One Month Quiz
Well the count down has started, 1 month to go!
One of the biggest differences in my Oral Prep is that I don’t lecture you, but instead coach you (or shout at you) to pass the exam. For me to do this I need all the students to have done a certain amount of work prior to arrival. If you have not done this then you are reducing your chances of success! Plus I want to keep my pass rates exceptional!
Hence the need for the eBook, which hopefully by now you have read. I need you to read my eBook from start to finish. The extra reference material is my sources for the book so you don’t need to read all of the PDF’s, but the e-book is very important.
Recently the exams have started to be more practical. I like this, as street smart is easier than book smart! So please if you’re on board then take note how the steering gear is tested, how the emergency steering is used, what the monthly checks are, what the BA tests are, how the drills are done and how the GMDSS batteries are tested daily and monthly. Play with the Navtex, play with the barometer, play with the radar, play with the ECDIS. The more you do in the real world the better.
Don’t panic if you are not on a boat, on a private vessel, smaller yacht or even a boat with flappy sails, we will cover it, but it makes it easier if you have done it, seen it and can imagine it in the exam. I personally know as prior to my OOW oral exam I worked purely on a small sailing yacht. I had never done a drill or a muster, weekly or a monthly checks, hence I had to learn so much new stuff for the oral it hurt!
Prior to arrival - Please make sure you know the following inside out and backwards:
Rules of the road, lights and shapes, sound signals. Rule 5, 6, 9, 10, 18 concept-perfect and 19 word perfect.
Day shapes and lights on vessels.
I will say it again - all lights that could be shown on a vessel, use my Quiz app for this!
Buoyage including light sequences, use my Quiz app for this!
List of required publications
Passage planning
Met, the passage of a low 4 sections please start to re learn this. TRS etc
Search patterns from Iamsar vol 3
Bridge procedures checklist 2016 version 5th edition - I would expect you to be able to instantly answer with at least 6 sensible items for each checklist. I can’t do more than 6 but the more you can do the better. I would learn checklists A3-A4, B1, B3-B9, B12-B14, B17, C1-C10. Yes I did say lots of checklists I know. They all say much the same, so do your best to visualize what you do on-board. This is probably the hardest part of the learning; use the bridge, use drills and walk around reading out the checklists. Ask the crew to be involved. You will be asked and expected to know this almost word perfect so you need to sit down and read them, flash card them and learn them (at least 6-8 items for each check list)
Flags
Chart symbols
Have a look at the GMDSS book plus know the checks and procedures. The easiest (shortest) book is called “Aussie Marine Radio operators handbook” Read over Mayday, mayday relay etc.
List of MGN’s you should have an idea about
MGN 71 (M) Musters, drills, on-board training and instructions, and Decision Support Systems. Also now in the Large Yacht Code
MGN 137 (M+F) Look-out During Periods of Darkness and Restricted Visibility
MGN 199 (M) Dangers of interaction
MGN 315 (M) Keeping a Safe Navigational Watch on Merchant Vessels
MGN 324 (M+F) Radio: Operational Guidance on the Use Of VHF Radio and Automatic Identification Systems at Sea.
MGN 364 (M+F) Navigation: Traffic Separation Schemes - Application of Rule 10 and Navigation in the Dover Strait
MGN 369 (M+F) Navigation: Navigation In Restricted Visibility
MGN 379 (M+F) Navigation: Use of Electronic Navigation Aids
MGN 477 Seafarer Agreements
REMINDER:
When coming to the immersive course, please make sure you are aware the accommodation runs from Sunday to the Sunday.
Please don’t make travel arrangements for Saturday.
⚠️ ADVICE: Study hard before your prep course
You are not going to listen to me, so listen from a past student……
“Never have I worked so hard for something for so long only to sit for what felt like 15 minutes and be grilled from top to bottom. My advice to other students is -The fear is real! Get the fear early and study hard and prepare yourself as much as possible before the prep course. Thank God for Fred!”
To help and make sure you’re on the right track please find below a link to a quiz, in all situations I want you to imagine you’re on a 50m motor yacht.
The password is: to be found in the eBook.
Good luck! I hope it helps.
I am aware that some of the questions allow you to write the answer may mark incorrectly. Please don’t be disheartened.
The quiz is for you to know if you are going in the right direction, not how well you do by a number!
Then keep reading till arrival.
Looking forward to meeting you
