Deck Officer SQA Exams Explained & 2015/16 Timetable

In order to obtain a U.K Maritime and Coastguard Agency Certificate of Competency a successful pass in the MCA SQA examinations is required.

SQA examinations are set by the MCA and administered by the Scottish Qualification Authority on their behalf. These exams run at frequent intervals throughout the year. The 2015/16 timetable is available here. Candidates should register with an examination centre several weeks in advance of sitting an exam however late registrations are possible on payment of increased fees. The results can be announced up to 8 weeks after the exams via a letter to your home address. Generally speaking the results are released slightly quicker around the 6 week mark.

SQA exam results are graded from 1 – 10 as follows:

Marking Criteria

The exams are marked according to strict criteria. MCA examinations are one of the few in the world (alongside medicine) which operate a negative marking scheme. A negative marking system results in you losing marks for putting down the wrong answer. Each question is marked and any errors are graded into three levels of severity:

P – Principle Error (Gross Error) – 50% reduction in awarded marks .

CP – Clerical/Principle (Serious Carelessness) 30% reduction in awarded marks.

C – Clerical (Minor Carelessness) – 10% reduction in awarded marks. 

After marking is completed the paper is then cross marked by a second examiner. Finally the exams are verified by an MCA surveyor and if the candidate is within a margin of +/- 10% of passing or failing the paper is triple marked the surveyor.

Where can I view the Past Paper Answers?

The SQA/MCA have a policy of never releasing what the marking scheme or answers to previous exams. You will find several past paper answers to the mathematical or practical questions which have been asked in the past. Any theoretical questions answers are solely based on the professional judgement and knowledge of the individual providing them. 

What happens if I fail one or both exams?

The failure rate for the SQA written exams is significant with approximately 60% – 75% of candidates failing at least one of the exams. If you fail a single exam then you may be allowed to ‘carry forward’ the exam you passed for 12 months if you meet one of the following conditions

• You achieve a pass mark at least 10% higher than the minimum pass mark or
• You achieves a pass result in the same subject on two successive examination attempts

Exam Format

At OOW level the Navigation Exam is split into two main sections; Section A – Chartwork and Tides (40% weighting) and Section B Navigation Theory (60% weighting). The question format is as follows:

Section A

Q1. Chartwork Practical

Q2. Tides

Section B

Q3. Sailing – Either a Plain or Mercator sailing problem.

Q4. Navigation Theory – Occasionally this question is replaced with a Celestial Navigation Azimuth or Amplitude.

Q5. Navigation Theory.

Pass Mark

OOW Navigation Exam

Candidates are require to achieve an overall average pass mark of 60% (Grade 4) however you must also achieve at least 70% in Section A. Failure to achieve 70% in Section A results in a ‘section fail’ and complete failure of the exam. As section A is valued at 40/100 marks you can afford to drop no more than 12 marks without a ‘section fail’ result. To put this into perspective it is possible to achieve 87% (Grade 1) overall and fail the paper on a section fail.  Accuracy in Section A is therefore imperative particularly with the chartwork question which is normally valued at 28-30 marks with the remaining 12-10 marks being allocated to Q2 tides.

Chief Mate/Masters Navigation Exam

An overall pass mark of 60% (Grade 4) is required to achieve a pass in this examination.

Exam Format

The OOW Navigation Exam is split into two main sections; Section A – Stability (40% weighting) and Section B Operations (60% weighting). The question format is as follows:

Section A

Q1. Stability – Normally Calculation – Possible Theory

Q2. Stability – Normally Calculation – Possible Theory

Section B

Q3. Operations – Theory

Q4. Operations – Theory

Q5. Operations – Theory

Pass Mark

OOW Stability Exam

Candidates are require to achieve an overall average pass mark of 50% (Grade 5) however you must not fall below 40% in either section A or B. Falling below 40% in either section results in a ‘section fail’ and complete failure of the exam.

Chief Mate/Masters Stability Exam

An overall pass mark of 60% (Grade 4) is required to achieve a pass in this examination.