NBBI Authorized Inspector (AI) study guide
NBBI Authorized Inspector (AI) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The National Board Authorized Inspector commission is issued by The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, headquartered at 1055 Crupper Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, to individuals who perform Code inspections of boilers and pressure vessels on behalf of an authorized inspection agency or an owner-user inspection organization. It is a working credential rather than an academic certificate: it is what allows a qualified individual to carry out the inspection, repair, alteration and pressure relief device work that the ASME construction codes and the NBIC require. The NBBI Authorized Inspector (AI) study guide has 8 sections and about 3,145 words.
01ASME Construction Requirements: Sections I, IV, and VIII
The exam tests whether you can place a given item in the right ASME construction code and then apply that code's inspection and testing rules. Scope errors cascade: the wrong code means the wrong stamp, the wrong data report form, and the wrong test pressure.
439 words, about 2 min02NBIC Inspection
NBIC Part 2 governs in-service inspection. The exam tests whether you can build an inspection plan, evaluate condition against nameplate data, and document findings so the item may lawfully remain in service.
370 words, about 2 min03Repairs and Alterations
NBIC Part 3 separates a repair from an alteration, and that distinction drives everything: who may do the work, what design is required, which form is issued, and whether the item must be re-rated. Repair: work that restores an item to its original design condition - weld build-up of wasted area, a flush patch, replacing a tube or a shell section.
388 words, about 2 min04Materials
Materials questions here are rarely about metallurgy for its own sake; they ask whether the documentation and marking you reviewed actually support the design. Section II Part A - ferrous specifications; Part B - nonferrous; Part C - welding consumables; Part D - properties, including allowable stress tables and their notes.
402 words, about 2 min05Welding and Nondestructive Examination
Welding and NDE questions test the chain of qualification and the separation of method from acceptance. WPS - the written procedure the shop works to.
380 words, about 2 min06Pressure Relief Devices and Certification
Pressure relief is the last line of defense, and the exam tests whether you can check three things at once: set pressure, capacity, and certification. V - safety valves for Section I power boilers; HV - heating boiler safety valves (Section IV); UV - pressure relief valves for Section VIII vessels; UD - rupture disk devices; NV - nuclear.
380 words, about 2 min07Inspection Duties
The AI's authority is personal and cannot be delegated. This domain tests the qualifications that make a signature valid and the duties that must be performed before it is given.
384 words, about 2 min08Reports, Stamping, and Administrative Requirements
The paperwork is the product: an unstamped, undocumented item is not a code item. This domain tests data reports, nameplate content, and the administrative rules behind both.
402 words, about 2 min