What is a characteristic of cardinal marks?
- A Light rhythms indicating directional orientation
- B Square or triangular topmarks
- C Number-letter combinations for identification
- D Vertical stripes
Thousands of real exam questions
USCG Navigation Rules Practice Tests
Test your Navigation and Rules of the Road knowledge with comprehensive practice tests.
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At USCGQ.com we have been collecting questions directly from the United States Coast Guard for the last 10 years, building a huge bank of thousands of unique questions. Use it to study for your exam, or to test your knowledge and quickly identify the topics you still struggle with.
Our online Navigation Rules of the Road practice tests are the best way to measure your study progress and determine whether you have truly mastered the material. There is no better feeling than walking into the test center knowing you will ace any test they put in front of you!
Taking a Nav Rules practice test shows you the types of questions you will find on the USCG exam. There are a lot of trick questions that you will not spot unless you have studied many similar examples and learned to read questions with a critical eye.
Practice Test Modules
Go ahead and take our instant quiz on any of the topics below:
Navigation General Practice Test
Charts, aids to navigation, compass work, tides, currents, and publications.
2,138 questions · Start an instant quiz →
Navigation Problems Practice Test
Plotting exercises: courses and distances, set and drift, and running fixes.
1,708 questions · Start an instant quiz →
Rules of the Road Practice Test
The collision regulations module every deck license requires, with a 90 percent passing score.
1,025 questions · Start an instant quiz →
You will soon discover whether you are ready for any U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Rules test!
Topics the Navigation Questions Cover
Navigation questions on the USCG exam fall into two groups. Navigation General tests knowledge you can answer from memory: reading a chart, identifying buoys and daymarks in the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, applying variation and deviation to compass courses, and using publications like the Light List, Coast Pilot, and Notice to Mariners. Navigation Problems tests work you do with plotting tools: laying out a course, computing time, speed, and distance, correcting for current, and fixing your position.
Between them sit the Rules of the Road, tested as their own module on every deck exam. If the rules are your focus, our dedicated Rules of the Road practice test page covers that module in depth, including the 90 percent passing requirement.
Sample Navigation Exam Questions
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.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (formerly the National Imagery and Mapping Agency) would produce a chart of the coast of __________.
- A Canada
- B Puerto Rico
- C Alaska
- D Hawaii
The greatest directive force is exerted on the magnetic compass when the __________.
- A variation is near zero
- B needles are nearly in line with the meridian
- C vessel is near the magnetic poles
- D vessel is near the magnetic equator
Navigation Rules Test FAQ
Q What is on a USCG navigation rules test?
Steering and sailing rules, lights and shapes, sound signals, and responsibilities between vessels, covering both the international COLREGs and the U.S. Inland Rules. Deck exams also include separate Navigation General and chart plotting modules.
Q How do I practice chart plotting online?
The Navigation Problems module contains the plotting question pool, including the numbers you need to work each problem. Practice the math and the method here, then do timed runs on paper charts before exam day.
Q What is the difference between Navigation General and Navigation Problems?
Navigation General is knowledge you answer from memory, like chart symbols, buoyage, and compass error. Navigation Problems requires calculation and plotting, like courses, distances, set and drift, and estimated positions.
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