Revise with instant feedback: the moment you pick an answer you see whether it was right, with the explanation where available. Untimed — ideal before you sit a mock exam. Questions you miss keep coming back until you know them.
Exam-day conditions: no feedback until you submit, each module scored separately so you can see your weak areas, plus an overall score against the pass mark, with a full question-by-question review at the end.
The real exam is passed module by module: Rules of the Road requires 90%, most other modules 70%. Chart-plotting modules are taken on paper and not included.
The free sample is 20 questions, spread across every module in the same proportions as the real exam. The full bank contains every question from the NMC's current published sample examinations for this credential, with written explanations on the popular small-vessel credentials, one-off $29, lifetime access on up to 3 devices, all credentials included.
| Delivered by | US Coast Guard National Maritime Center; exams are sat at Coast Guard Regional Exam Centers (RECs) |
|---|---|
| Official exam | Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) endorsement examinations |
| Questions | Set per credential in your Approval to Test letter; the NMC does not publish module question counts |
| Time | Each module is sat in a 3½-hour examination period; modules are taken in consecutive periods |
| Passing score | Rules of the Road 90%; Deck General and Deck Safety 70% (NMC notice, January 2018) |
| Exam fee | Set by 46 CFR 10.219: for an original officer endorsement, evaluation $100, examination $95 (lower level) or $110 (upper level), issuance $45 |
| Pre-licensing or eligibility | Apply to the Coast Guard first; you need the NMC's Approval to Test letter before you can book. The application stays valid for 12 months |
| Book your exam | dco.uscg.mil/nmc/Examinations |
Checked 11 October 2026 from the official sources below. Rules and fees change, so confirm with US Coast Guard National Maritime Center; exams are sat at Coast Guard Regional Exam Centers (RECs) before you book.
Wheelhouse is a $29 question bank built from the Coast Guard's own sample exams, not an approved course. Here is how it compares with the courses and tools mariners usually consider, including where they are the better choice. See the comparison with Mariners Learning System, Sea School, MPT and others.
You must pass each module separately. Most modules require 70% to pass.
The exam covers 2 modules: Deck General – Safety, Deck Safety – Stability Problems.
This page includes free sample questions drawn from the official USCG sample examinations, with a full bank of around 77 questions across all modules available with lifetime access.
Every question comes from the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center's published sample examinations, which are U.S. government works in the public domain. Wheelhouse Prep is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Coast Guard.
No. The free practice tests work in your browser with no signup. Your score history is saved on your own device.
Last updated 12 June 2026. The bank is refreshed whenever the Coast Guard publishes revised sample examinations.
A selection of free questions from the official USCG sample examinations. Use the interactive modules above for timed, scored drills.
The American Consul has asked the Master of a vessel bound for a port in the U.S. to transport a destitute seaman back to the U.S. Which action may the Master take?
A vessel proceeding to London, England, from New York makes an unscheduled call at the port of Hamilton, Bermuda. What term is used to denote the voluntary departure from the usual course?
Your vessel is damaged and listing to port. The rolling period is long, and the vessel will occasionally assume a starboard list. Which action should you take FIRST?
Your vessel's drafts are: FWD 23'-01", AFT 24'-05"; and the KG is 22.8 feet. Use the selected stability curves in the blue pages of the Stability Data Reference Book to determine the remaining righting arm at 30° inclination if the center of gravity is 1.9 feet off the centerline.
What is the primary use of antiseptics?
Addition of weight to a vessel will ALWAYS __________.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service is concerned with which document on a vessel making preliminary entry into a U.S. port from a foreign port?
Your vessel is required to have a slop chest. Which of the following articles is NOT required by law to be carried in the slop chest?
When paying off seamen in a foreign port, where a United States consul is not available, the release must be executed by the seamen and which other person?
Steering a motor lifeboat broadside to the sea could cause it to __________.
The number of certificated able seamen and lifeboatmen required on a vessel is determined by which organization?
What is the function of an air receiver in the compressed air system?
What is the most useful drug to reduce a high fever?
Which term defines the total weight of a box containing cargo?
You have steamed 726 miles at 17.5 knots, and consumed 138 tons of fuel. If you have 252 tons of usable fuel remaining, how far can you steam at 13.5 knots?
An alien crewmember with a D-1 permit leaves the vessel in a U.S. port and fails to return. The first report you make should be to which organization?
Which statement about the deck line is TRUE?
Your ship of 12,000 tons displacement has a center of gravity of 21.5 feet above the keel. You run aground and estimate the weight aground is 2500 tons. What would be the virtual rise in the center of gravity?
What does blowing tubes accomplish?
You are on a Mariner class cargo vessel. Your drafts are: FWD 21'-04", AFT 23'-04". You wish to increase the calculated GM of 4.8' to 5.8'. What tanks should you ballast? (Use the white pages in the Stability Data Reference Book.)