Knowledge centre: study guides for AMSA oral exams
Original guides written to help deck officers and near coastal candidates prepare for AMSA oral examinations. Each guide explains a topic in plain language, shows a way to study it and links to the official sources it was written from.
These guides are free to read. They are an aid to understanding, they do not contain Quiz Bank questions or answers, and they do not replace AMSA’s own checklists and syllabi. AMSA Examiner is an independent study platform operated by Navisailor Learning Centre. It is not operated or endorsed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. For how the exams themselves work, read the AMSA oral exam preparation guide. New to the terms? See the maritime glossary.
AMSA oral examination and preparation
How to prepare for an AMSA oral exam, from reading the checklist to practising answers aloud.
- How to prepare for an AMSA oral exam: a study method
A practical study method for the AMSA oral exam: turn the checklist into a plan, build answers from your sea service, practise aloud and judge your readiness.
Master Unlimited
The management-level themes behind the Master Unlimited oral examination.
- Master Unlimited oral exam: the themes behind the questions
The management-level themes behind a Master Unlimited oral exam: command, voyage planning, stability, legislation, safety management and emergencies.
Chief Mate Unlimited
Cargo, stability and deck department themes for the Chief Mate Unlimited oral examination.
- Chief Mate Unlimited oral exam: the themes behind the questions
Organise Chief Mate Unlimited oral exam revision around the chief mate’s real duties: cargo, stability, deck management, safety and watchkeeping.
Watchkeeper Deck and OOW
Keeping a safe navigational watch and the operational-level themes behind the OOW oral examination.
- OOW and Watchkeeper Deck oral exam: the themes behind the questions
The operational-level themes behind an OOW or Watchkeeper Deck oral exam: keeping a safe watch, collision avoidance, passage monitoring, cargo and emergencies.
Domestic and near coastal certificates
How Australia’s domestic Master and Coxswain certificates fit together.
- Near coastal certificates explained: how the domestic pathway fits together
How Australia’s near coastal certificates fit together: the national law, Marine Order 505, the main grades and how to find your pathway with AMSA.
COLREGs
A method for reasoning through collision-avoidance situations and for recognising vessels by their lights.
- COLREGs: a method for reasoning through any situation
A step-by-step method for explaining any COLREGs situation: structure, the rules that come first, give-way and stand-on duties, and restricted visibility.
- COLREGs lights: a method for recognising vessels at night
How to recognise vessels at night under the COLREGs: light arcs, colours and a simple method for working out vessel type, size and aspect from what you can see.
Stability
The core ideas of ship stability, explained in plain language with a worked example.
- Ship stability fundamentals: GM, GZ and what the numbers mean
The core ideas of ship stability for deck officers: G, B and M, metacentric height, the righting lever, free surface effect, weight shifts and the GZ curve.
Marine Orders
What marine orders are, how they are numbered and how to find the current text.
- Australian maritime law and marine orders: a map for seafarers
A map of Australian maritime law for seafarers: the Navigation Act 2012, the national law for domestic vessels, marine orders and how to find the current text.
Australian maritime legislation
A map of the Acts, regulations and orders that govern Australian shipping.
- Australian maritime law and marine orders: a map for seafarers
A map of Australian maritime law for seafarers: the Navigation Act 2012, the national law for domestic vessels, marine orders and how to find the current text.
NSCV
The National Standard for Commercial Vessels and how to find the requirement you need.
- The National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) explained for seafarers
What the National Standard for Commercial Vessels is, how it is organised into parts, how vessels are categorised and how to find the requirement you need.
Safety management
Safety management systems under the ISM Code and for domestic commercial vessels.
- Safety management systems explained: the ISM Code and domestic vessels
Safety management systems in plain language: the ISM Code for ships, the SMS requirement for Australian domestic vessels, and how to explain both.
Certificate guides
Each certificate has its own guide with AMSA requirements, sources and related certificates.
- Master Unlimited
- Master <3000 GT
- Master <500 GT
- Chief Mate Unlimited
- Chief Mate <3000 GT
- Mate <500 GT
- AMSA OOW (Watchkeeper Deck)
- Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT
- Master <100 m Near Coastal
- Master <45 m Near Coastal
- Master <24 m Near Coastal
- Master Inland Waters Near Coastal
- Coxswain Grade 1 Near Coastal
- Coxswain Grade 2 Near Coastal
- Coxswain Grade 3 Near Coastal
- Sailing Master Offshore