A Coast Guard license exam isn't one test. It's several modules, each with its own pass mark. Here are the numbers from the National Maritime Center's exam guide, and the retest rules from the regulation.
Rules of the Road: 90% (45 of 50). Chart plot: 90% (9 of 10). Most other modules: 70%.
You have to pass every module for your endorsement. Rules of the Road is the one that sinks people: 50 questions, and you can miss only 5. Each module has a 3.5-hour limit, and your examiner scores it before you leave.
Checked October 18, 2026 against the official sources listed at the bottom of this page.
Practice every module freeOUPV, Master 100 and 200 ton, at the real pass marks| Module | Questions | To pass |
|---|---|---|
| Q100 Rules of the Road: Inland and International | 50 | 90% (45) |
| OUPV Near Coastal: Q170 Deck General/Safety, Q171 Navigation General | 50 each | 70% (35) |
| Master 100 Near Coastal: Q160 Deck General, Q161 Deck Safety, Q162 Navigation General | 50 each | 70% (35) |
| Navigation Problems: Chart Plot (Q172 OUPV, Q163 Master) | 10 | 90% (9) |
Inland routes can take Q300 Rules of the Road: Inland instead (also 90%), but that puts a COLREGS limitation on your credential. Your approval-to-test letter lists your exact modules.
If you fail a module by a single question, you can review the module and, before you leave the exam room, challenge up to two questions you got wrong, with your reason and any math (NMC Examinations FAQ).
From 46 CFR 11.217 (officer endorsements, including OUPV and Master):
Ratings like Able Seaman and Lifeboatman follow 46 CFR 12.205 instead: retest any time, but after a third failure you wait 90 days.
It depends on the module. Rules of the Road is 90% (45 of 50), the chart plot is 90% (9 of 10), and deck and navigation general modules are 70%.
5 of 50. The pass mark is 90%.
If you fail one or two modules, you can retest them twice within the next 3 months (46 CFR 11.217). Fail three or more and you retake the complete exam.
All exams and retests must be finished within 1 year of approval for examination.