So, you have decided to get your captain’s license. Congratulations! For many, being a United States Coast Guard (USCG) licensed Captain is a very rewarding career. For some, it’s a means to an end…For others who want to make money with their boat, it is required. Anyone that wants or needs to transport people who have offered something of value for a ride on your boat must be licensed by the United States Coast Guard.
There are many titles one can be given to the person that is operating a vessel. The term most often used is “captain.” However, and in reality, only someone who holds a rank of Captain, whether that be in the armed forces, law enforcement, etc., is a captain. The correct term for a person who is responsible for vessel and crew is “master.” However, for the purpose of this article, I used the colloquial term “Captain.”
For the purposes of this article, I am only focusing on 2 classifications of license issued by the USCG; OUPV, or Operator Uninspected Passenger Vessel (a.k.a. 6-pack license); and Master 25/50/100 Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) license.
Before you jump feet first into the realm of becoming a captain, let me quickly share with you several requirements you must have to submit your application for OUPV and Master license for application review and processing.
Be a U.S. Citizen (OUPV or Master) or issued a permanent resident alien card (OUPV only)
You must be able to speak English unless your area of operation is near and around Puerto Rico
You must be 19-years old
Must hold a valid medical certificate or be approved for medical certificate; meaning, you must pass a USCG medical exam. (USCG Form CG-719K)
A USCG approved first-aid training certificate
A USCG approved CPR training certificate
Drug Testing compliant; or in other words, you must be drug free and this includes free of marijuana. Despite you possessing a state-issued medical marijuana medical card, the federal government still views marijuana as a Class II controlled substance; and therefore, the Federal Government a.k.a. USCG considers marijuana as an illegal drug
TWIC Card* (see below)
360 days operating a vessel (OUPV); 720 days (360 additional days) operating a vessel (Master)
90-days recency (or recent); meaning your 90-days operating a vessel is within the past 3-years
*TWIC Card Note
You are not required to have or submit a TWIC Card to submit your application. If you read CFR 46 (the rules and regulations of this industry) there is no requirement for a TWIC card. However, if you never had this federal background check performed by TSA (Transportation Safety Administration), you must at least go through the process once to obtaining required fingerprinting and a federal background check that the USCG uses to process your application. You can Google, “TWIC for merchant mariner” for more information about the process and what the card is used for. However, since you are required to go through the fingerprinting and background checking process, there is no harm in submitting a copy of your TWIC card with your application.
The last requirement for submitting your application for OUPV and or Master is competency. This competency is measured by passing four (4) exams for OUPV and one (1) additional exam for master.
Alternatively, you may submit training certifications from a USCG approved training facility for each of the four competencies (OUPV) and one additional training certification for (Master). And it’s this decision of taking the exams or attending a training facility, that this article is all about.
But before I begin, I want everyone to realize that the above requirements not only require a commitment of your time, but some of the requirements will also cost money. So, before you commit time and money to your learning objectives, understand the additional time and costs involved with meeting the other requirements.
The following is an approximated list of cost and time needed for all the requirements outside competency:
Medical certificate - Trip to a medical professional and anywhere between $ 100.00 and $ 200.00 for the medical visit
USCG approved first-aid certification under the STCW standards– around $ 100.00 for the full-day class.
USCG approved CPR – Usually included with the first-aid certification under the STCW standards
Membership into a USCG drug testing consortium and initial drug test $ 100.00 - A consortium membership is not required if your “maritime” employer conducts its own internal drug testing that meets USCG regulations.
TWIC Card – At the time of this article a TWIC Card process costs $ 125.25 and an in-person interview at an authorized TSA facility.
The above application submission requirements totals $ 525.00, and that is before we start talking about the costs associated with learning.
For the purposes of this article, there are two main methods for obtaining competency:
Self-study
Self-study is the act of purchasing or obtaining the necessary education materials (books, manuals, study aids, web-based material, etc.) that provide you the necessary foundation to prepare you to take the four (4) OUPV exams and one (1) exam for master.
USCG Authorized Education Facility
Obtaining competency via an USCG authorized education facility that you enroll in that prepares you to take the four (4) OUPV exams and one (1) exam for master.
As previously mentioned, there are four (4) exams that you must show proficiency in (i.e., passing grades) for OUPV. OUPV is extensive and covers a great deal of learning material. Not only is the material extensive, but the material is also comprehensive. To add, a passing grade is not 70% for all exams. The following are the passing requirements for each area’s competency; all questions are multiple choice.
70% Deck General – 50 Questions (must answer 35/50 questions correctly)
70% Navigation General – 50 Questions (must answer 35/50 questions correctly)
90% Chart Plotting – 10 Questions (must answer 9/10 questions correctly)
90% Rules of the Road - 50 Questions (must answer 45/50 questions correctly)
Nearly all that take the four (4) OUPV exams find Chart Plotting and Rules of the Road the most difficult to pass. This difficulty is not solely related to the 90% passing requirement. Both areas of study are comprehensive and can be difficult to master.
No matter which method you choose to obtain proficiency, it has been my experience that only the “educationally challenge”, those who “don’t want it” or those that “don’t want to work for it” will struggle and typically fail. If you are not willing to be committed and disciplined, I would advise you not commit the financial resources until you are ready.
