USCG License Exam Study Hub

COLREGS complete reference

All 38 COLREGS rules with plain-language summaries. Lights and shapes tables, sound signals, COLREGS vs. Inland differences, and exam tips for every rule.

Dead reckoning to celestial

Dead reckoning, chart symbols and datums, tides and currents, aids to navigation, compass correction, radar navigation, and celestial navigation for higher-grade candidates.

Stability, rigging, fire, and safety

Ship stability and GM, rigging and ground tackle, fire fighting and prevention, life saving appliances, vessel handling, and cargo operations.

Sextant to sight reduction

The celestial sphere, sextant altitude corrections, HO 229/249 sight reduction, Nautical Almanac use, noon sights for latitude, Polaris sights, and star identification.

Weather systems, fronts, tropical

Pressure systems, fronts and frontal weather, fog types, cloud identification, Beaufort scale, tropical cyclones and dangerous semicircle, and NOAA marine forecast services.

Diesel, steam, electrical

Diesel and motor plants, steam boilers and turbines, auxiliary machinery and refrigeration, marine electrical systems, engine-room watchkeeping, pollution prevention, and engine-room safety.

Transfer, inert gas, DOI

Cargo transfer and the Declaration of Inspection, cargo flammability, inert gas systems, static electricity, gauging and overfill prevention, MARPOL pollution rules, and gas-freeing.

Relative motion, CPA, ARPA

Relative vs true motion, display controls, CPA/TCPA plotting, sea and rain clutter, range and bearing resolution, false echoes, ARPA, and radar collision-avoidance rules.

Rule 24, Subchapter M, TOAR

Towing lights and day shapes (Rule 24), tow makeup and gear, Subchapter M and the TOAR, ship-assist and escort tugs, girting and tripping, and articulated tug-barge units.

6-pack to inspected Master

OUPV vs Master credentials, route definitions, sea-service and eligibility, Subchapter C and T requirements, required equipment, drug and alcohol rules, casualty reporting, and small-vessel stability.

TVMDC, set & drift, fixes

Chart projections and scale, the distance-speed-time triangle, TVMDC compass conversion, plotting tools and labels, dead reckoning, fixes and running fixes, set and drift, tides, and IALA Region B aids.

Firefighting, survival, first aid

Fire theory and classes, extinguishing agents, PFDs and immersion suits, survival craft and liferafts, abandon ship and distress signals, survival at sea and hypothermia, first aid, and enclosed-space entry.