USCG Exam Study Materials

Deck Guide for Permitted Materials in the USCG Exam Room

United States Coast Guard Deck Exam

Mariners seeking USCG deck certification are required to complete the USCG deck exam, in addition to service at sea, hands-on training and successful demonstration of applicable skills. Deck officer endorsements that are required to be examined are outlined in Title 46 of the Code of Federal of Regulations (CFR) Chapter 1 Subchapter B Part 11.

Materials Permitted in the Exam Room

Exam candidates are permitted, and recommended, to bring the following materials into the examination room, with the exception of the Rules of the Road module. Materials Allowed In The Examination Room provided by the National Maritime Center (March 2020).

Publications

• Light List Volume V – Mississippi River System (Latest Edition) 7642-01-401-1120
• Publication No. 102 – International Code of Signals 7642-01-400-8462
• Publication No. 117 – Radio Navigational Aids 7642-01-401-0071
• Publication No. 229 – Volume 2, latitudes 15°- 30° 7642-01-400-9225
• Reprints from the Tide Tables and Tidal Current Tables COMDTPUB P16721.46
• Reprints from the Light Lists and Coast Pilots COMDTPUB P16721.38
• The American Practical Navigator (BOWDITCH), Volume II – 1981 Edition HO PUB No. 9
• CIM 16616.6A, Chemical Data Guide
• The Nautical Almanac – 1981 Edition

Charts

• Chart 12221TR – Chesapeake Bay (Training) 7642-01-401-4083
• Chart 12354TR – Long Island Sound (Training) 7642-01-400-7618
• Chart 13205TR – Block Island Sound (Training) 7642-01-400-7619
• Great Circle Tracking Chart WOXCZ 5270 7642-01-400-9540
• Great Circle Tracking Chart WOXCZ 5274 7642-01-400-9543
• Plotting Sheet VPO SX001 – Universal 7642-01-400-9344
• Plotting Sheet WOBZP 923 (17° - 24°) 7642-01-400-9447
• Plotting Sheet WOBZP 924 (23° - 30°) 7642-01-400-9453
• Maneuvering Board WOBZP 5090 7642-01-400-9445

CFRs

• 33 CFR Parts 1 to 199
• 46 CFR Parts 1 to 199
• 49 CFR Parts 100 to 177
• Reprints of 46 CFR Portable Fire Extinguishers Pre-2016 Vessel Regulations

Reference Books:

• Merchant Marine Deck Examination Illustration Book - COMDTPUB P16721.6A
• Merchant Marine Engineer Examination Illustration Book - COMDTPUB P16721.7C
• Operating Manual DEEP DRILLER (MODU exams) - COMDTPUB P16721.29
• Operating Manual COASTAL DRILLER (MODU exams) - COMDTPUB P16721.30
• Stability Data Reference Book - COMDTPUB P16721.31
• Manual for loading the M/V GRAND HAVEN (Great Lakes exams) - COMDTPUB P16721.32
• Flood Control and Navigation Maps of the Mississippi River, Cairo, IL to the Gulf of Mexico

Wx Sheets

• Ship's Code Card, Form WS TA B-O-7

Other Tools Permitted

• Star Finder: Rude or equivalent
• Plotting tools, such as dividers, triangles and nautical slide rules
• Calculators are permitted to be used by applicants. Applicants must not use pre-printed forms during the examinations. Calculators used during USCG exams must conform to the following specifications:

1. The calculator must not use chips, pre-programmed strips or any other pre-programmed device, of the type that may be inserted into a calculator.
2. It must not be permanently programmable calculator, or specialty computer, such as a navigation computer. Calculators or computers with trigonometric functions, logs and antilogs, roots, squares and cubes are permitted so long as they meet all other requirements.
3. All manually programmable calculators must have simple erasure capability in order to be permitted.