I hold 570,653 and TES.Will be taking my 510 in December You dont study, you wont pass. You do not have experience in the area you are testing for,you wont pass. You have a companu who will say you havethe experience when you dont, pay for a prep class, study your butt off, you have a good chance to pass the test. The API test are really hard. Really hard.
Also code books are $1100 to $1500 for each one. Prep classis $1200 plus motel. Test is $750. If you are doing this yourself, budget $5K not counting lost time from work. Also you canot take the 570 and 510 testat the same sitting. You can only sit for one. Then set again in 6 months for the other.
Check out api.org and click on individual certification programs
Do you have experienceinspecting or working with pressure vessels or process piping?
If you can pass a CWI then you can pass the API exams. Obviously taking a prep course will increase your odds and make things much easier, but you can just read/study and pass on your own. Many folks don't realize that the body of knowledge basically spells out exactly what you're required to retain. Most if not all prep courses just take the body of knowledge one step at a time which you can do on our own, given your motivated.
Good luck!