From the free demo to instant delivery, from 365 days of updates to a money-back guarantee, PracticeVCE covers every step of your API Welding Inspection And Metallurgy journey in 2026. Pick your API-577 package, work through 112 expert-verified questions, and book your exam with confidence.
API API-577 Exam Overview:
| Certification Vendor: | American Petroleum Institute (API) |
|---|---|
| Exam Name: | Welding Inspection and Metallurgy Exam |
| Exam Number: | API-577 |
| Exam Duration: | 195 minutes |
| Certificate Validity Period: | 3 years |
| Exam Format: | Multiple-choice questions, Closed-book exam |
| Passing Score: | Scaled score, approximately 70% |
| Available Languages: | English |
| Related Certifications: | API 570 Piping Inspector API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspector API 653 Aboveground Storage Tank Inspector |
| Exam Price: | $440 USD |
| Real Exam Qty: | 110 (100 scored, 10 pre-test) |
| Recommended Training: | API Recommended Training Resources |
| Exam Registration: | API Official Registration |
| Sample Questions: | DOWNLOAD DEMO |
| Exam Way: | Online remote proctored or in-person at Prometric test centers |
| Pre Condition: | Hold current API 510, 570 or 653 certification; or BS/BE + 1 year experience; or 2-year degree + 2 years experience; or high school + 3 years experience (all within last 10 years) |
| Official Syllabus URL: | https://www.api.org/products-and-services/individual-certification-programs/certifications/api577 |
API API-577 Exam Syllabus Topics:
| Section | Weight | Objectives |
|---|---|---|
| Topic 1: Welding Processes | 20% | - Process principles, equipment, applications and limitations - Common welding processes (SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, SAW, etc.) - Welding parameters and their effects |
| Topic 2: Welding Materials and Consumables | 15% | - Filler metal classification and selection - P-number and F-number assignments - Consumable storage, handling and control |
| Topic 3: Welding Inspection Techniques | 15% | - Inspection planning and documentation - Non-destructive examination (NDE) methods related to welding - Defect evaluation and acceptance standards - Visual inspection methods and criteria |
| Topic 4: Welding Procedures and Qualifications | 20% | - Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) - Welder performance qualification - Essential and non-essential variables - Procedure Qualification Record (PQR) |
| Topic 5: Industry Applications and Standards | 10% | - Safety and quality control in welding operations - Refining and petrochemical plant welding requirements - API RP 577 and related codes/standards |
| Topic 6: Welding Metallurgy | 20% | - Weld defects and metallurgical causes - Material properties and classifications - Heat-affected zone (HAZ) and microstructure changes - Phase transformations and cooling rates |
API Welding Inspection And Metallurgy Exam FAQs and Straight Answers
The API-577 exam, officially titled Welding Inspection And Metallurgy, is the qualifying test for the Welding Inspection and Metallurgy Certification certification from American Petroleum Institute (API), a credential at the Specialist level. Passing it proves you have the skills employers look for in certified professionals, and it can also support progress toward related credentials such as API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspector, API 570 Piping Inspector, API 653 Aboveground Storage Tank Inspector.
The API Welding Inspection And Metallurgy exam gives you 195 minutes to work through 110 (100 scored, 10 pre-test) questions. That is a steady pace with little room for second-guessing, so train yourself to read each question once, flag the difficult ones, and keep moving. Before exam day, sit at least two full timed sessions in the PracticeVCE test engine — when the clock feels familiar, it stops being a threat.
You need Scaled score, approximately 70% to pass, and the official registration fee is $440 USD. Fall short and you pay that fee in full again for every retake, which makes solid preparation the cheaper option by far. Work through the PracticeVCE practice questions until you score comfortably above the passing mark, then book your seat.
Hold current API 510, 570 or 653 certification; or BS/BE + 1 year experience; or 2-year degree + 2 years experience; or high school + 3 years experience (all within last 10 years) Eligibility rules can change over time, so before you register, confirm the latest requirements on the official exam page: American Petroleum Institute (API) API-577 exam overview.
You can book your API-577 exam through any of these official registration channels:
The exam is delivered as Online remote proctored or in-person at Prometric test centers, so you can pick the option that fits your schedule when you book.
American Petroleum Institute (API) recommends the following training for API Welding Inspection And Metallurgy candidates:
Pair that training with the 112 practice questions from PracticeVCE and you can check your readiness topic by topic before exam day.
Yes. PracticeVCE offers a free PDF demo for the API Welding Inspection And Metallurgy exam so you can judge the quality of our questions and answers before paying anything. Every purchase also comes with 365 days of free updates, and once that period expires you can extend your update service at a 50% discount.
Your purchase is protected by a 100% money-back guarantee. If you sit the corresponding API-577 exam within 60 days of buying and do not pass, send us a scan of your exam enrollment slip together with your official Score Report (PDF) within 2 days of the exam date — the candidate name must match the payer's name — and we will process your full refund within 7 days. Please note that exams taken within 3 days of purchase, materials downloaded without ever sitting the exam, free products, and expired orders are not covered. If you would rather not have a refund, you can exchange your order for two exam products of equal value, free of charge, and keep the update service on your original purchase.
Delivery is instant: your files are emailed to you within one minute of payment and can also be downloaded directly, with no limit on the number of computers you install them on. If nothing has arrived within 2 hours, contact our customer service team and we will sort it out.
The API Welding Inspection And Metallurgy syllabus is organized into 6 domains. The main areas include Industry Applications and Standards (10%), Welding Processes (20%), and Welding Procedures and Qualifications (20%). Scroll up to the Exam Topics section above for the complete, current outline before you plan your study schedule.
API Welding Inspection And Metallurgy Sample Questions:
If an individual changes an essential variable in the WPS, the individual must:
- A. List the change as a supplement to the WPS.
- B. Re-qualify the WPS.
- C. Re-qualify the PQR.
- D. Record the change on the existing WPS.
Correct Answer: B 🗳️
Hardness testing of production welds and the HAZ requires test areas to be:
- A. Cleaned down to the bare metal.
- B. Clean, flat area or even flush with the base metal.
- C. Ground to a smooth contour.
- D. Cleaned to remove surface scale and flux.
Correct Answer: B 🗳️
Which of the following is a hazard associated with in-service welding on a carbon steel pipe containing chlorine?
- A. Carbon steel will burn in the presence of chlorine and high heat.
- B. Explosion or unstable reaction with the addition of localized heat.
- C. Hydrogen released during welding process can initiate hydrogen-assisted cracking.
- D. Exothermic decomposition or explosion.
Correct Answer: B 🗳️
What is(are) the most appropriate action(s) to prepare an in-service carbon steel piping system that has been in caustic service for welding?
- A. Steam out the piping system and dry
- B. Verify with pH paper that any surface liquid is "basic"
- C. Neutralize and clean the surface within 6 in. (150 mm) of weld bevels
- D. Grind the surfaces near the bevel to remove contaminants
Correct Answer: C 🗳️
In general, austenitic stainless steels are considered to have:
- A. Significant issues with lack of sidewall fusion.
- B. A tendency toward lack of root pass fusion.
- C. Good weldability.
- D. Fewer problems with distortion.
Correct Answer: C 🗳️
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