It has also been my experience that if you are someone able to pick up concept, have a good head on your shoulders, can retain information, and can show some commitment to the learning and studying processes, passing the exams may a bit nerve racking, but very achievable. Basically, you will get what you put into it.
The two questions I am most often asked directly or via social media are…
1. Which is better, self-study or training school?
2. Which training school is the best?
Let’s start with the question self-study versus USCG authorized education facility. The two most important considerations are your time and your money. Money is a constant between both learning approaches. Either you have the money (for learning materials or class) or you don’t.
Without hesitation, self-study via (books, manuals, study aids, web-based material, etc.) is the least expensive learning option. You can usually find the required learning and studying materials for a couple hundred dollars, buy used materials, or borrow from someone. For comparison, ball parking, new books and other materials can run round $300.00.
If you are someone that hasn’t seen a classroom or hasn’t had the need to learn a comprehensive subject in a good long while, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will fail short with self-study. However, were you a good and disciplined student? Did you struggle in school? Did you ever have any success post high school or college in learning a new comprehensive subject matter that you were interested in? Do you have the discipline to learn and to study? These are some important questions that you should be asking yourself and seriously consider when determining if self-study is the right choice for you.
But there are some disadvantages to self-study. Unless you have a trusted mentor, you are on your own. You are on your own to investigate, evaluate and qualify what materials are most suited towards your learning needs and learning style. The way one book’s author writes or how content is presented may challenge, confuse, or provide an inability to grasp concept: Everyone learns differently. When you have questions about concepts and learning objectives will you turn towards social media? Be careful, social media can and often point you in an unpredictable way.
Learning from an USCG authorized education facility can be expensive. Like self-study, these schools also supply a self-study and complete-at-your-own-pace approach with the use of online curriculum. Unlike true self-study, these schools offer an approach that takes the guesswork out of finding the necessary learning materials required to prepare students to sit for the exams. Additionally, these schools often will have added learning aides and additional study techniques that may or may not be available with more traditional self-study materials.
Apart from the distance or online learning, these schools offer instructor-led classes that are designed to provide a concentrated delivery of the competency requirements in a classroom. In a classroom setting, there is little opportunity for learning distractions. Additionally, instructor-led courses provide students an opportunity to reinforce learning by providing alternative learning concepts. Learning in a classroom, a student will be able to ask questions, receive instructor or student anecdotes, and share in learning experiences with others that just might trigger a memory that will help you answer an exam question when you are stuck and need it the most.
However, these classes are the most expensive learning alternative, and their availability (schedules) and locations may not be practical for some students. One last consideration with instructor-led courses: There are instructors who are good at what they do and there are instructors who are not. I don’t care how easy the curriculum is, if the instructor is a poor teacher, no student is safe from failing. With that said, you have every right to question the pass/fail rate of any instructor before you commit.
A few of these schools offer a hybrid approach that marries instructor led with an online approach. While this hybrid approach doesn’t negate the availability (when the classes are offered), a hybrid approach can address the location challenges some students may face. Instead of driving to a location that may require overnight accommodations, this hybrid approach can be carried out using internet-based teleconferencing technologies such as Zoom.
Another important advantage with USCG authorized education facility is the school’s ability to proctor the USCG competency exams. Being able to take the exams in the same location as your classroom setting and where the cost of taking the exams is typically covered in your tuition is convenient.
However, these schools also come with some controversy. There are those that work in the industry that believe these schools teach to the test. While I have not personally experienced this, I can say I have heard stories of instructors going out of their way to have students to underline or circle information in their workbooks and say; “you need to know this, it will be on the test.” While it very plausible that this type of “instruction” may occur, I don’t believe it is so extensive that it takes away from the wide range of material a student must know to successfully pass the exams.
The last consideration between self-study and enrolling in a USCG authorized education facility is a universally accepted belief that exams proctored at a USCG testing facility are far more difficult to pass than exams proctored by USCG authorized education facility. This widespread belief may be an important consideration when deciding between a true self-study approach (and thus, taking the exams in a USCG testing facility) or a USCG authorized education facility where the exams are proctored by the school.
The second most popular question received when asking about obtaining a captain’s license is; “Which training school is the best.” My answer is always the same; “it depends.” All schools teach the exact same curriculum; and must do so as established by the rules and regulations required by USCG.
The real differences between one school and the next is not the curriculum, but how that curriculum is presented and delivered. Additionally, students should consider; the level of experience and quality of the delivery from their instructors; the learning environment; the amount of extra resources to help students; other policies that directly benefit students to achieve their learning goals; and somewhere in all the considerations, students should consider the overall value (cost) the school brings according to the needs of the student.
When I see potential students ask the “what school do you recommend” or “which school is the best” questions, the answers from social media never really provide a tangible reason as to why their school is the best. Deciding on a school is an important decision that has financial implications. Therefore, students should ask better questions; like, “why do you think this school is the best?” The only advice I can offer is do your research and ask a lot of questions. And don’t limit your questions to social media; call up the school, let the school tell you on why they’re the best and how that benefits you.
I am not in the business of promoting one school or training system over another. As I have said, they all teach the same thing. However, if you want a recommendation...
If you have the money and the time (time, meaning fits into your schedule), instructor-led courses tend to produce more first-time pass success stories.
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