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200+ Free API 571 Practice Questions

Pass your API 571 Corrosion and Materials exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: API 571 Exam

110

Current Listed Questions

API 571 certification page

3.25 hrs

Exam Time

API 571 certification page

$380 / $440

2026 Fee

API schedules & fees

2

Official BOK Domains

API 571 BOK

RP 571 3rd

Current Reference

May 2020 edition

Remote

Testing Available

API schedules & fees

As of March 12, 2026, API's live API 571 certification page lists a 110-question, 3.25-hour computer-based exam with remote testing available and 2026 pricing of $380 for API members and $440 for nonmembers. The official Body of Knowledge still centers on two domains, Terms/Definitions/Acronyms and Damage Mechanisms, and the current exam reference remains API RP 571 3rd edition. API does not publish public domain percentages for API 571, and no 2026 blueprint revision has been posted, although API's March 2026 standards plan shows a 4th edition of RP 571 in development.

About the API 571 Exam

API 571 Corrosion and Materials is the API Individual Certification Program exam for inspectors and reliability professionals who need working mastery of damage mechanisms affecting fixed equipment in refining and petrochemical service. The exam is built around API RP 571 and tests how process conditions, metallurgy, contaminants, stress, and temperature combine to produce recognizable corrosion, cracking, embrittlement, and high-temperature damage. Strong candidates can match likely mechanisms to susceptible materials, likely locations, inspection clues, and practical mitigation options.

Assessment

110 multiple-choice questions; API's certification page currently lists 100 scored + 10 pretest items in a closed-book CBT

Time Limit

3.25 hours

Passing Score

Set passing scaled score (API does not publish a raw-percent cutoff for API 571)

Exam Fee

$380 API member / $440 nonmember (American Petroleum Institute (API) / Prometric)

API 571 Exam Content Outline

10% practice weight

Terms, Definitions, and Acronyms

Core corrosion and materials language from the official BOK, including damage-mechanism terminology, process-condition variables, morphology, passivity, sensitization, and inspection vocabulary.

24% practice weight

Uniform and Localized Metal Loss

General corrosion, pitting, crevice attack, underdeposit corrosion, galvanic effects, MIC, erosion-corrosion, cavitation, CUI, and other metal-loss patterns tied to fluid chemistry and geometry.

24% practice weight

Process-Specific Corrosion Mechanisms

Refining-service corrosion in amine, sour water, overhead systems, ammonium salts, acid-gas, HF and sulfuric alkylation, wet CO2, and naphthenic-acid environments, with emphasis on likely locations and controlling variables.

20% practice weight

High-Temperature Damage and Hydrogen Effects

Oxidation, sulfidation, carburization, metal dusting, nitriding, decarburization, and high-temperature hydrogen attack, including alloy susceptibility and temperature-driven risk changes.

22% practice weight

Cracking, Embrittlement, and Mechanical Damage

Wet H2S damage, chloride and polythionic-acid cracking, caustic and amine cracking, fatigue, creep, brittle fracture, sigma/885F/temper embrittlement, graphitization, and other degradation that reduces toughness or causes cracking.

How to Pass the API 571 Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Set passing scaled score (API does not publish a raw-percent cutoff for API 571)
  • Assessment: 110 multiple-choice questions; API's certification page currently lists 100 scored + 10 pretest items in a closed-book CBT
  • Time limit: 3.25 hours
  • Exam fee: $380 API member / $440 nonmember

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

API 571 Study Tips from Top Performers

1Study mechanisms by service, material, and temperature together rather than as isolated definitions.
2Learn to distinguish look-alike mechanisms such as sulfidation versus naphthenic-acid corrosion, chloride SCC versus polythionic-acid cracking, and HIC versus SSC.
3Pay attention to where damage forms first: dead legs, hot insulated attachments, overhead condensing zones, water draw-off points, weld HAZs, and high-velocity impingement areas.
4Review which variables control susceptibility: hardness, PWHT condition, chloride concentration, cyanides, moisture, acid-gas loading, sulfur content, and metal temperature.
5Use metallurgy actively during review. Many API 571 questions hinge on whether the alloy is carbon steel, low-alloy steel, austenitic stainless, duplex stainless, or a Cr-Mo alloy.
6Build quick recognition of morphology words such as blistering, stepwise cracking, branched cracks, oxide scale, knife-line attack, graphitized zones, and coke-like metal dusting pits.
7Finish each study block by asking what inspection method or mitigation makes sense for that mechanism, because API 571 is applied rather than purely definitional.
8Practice mixed sets under time pressure so you can shift quickly from terminology questions to refinery-service scenarios without losing pace.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the API 571 exam?

API's current API 571 certification page lists 110 multiple-choice questions with 100 scored and 10 pretest items. The current BOK PDF still uses older wording that implies 110 scored plus 10 pretest, so the live certification page is the better source for current exam-day logistics. Always verify the live API 571 page before your window opens.

How long is the API 571 exam and where can I take it?

The current time limit is 3.25 hours. API's schedules-and-fees page says remote testing is available for API 571, and API also uses Prometric test centers for in-person CBT delivery. Plan your prep around a closed-book exam where speed in recognizing damage patterns matters more than code lookup.

What score do I need to pass API 571?

API says API 571 uses a set passing scaled score rather than a published raw-percent cutoff. That means you should not treat the exam like a simple 70% test. Preparation goes better when you aim for broad recognition of mechanism drivers, susceptible materials, morphology, and mitigation instead of chasing a guessed minimum percentage.

What are the official content domains for API 571?

API's official BOK lists two top-level domains: Terms, Definitions, and Acronyms; and Damage Mechanisms. API does not publish a public percentage weighting for those domains. In practice, most preparation time should go to damage mechanisms because that is where the vast majority of applied exam judgment lives.

What reference is the API 571 exam based on in 2026?

The current API 571 exam reference remains API RP 571, Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining Industry, 3rd edition, May 2020. As of March 12, 2026, API had not posted a new API 571 BOK or effectivity update moving the exam to a later edition.

What changed for API 571 in 2026?

No 2026 API 571 blueprint revision or scoring change was posted as of March 12, 2026. The notable current-year watch item is API's standards plan showing RP 571 4th edition in development, but the live certification page and BOK still point candidates to the 3rd edition today. Operationally, API's current program pages continue to note remote-testing availability and faster score reporting after the exam.

Who can qualify for the API 571 exam?

Candidates who currently hold API 510, API 570, or API 653 certification automatically qualify for API 571. Candidates without one of those certifications can still qualify through education-and-experience pathways ranging from one year of relevant experience with an engineering or technology degree to five years with no formal education. API expects corrosion, materials, or fixed-equipment inspection work that is directly related to damage-mechanism understanding.