The Evolution of Fred’s Oral Prep: Why I’ve Gone Fully Online

Exam tips

8 Feb

By: Fred Wilson (but mainly Emma Wilson)

You might have heard about my 2-week Oral Prep course, which I ran in Cowes at a location creatively named "Fred's House" (Or Alcatraz for some students!)

For a decade, we achieved a 98% pass rate through an intense, immersive experience with a maximum of 4 students, that became legendary in the industry. I created exactly what I wished I'd had during my own studies back in the day.

Then Covid hit, and like the rest of the maritime industry, we had to adapt.

Initially, we thought we'd return to the in-person format. The student house stood ready, waiting for the next batch of candidates. And we did try, but the industry was evolving, and so were the needs of our crew members. The MCA's shift to online examinations changed everything - not just the exam format, but how crew approach their studies.

The biggest challenge for us?
Synchronisation of exams.

Under the new MCA booking system, you can't choose exact dates - you're given a time frame window, and amendments and cancellations are much stricter now. For the M200 and Unlimited OOW, it's even trickier: you book your proctored exam, then once passed, the oral exam date is assigned to you. You don't get to choose the date for your oral and sometimes it can be up to six weeks later! And if this new proctored exam system proves successful, the MCA will likely roll it out to OOW yacht and Master 3000. Imagine trying to coordinate an immersive course when four students all have different exam windows spread across months. The perfect formula we'd developed - intensive study followed by exams within a week - became impossible to maintain.

Our finely-tuned machine - the one we'd perfected over years of blood, sweat, and tears (and £30,000 of sound proofing!) - faced a new reality. But sometimes disruption leads to innovation. We took everything that made our immersive course exceptional and created its digital twin - a blueprint that maintains the same rigorous standards while offering even more flexibility.

But here's the silver lining: our online course has exceeded expectations with a 92% first-time pass rate.

The shift online has brought other unexpected benefits - no more expensive flights or hotel stays, no need to leave your boat or family, and the freedom to study from anywhere in the world. Better yet, you can stop, pause, rewind me and do it at your own pace. The online format also perfectly suits the new MCA booking system - you can study flexibly without worrying about matching fixed course dates to uncertain exam schedules. It's all the benefits of my full immersive course, but on your terms.

With my focus now entirely on the online format, I can:

Provide more comprehensive support to my online students
Continuously update and refine course materials
Offer flexible study schedules that align with your exam dates
Host regular webinars for real-time problem-solving

Don't mistake "online" for "impersonal" - this isn't your typical online learning experience. Just like in "Fred's House", I'm here every step of the way. Stuck on a question? Send me an email. Need clarification? Jump on our weekly webinars. Want to discuss exam strategy? Arrange to have a phone call. The only difference is you won't have the ramifications of my BB gun when you get a question wrong (though some might consider that a downside!).

The online format might not have the "Alcatraz" nickname, but it carries the same commitment to your success that made our Cowes courses famous - just with more flexibility and less expensive travel costs.

And you know what is ironic - the online course has actually turned out even better than my original immersive program. Sometimes change really is for the best.