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Retired questions · General Navigation
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Deck · 117 questions

Retired questions · General Navigation - USCG Exam Questions

These are retired questions the Coast Guard no longer draws exams from. They stay online for reference; the current questions are in General Navigation.

Chart reading, the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, compass error, tides and currents, and the standard navigation publications.

Every question below is a real U.S. Coast Guard exam question with four choices. Answer one and the correct choice is revealed instantly, with the USCG reference and illustration where the question uses one.

Random question Start at question 13 Build a timed exam

All Retired questions · General Navigation questions

Questions 1–100 of 117 · page 1 of 2

  1. #13 The principal purpose of magnetic compass adjustment is to __________.
  2. #53 While steaming on course 280°T, you sight a buoy showing a very quick-flashing (VQ) white light well to port. Maintaining course, you sight another bu...
  3. #57 The characteristic of a lighted cardinal mark may be __________.
  4. #70 You are underway on course 142°T when you sight a buoy bearing 105°T. The buoy's white light has a characteristic of continuous very-quick flashing. T...
  5. #73 You are underway in the North Sea on course 216°T when you sight a buoy bearing 021° relative. Under the IALA Buoyage System, you are in the best navi...
  6. #76 On approaching the English Channel on course 080°T, you note the symbol YBY near a charted buoy. You must pass __________.
  7. #112 Under the IALA cardinal system, a mark with a quick light showing 9 flashes every 15 seconds indicates that the safest water is on the __________.
  8. #126 While proceeding along the Norwegian coast on course 039°T, you sight the black- yellow-black banded buoy shown in illustration D021NG below, bearing... illustration
  9. #205 Aids to navigation marking the intracoastal waterway can be identified by __________.
  10. #215 Under the IALA-A Buoyage System, when entering from seaward, a buoy indicating the preferred channel is to starboard may have a __________.
  11. #269 You sight a spar buoy with the top mark shown in illustration D027NG below. You must take which of the following actions? illustration
  12. #287 Unlighted, red and green, horizontally-banded buoys with the topmost band red __________.
  13. #294 Under the IALA Buoyage System, which topmark shown in illustration D023NG below will be displayed on a safe water mark? illustration
  14. #298 Which buoy will NOT display white retroreflective material?
  15. #464 A large automated navigational buoy, such as those that have replaced some lightships, would be shown on a chart by which symbolin illustration D015NG... illustration
  16. #499 The U.S. Coast Guard publishes __________.
  17. #509 Civil twilight starts at 1812 zone time on 26 August, Your DR position at that time is LAT 21°06'S, LONG 14°56'W. Which statement concerning the plane...
  18. #608 The reaction of a gyrocompass to an applied force is known as __________.
  19. #610 The directive force of a gyrocompass __________.
  20. #611 Which statement about the gyrocompass is FALSE?
  21. #612 A system of reservoirs and connecting tubes in a gyro compass is called a __________.
  22. #613 At the master gyrocompass, the compass card is attached to the __________.
  23. #614 Indications of the master gyrocompass are sent to remote repeaters by the __________.
  24. #615 Gyrocompass repeaters reproduce the indications of the master gyrocompass. They are __________.
  25. #617 When crossing the magnetic equator the __________.
  26. #618 The quadrantal spheres are used to __________.
  27. #619 The purpose of the soft iron spheres mounted on arms on the binnacle is to compensate for __________.
  28. #620 Variation is the angular measurement between __________.
  29. #622 Which compensates for errors introduced when the vessel heels over?
  30. #623 True heading differs from magnetic heading by __________.
  31. #626 The difference in degrees between true north and magnetic north is called __________.
  32. #628 The Flinders bar on a magnetic compass compensates for the __________.
  33. #629 A single vertical magnet placed underneath the compass in the binnacle is used to compensate for __________.
  34. #636 If the magnetic heading is greater than the compass heading, the deviation is __________.
  35. #637 The difference between magnetic heading and compass heading is called __________.
  36. #747 The typical operating range of automatic identification systems (AIS) at sea is nominally __________.
  37. #749 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 4.5 knots on course 233°T, and bears 264°T, 68 miles from you. What is the time to interce...
  38. #751 The type of fog that occurs on clear nights with very light breezes and forms when the earth cools rapidly ?
  39. #761 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 6 knots on course 133°T, and bears 343°T at 92 miles from you. What is the time to interce...
  40. #776 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 6 knots on course 133°T, and bears 343°T at 92 miles from you. What is the course to steer...
  41. #797 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 5 knots on course 063°T, and bears 136°T at 78 miles from you. What is the course to steer...
  42. #824 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 5.5 knots on course 033°T, and bears 248°T at 64 miles from you. What is the time to inter...
  43. #841 While underway, a vessel over 100,000 gross tons with an automatic identification systems (AIS) is expected to broadcast all of the following informat...
  44. #846 While underway, automatic identification systems (AIS) broadcast all of the following information every 1 to 10 seconds EXCEPT the __________.
  45. #854 An automatic identification system (AIS) transponder transmits and receives information broadcasts on __________?
