How Coast Guard License Exams Work

By Captain Mike · 50 years at sea · former MITAGS faculty
Checked against 46 CFR 11.217, 10.403 and National Maritime Center exam guidance · October 2026

The short answer

You can't just sign up for a Coast Guard exam. First the National Maritime Center (NMC) reviews your application and, if you qualify, issues an approval to test.
You then schedule your exam at a Coast Guard Regional Exam Center (REC). The exam is split into modules (sections), and your approval lists exactly which ones you must pass.
You must finish all modules and any retests within 1 year of your approval.
Many endorsements can be earned through a Coast Guard-approved course whose exam is accepted in place of the Coast Guard exam. Check what the course's approval covers before you pay. 46 CFR 10.403

Step by step

Apply and get approved

Submit your application through Navita with your sea service, training and medical. The NMC evaluates it. If you qualify, you receive approval to test, listing the exam modules you need. Navita →

Pay the exam fee and schedule

Pay the examination fee, keep the receipt, and book an appointment at a Regional Exam Center. The NMC asks you to schedule at least 2 business days ahead and to arrive 30 minutes early.

Take your modules

Each module has its own time period. The NMC's exam FAQ says you get a full 3½-hour period per module, and modules are taken in consecutive exam periods. Check the NMC's list of what you may bring into the exam room, such as which calculators and references are allowed.

Get your results, and retest if needed

If you fail a section, the retest rules below apply. If you fail a module by a single question, the NMC lets you review it and challenge up to two questions.

Practical assessments

STCW endorsements also need practical demonstrations of skills, signed off by a qualified assessor. These are separate from the written exam, so get them done while you're sailing.

Where the questions come from

Coast Guard exam questions are drawn from a large question bank that the Coast Guard no longer publishes. Since the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 (Section 315), it has stopped releasing exam questions and illustrations. Instead, the NMC publishes outlines of exam topics and sample exams for each module. NMC Exams FAQ

A December 2023 report by the DHS Office of Inspector General found that the database held about 23,756 active questions, and that only 1,215 had been written since public release ended in 2016. That meant roughly 95% of the questions were still circulating online through commercial study products. The Inspector General recommended that the NMC modernize its examination process. DHS OIG-24-08

What that means for you. Memorizing old question banks is a gamble. As the NMC writes new questions, the ones you've seen may not be the ones you get. Learn the subject from the topic outline for each module on your approval to test, and use sample exams to learn the style, not the answers.

Passing scores

Each module is scored on its own. There is no averaged final score, so a perfect Deck General can't make up for a weak Rules of the Road.

Exam	Module	Usual passing score
Deck officer OUPV and Master/Mate, limited and unlimited	Rules of the Road	90%
	Chart plot and near-coastal navigation problems	90%
	Oceans navigation problems (when your route requires it)	80%
	Deck General, Deck Safety, Stability, Navigation General and other deck modules	70%
Engineer officer Third and First Assistant, limited endorsements	Every module	70%
Ratings such as QMED	Every module	70%
Open-book renewal exercise	Each module	90%, finished within 90 days of when the exercise is issued

Sources: NMC Deck and Engineering Examination Guide (as of March 2014) and the NMC sample open-book renewal approval letter. The NMC lists each exam's modules by exam code, for example engineer officer exams. The modules and passing scores for your exam are the ones listed with your approval to test; check the NMC Examinations page for the current guide.

Rules of the Road and navigation problems carry the toughest standards because they're about avoiding collisions and knowing where you are. Practice until you're well above the line, not just at it: aim for 95% on the 90% modules and 80% on the 70% modules.

If you fail a section (officer endorsements)

Result	What happens
Fail one or two sections	You may retest those sections twice within the next 3 months. The Coast Guard can extend that period if sea time kept you from testing, but not beyond 7 months from the first exam.
Fail three or more sections	You must take the complete exam again.
Fail three or more again on that retake	Wait at least 3 months before another complete exam, and pay a new exam fee.
Any case	All exams and retests must be done within 1 year of your approval to test.

Source: 46 CFR 11.217. Rating endorsements such as AB and QMED have their own retest rules: under the NMC's retest policy, a rating applicant who fails for the third time must wait 90 days.

Exam or approved course?

	Coast Guard exam at an REC	Approved course with exam in lieu
Cost	Coast Guard exam fee	Course tuition (usually much more)
Study	On your own schedule	Structured classes, instructor help
Where you test	At the REC	At the school, as part of the course
Watch out for	The 1-year deadline and retest limits	Make sure the course is approved for your endorsement and route

How to check a course approval → Find course dates →

Study material on this site (free)

Able Seafarer

Free AB Study Guide

Twelve modules, each ending with a self-grading quiz that explains every answer. Study material only, not a Coast Guard-approved course.

Downloads

Celestial & TI-30XIIS study guides

Free printable PDFs: the Q109 Celestial Navigation Study Booklet and The Sailings and the TI-30X IIS.

Study guides in preparation

Deck General & Safety In preparation
Rules of the Road In preparation
Navigation General & Problems In preparation
Stability In preparation
Towing: Apprentice Mate & Mate (Pilot) In preparation
QMED & Engineer In preparation

Common mistakes

Waiting too long after approval. The 1-year clock starts when you're approved, not when you start studying.
Paying for a course that isn't approved for your endorsement or route.
Bringing the wrong calculator or materials. Check the NMC's exam room list first.
Memorizing answers instead of learning the method. Questions change; the method doesn't.
Leaving STCW practical assessments until the end. Some can only be done aboard.

THE CAPTAIN SAYS…

Study the way you'll be tested: one module at a time, against the clock, with the same calculator you'll carry into the exam room. Learn why an answer is right, not just which letter it is.

Official sources

For information only. Exam procedures change; confirm with the National Maritime Center before you schedule or pay for training.