Second Mate to Master 1600 Ton Upgrade Practice Test

Already a Second Mate (unlimited)? One 70-question module plus a short stability set. Your NMC approval letter lists the exact modules. Coast Guard exam code ONC03.

68 real questions from the Coast Guard National Maritime Center's public sample exams, free. Each module needs 70% to pass.

Passing score: Coast Guard pass marks module by module, and the retest rules

What's free: daily rounds, the Brig, the drills and the Pass Meter, for every license. Your first module test is free too. After that, the full Exam Room is $19, once. No subscription.

What's on the test

Your exam also has Q131 Stability Problems: about 10 load and stability calculations worked from the Coast Guard's Stability Data Reference Book, which the exam room gives you. They aren't drilled here; practice them with that book.

10 sample questions

1. Your vessel is port side to a pier with a spring line led aft from the bow. How will the vessel respond in calm weather, with the engines ahead and hard left rudder?

   • A.The bow will swing in and the stern out
   • B.The bow will slip out and the stern in
   • C.Both the bow and stern will move out
   • D.Both the bow and stern will move in
   Show answer

   A. The bow will swing in and the stern out

   Q160, Deck General

2. You are docking a vessel. Which statement is TRUE?

   • A.You should go in with the current
   • B.You should approach the dock at a 90° angle
   • C.You should go in against the current
   • D.You should pass a mooring line to the dock and let the crew pull the vessel to
   Show answer

   C. You should go in against the current

   Q160, Deck General

3. When turning a ship in restricted space with a strong wind, which is the BEST action to take?

   • A.Back down with the rudder hard to one side, if on a single-screw vessel
   • B.Turn so that the tendency to back into the wind can be used, if on a single-screw vessel
   • C.Take advantage of the tendency to back to port, if on a twin-screw vessel
   • D.Go ahead on both engines with the rudder hard to one side, if on a twin-screw vessel
   Show answer

   B. Turn so that the tendency to back into the wind can be used, if on a single-screw vessel

   Q160, Deck General

4. Which term is sometimes used to refer to a disk with a horizontal line through its center, equivalent to the summer load line on a vessel?

   • A.The deadrise mark
   • B.The Plimsoll mark
   • C.The maximum allowable draft mark
   • D.The tonnage mark
   Show answer

   B. The Plimsoll mark

   Q160, Deck General

5. You are signing on a crew. Which person is presenting a Merchant Mariner's Document (MMD) that you should suspect as being invalid?

   • A.A seaman with an MMD only endorsed as "Bosun"
   • B.An AB with an endorsement of "Any unlicensed rating in the deck department including Able Seaman"
   • C.A Purser with an MMD only endorsed "See certificate of registry"
   • D.A Chief Steward with an MMD only endorsed as "Steward's Dept. (FH)"
   Show answer

   A. A seaman with an MMD only endorsed as "Bosun"

   Q160, Deck General

6. You are 15 feet off a pier and docking a vessel using only a bow breast line and stern breast line. Once the slack is out of both lines you begin to haul in on the bow breast line. What is the effect on the vessel?

   • A.The bow and stern come in equally closer toward the pier.
   • B.The bow will come in and the stern will go out.
   • C.The stern will come in and the bow will remain the same distance off the pier.
   • D.The bow will come in and the stern will remain the same distance off the pier.
   Show answer

   D. The bow will come in and the stern will remain the same distance off the pier.

   Q356, Deck General / Safety

7. Normally, where is the potable water systems directly connected to?

   • A.A freshwater sanitary system
   • B.The vessel's fire-main system
   • C.The potable water tank
   • D.The feed-water system
   Show answer

   C. The potable water tank

   Q356, Deck General / Safety

8. The steering oar in a lifeboat is usually referred to as the __________.

   • A.sweep oar
   • B.bumpkin oar
   • C.stroke oar
   • D.becket oar
   Show answer

   A. sweep oar

   Q445, Lifeboat Operator

9. Prior to lowering the lifeboat, which is the most important item to check?

   • A.Boat plug
   • B.Oars
   • C.Sail
   • D.Life preservers
   Show answer

   A. Boat plug

   Q445, Lifeboat Operator

10. Which is the major disadvantage of a low-speed diesel as compared to a steam main-propulsion system?

    • A.The minimum speed for the engines that limits the minimum speed of the vessel
    • B.The low efficiency of the system when a controllable pitch propeller is used
    • C.The extra weight required for the diesel reduction gearing
    • D.The higher fuel consumption per SHP
    Show answer

    A. The minimum speed for the engines that limits the minimum speed of the vessel

    Q411, Towing Deck Safety (Oceans/Near Coastal)

What the study guide does

• Short daily rounds of 10 questions, with a streak.
• Practice tests built like the real one, scored with the real pass marks (first one free, then $19 once for the full Exam Room).
• The Brig: questions you miss come back until you get them right twice.
• Pass Meter: your chance of passing every module if you sat it today, worked out from your own answers.
• Lights, shapes and sound signal drills (Rules 21-35).