erosion-Corrosion
4.2.16 – Mechanical Failure
4.3.2 – Atmospheric Corrosion
4.3.3 – Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI)
4.3.4 – Cooling Water Corrosion
4.3.5 – Boiler Water Condensate Corrosion
4.4.2 – Sulfidation
4.5.1 – Chloride Stress Corrosion Cracking (Cl-SCC)
4.5.2 – Corrosion Fatigue
4.5.3 – Caustic Stress Corrosion Cracking (Caustic Embrittlement)
5.1.2.3 – Wet H2S Damage (Blistering/HIC/SOHIC/SCC)
5.1.3.1 – High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA)
• API Recommended Practice 572, Inspection of Pressure Vessels, 2nd Edition, February 2001.
• API Recommended Practice 576, Inspection of Pressure-Relieving Devices, 2nd Edition, December 2000.
• API Recommended Practice 577 – Welding Inspection and Metallurgy, First edition, October 2004.
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, 2001 edition with 2002 and
2003 addenda.
i. Section V, Nondestructive Examination, Articles 1, 2, 6, 7 and 23 (section SE-797)
ii. Section VIII, Rules for Construction of Pressure Vessels, Division 1, UG, UW, UCS, UHT, Appendices 1-4, 6, 8
and 12
iii. Section IX, Welding and Brazing Qualifications, Welding only
ASME CODES OVERVIEW
Section VIII Div.1 Unfired Pressure Vessels.

Section VIII is divided into 3 Subsections.

Subsection A
General Rules which apply to all vessels

Subsection B
Methods of Fabrication
Specific Rules based on method (s) used

Subsection C
Specific Rules Based on Material (s)
On the Exam you are responsible for:
Subsection A
Only Part of the UG rules that apply to all vessels no
matter how they are made or what they are made of.

Subsection B
Only Part of the UW rules for vessel fabricated by
welding.

Subsection C
Only Part of the UCS rules for vessel made of
Carbon or Low Alloys.
 About the course

• The course will start with Section VIII Subsection B

Methods of Fabrication Part UW, Welding.
• Next we will cover Part UG General Rules and
calculations.
• Then we will cover the material specific rules for Carbon
and Low Alloy Steels Part UCS.
• Upon completion of the Section VIII coverage we will
commence Section IX Welding.
• After Section IX we will be covering Section V NDE.
• Then in order API 510, RP 572, RP 576 and, Chapter 2.
 About the course

• There will be quizzes throughout the course.

• There will be homework reading assignments.
• There will be exercises to complete between
classes.
• There will be a final exam.
• You will receive 3 Practice Exams each with 150
questions and the solutions sheets for self study.
• You will be very tired of Codes and calculations
when this course is over.
 Other than the books, what do I need?

• You need highlighters.

• You need tabs.
• A red pen or pencil (optional).
• The KISS principle applies , Keep It Simple
Stupid. You need a simple calculator it need not
have any Math function higher than Square
Root.
• You may want a backup calculator during the
exam……..
 Questions?
If not let’s get started!