Entry & progression
Exam: ONC06 — five modules. See also: the USCG MMC Application course for the CG-719B package in full.
Eligibility, in brief
- Age 19 (46 CFR 11.201(e)(1)(i)) — a year older than the OUPV.
- US citizenship required. There is no equivalent of the OUPV's non-citizen exception; 46 CFR 11.201(d) carves out the OUPV alone.
- Medical certificate on CG-719K — deck standards, valid up to 5 years since this is not an STCW capacity.
- Drug test dated not more than 185 days before submission (46 CFR 16.220(a)).
- First aid completed within 1 year; CPR currently valid. Valid STCW Basic Training satisfies both (46 CFR 11.201(i)).
- No firefighting course required. Basic firefighting is required for Master on vessels under 500 GT in ocean service (11.201(h)(3)(i)) — and Master 100 is never issued for oceans.
- TWIC — the Policy Letter 11-15 exemption covers uninspected vessels. If you intend to command inspected vessels with a security plan, expect to need the card in hand.
The examination — ONC06
| Module | Subject | Questions | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q100 | Rules of the Road — Inland and International | 50 | 90% |
| Q160 | Deck General | 50 | 70% |
| Q161 | Deck Safety | 50 | 70% |
| Q162 | Navigation General — Near Coastal | 50 | 70% |
| Q163 | Chart Plot | 10 | 90% |
Five modules against the OUPV's four — Deck General and Deck Safety are examined separately here, where the OUPV combines them into one. That is 50 extra questions, and it is the largest single difference between the two exams.
How the exam is administered
- Three and a half hours per module.
- Modules taken on consecutive days within the same business week, a minimum of two per day.
- A 90-day exam cycle runs from the day you sit the first module.
- The Approval To Test is valid for 1 year.
- No references may be used for any Rules of the Road module. Charts and instruments are permitted for the chart plot.
TIP — The retest rules reward failing few 46 CFR 11.217: fail one or two modules and you may be retested twice within 3 months. Fail three or more and you must sit the entire examination again. Sit only the modules you are ready for — there is no prize for attempting all five in one week and no penalty for spacing them out inside the 90-day cycle.
Fees
Master under 100 GRT is a lower-level credential — 46 CFR 10.219 defines that as authorising service on vessels of less than 1,600 GRT. An original application costs $100 evaluation + $95 examination + $45 issuance = $240.
The examination fee is charged whether you sit the Coast Guard exam or present an approved course completion in lieu of it (10.219(e)(2)). The course does not save you the fee — only the exam room.