BlueSkyNick
Well-Known Member
For those that dont know, this is an online exam that is compulsory for all new Commercial Endorsement applications, and for renewals. For me it was neither, but a company I am hoping to do some work for said I have to do it anyway. It focuses on regulations related to Commercially coded boats, their equipment and people on them - crew and passengers.
There are four modules of course work, a mock exam then the final assessment.
It is not about learning everything there is to know - it is about knowing where to look for the information. This ranges from checking the date on somebody's medical certificate through to the depths of the Merchant Shipping Regulations !
As it is online, and there is a facility to download documents that are needed, the biggest challenge is managing all the different windows open on the PC! I found it easier to have the documents open on an iPad and the modules then exam open on my laptop.
If you are going to do it, my advice is not to jump straight to the exam, in the hope of passing it. Even if you work with this stuff all the time, or have the brain the size of a planet to remember everything, the course and mock exam help you to learn how to pass the final exam. If you fail, you cant just start again, you have to apply for the facility to be reset. The RYA say it should take about 10 hours overall, which is about right even the first eight were in front of the telly at the same time!
Finally, there is plenty of time so need to rush through the questions. I got 15/15 in section one, and 13/15 in section two, both with half an hour to spare. The two questions I got wrong were related to the required number flares and fire extinguishers on specific boats. The first one I could have answered if I had bothered to take a little more time, the second I think was ambiguous and still dont understand the correct answer !
Good luck!
There are four modules of course work, a mock exam then the final assessment.
It is not about learning everything there is to know - it is about knowing where to look for the information. This ranges from checking the date on somebody's medical certificate through to the depths of the Merchant Shipping Regulations !
As it is online, and there is a facility to download documents that are needed, the biggest challenge is managing all the different windows open on the PC! I found it easier to have the documents open on an iPad and the modules then exam open on my laptop.
If you are going to do it, my advice is not to jump straight to the exam, in the hope of passing it. Even if you work with this stuff all the time, or have the brain the size of a planet to remember everything, the course and mock exam help you to learn how to pass the final exam. If you fail, you cant just start again, you have to apply for the facility to be reset. The RYA say it should take about 10 hours overall, which is about right even the first eight were in front of the telly at the same time!
Finally, there is plenty of time so need to rush through the questions. I got 15/15 in section one, and 13/15 in section two, both with half an hour to spare. The two questions I got wrong were related to the required number flares and fire extinguishers on specific boats. The first one I could have answered if I had bothered to take a little more time, the second I think was ambiguous and still dont understand the correct answer !
Good luck!
