Official FCC question pools
Every question in the FCC's published pools for the marine radio operator permit, GMDSS operator and maintainer licenses, and the ship radar endorsement, graded instantly.
The Federal Communications Commission issues the commercial radio operator licenses that mariners carry alongside their Coast Guard credentials. Each license is earned by passing one or more written elements, and the FCC publishes the complete question pool for every element. The exam you sit is drawn from that pool, so practicing the real questions is the most direct preparation there is.
All six pools are on this site: answer any question and the correct choice is revealed instantly, with every question keyed to its FCC pool number.
| License | Written elements | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Radio Operator Permit (MROP) | Element 1 | Radiotelephone operators on many commercial vessels: certain passenger, cargo and fishing vessels, and the Great Lakes. |
| General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) | Elements 1 and 3 | Anyone adjusting, maintaining or repairing licensed radiotelephone transmitters in the maritime and aviation services. |
| GMDSS Radio Operator | Elements 1 and 7 | Deck officers on vessels required to carry GMDSS equipment (most ships on international voyages). |
| Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator | Elements 1 and 7R | Operators on vessels sailing only within VHF range of shore (sea area A1). |
| GMDSS Radio Maintainer | Elements 1, 3 and 9 | Technicians maintaining GMDSS equipment at sea on ships in sea areas A3 and A4. |
| Ship Radar Endorsement | Element 8 | Added to a GROL, GMDSS Maintainer or radiotelegraph license to service ship radar. |
Basic radio law and operating practice. 24 questions on the exam, 18 correct to pass.
144 questions · Open the module →
Electronic fundamentals and techniques for the GROL. 100 questions on the exam, 75 to pass.
605 questions · Open the module →
The 2021 pool: DSC, Inmarsat and Iridium, NAVTEX, EPIRBs, SARTs and distress procedures. 100 questions, 75 to pass.
600 questions · Open the module →
GMDSS operating practices for sea area A1. 50 questions on the exam, 38 to pass.
300 questions · Open the module →
Radar theory, installation, servicing and maintenance. 50 questions on the exam, 38 to pass.
300 questions · Open the module →
Radio system theory, power sources, troubleshooting and GMDSS equipment. 50 questions, 38 to pass.
299 questions · Open the module →
Commercial operator exams are given by FCC-approved Commercial Operator License Examination Managers (COLEMs), not by the FCC itself. Each element is a multiple-choice test drawn from its published pool; the passing score is 75 percent on every element. Pass the elements your license needs, then apply to the FCC with the Proof of Passing Certificates from the examiner.
Element 1 is the common foundation: it is required for the MROP, the GROL and every GMDSS license. The GMDSS Radio Operator license, held by most deck officers on SOLAS vessels, adds Element 7, whose pool was replaced in October 2021 (the old 2012 questions no longer count). The maintainer license adds Element 3 and Element 9 instead, and Element 8 can be endorsed onto either.
These are real questions from the U.S. Coast Guard question pool, exactly as they appear in the bank. Click through to any question to answer it and see whether you got it right.
Yes. The FCC publishes the complete question pool for every commercial operator element, and the exam is drawn from that pool. The questions here are those pools, keyed by their pool numbers: Element 1 (2009), Element 3 (2009), Element 7 (2021), Element 7R (2012), Element 8 (2009, updated 2024) and Element 9 (2012).
Element 1 asks 24 questions (18 to pass). Elements 3 and 7 ask 100 (75 to pass). Elements 7R, 8 and 9 ask 50 (38 to pass). Every element is graded at 75 percent.
Officers standing a radio watch on vessels required to carry GMDSS equipment need the GMDSS Radio Operator license, which is Elements 1 and 7. Vessels that only sail within VHF range of shore can use the Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator license (Elements 1 and 7R). Many domestic vessels need only the Marine Radio Operator Permit (Element 1).
No. The FCC approved a new 600-question Element 7 pool on 6 October 2021 and examiners stopped using the 2012 pool six months later. This site carries the 2021 pool; the retired 2012 questions were removed.
Yes. You can answer free questions on every element each day without an account. A free account raises the daily limit and tracks the questions you miss, and subscribers get unlimited practice and timed exams.
Sign up free to track your missed questions, then subscribe for unlimited practice across every element.