  46. #856 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 6 knots on course 133°T, and bears 042° at 105 miles from you. What is the course to steer...
  47. #858 What does an automatic identification system (AIS) transponder use to transmit and receive information broadcasts?
  48. #861 With respect to automatic identification systems (AIS), which information is expected to be broadcast every 1 to 10 seconds?
  49. #867 With respect to automatic identification systems (AIS), which information is required to be broadcast every 1 to 10 seconds?
  50. #868 Automatic identification systems (AIS) are expected to broadcast all of the following information EXCEPT __________.
  51. #874 Your vessel is participating in the Voluntary Observing Ship Program. You are preparing WS Form B-80 as seen in illustration D041NG below. Three-quart... illustration
  52. #883 With respect to automatic identification systems (AIS) which of the following information is broadcast every one to ten seconds?
  53. #884 With respect to automatic identification systems (AIS), which information is required to be broadcast every 1 to 10 seconds?
  54. #886 With respect to automatic identification systems (AIS), which information is expected to be broadcast every 1 to 10 seconds?
  55. #888 With respect to automatic identification systems (AIS), which information is required to be broadcast every 1 to 10 seconds?
  56. #892 Automatic identification systems (AIS) are required to __________.
  57. #898 The short text messaging feature of the automatic identification system (AIS) allows for messages of up to __________.
  58. #901 Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding automatic identification systems (AIS)?
  59. #912 Vessels required to have an Automatic Radar Plotting Aid must have a device to indicate the __________.
  60. #915 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 4.5 knots on course 233°T, and bears 346°T at 68 miles from you. What is the course to ste...
  61. #936 An ECDIS is required to display which information?
  62. #939 An ECDIS is required to display which information?
  63. #944 ECDIS must give an alarm for which of the following cases?
  64. #945 You are underway on course 050°T and your maximum speed is 12 knots. The eye of a hurricane bears 120°T, 110 miles from your position. The hurricane i...
  65. #946 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 5.5 knots on course 033°T, and bears 284°T at 43 miles from you. What is the course to ste...
  66. #948 ECDIS must give an alarm for which of the following cases?
  67. #951 Which data must ECDIS be able to record at one-minute intervals?
  68. #965 Which Electronic Plotting Aid (EPA) data should you use in order to determine if a close quarters situation will develop with a target vessel?
  69. #978 With respect to failure warnings and status indications, GPS receivers should provide, at a minimum, __________.
  70. #1013 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 5.5 knots on course 033°T, and bears 248°T at 64 miles from you. What is the course to ste...
  71. #1015 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 6 knots on course 133°T, and bears 042°T, 105 miles from you. What is the time to intercep...
  72. #1017 You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 5.5 knots on course 033°T, and bears 284°T, 43 miles from you. What is the time to interce...
  73. #1035 A Doppler speed log indicates speed through the water __________.
  74. #1110 In a tropical cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere, a vessel hove to with the wind shifting counterclockwise would be __________.
  75. #1189 The area of strong westerly winds occurring between 40°S and 60°S latitude is called the __________.
  76. #1383 Your longitude is 124°E, and your local mean time is 0520 on the 5th of the month. The mean time and date at Greenwich is __________.
  77. #1390 Your vessel is making way through the water at a speed of 12 knots. Your vessel traveled 30 nautical miles in 2 hours 20 minutes. What current are you...
  78. #1460 You are outbound in a channel marked by a range astern. The range line is 273°T. You are steering 090°T and have the range in sight as shown in illust... illustration
  79. #1477 In the horizon system of coordinates what is equivalent to the parallels of declination of the celestial equator system?
  80. #1500 Some locations maintain a zone time of -13. What are the zone time and date if the Greenwich time and date are 2152, 10 January?
  81. #1505 A plane that cuts the Earth's surface and passes through the poles will always form __________.
  82. #1514 Except for N-S courses, and E-W courses on the equator, a great circle track between two points, when compared to a rhumb line track between the same...
  83. #1534 A backlash below a lock is defined as a __________.
  84. #1560 The point on the celestial sphere that is directly below an observer is the __________.
  85. #1576 A true bearing of a charted object, when plotted on a chart, will establish a __________.
  86. #1577 A vessel is steaming in east longitude on January 25 and crosses the International Date Line on an eastbound course at 0900 zone time. What is the dat...
  87. #1592 The LMT of LAN is 1210. Your longitude is 70°30'E. Which time would you use to enter the Nautical Almanac to determine the declination of the Sun at L...
  88. #1641 A position obtained by applying ONLY your vessel's course and speed to a known position is a __________.
  89. #1667 The difference of latitude (l) between the geographic position (GP) of a celestial body and your position, at the time of upper transit, is represente...
  90. #1674 In the horizon system of coordinates what is the equivalent to the celestial equator of the celestial equator system?
  91. #1694 On March 17, at 0500 zone time, you cross the 180th meridian steaming eastward to west longitude. What is your local time?
  92. #1703 A time diagram is a diagram of the celestial sphere as observed from above the __________.
  93. #1709 An azimuth angle for a body is measured from the __________.
  94. #1714 The diameter of the Sun and Moon as seen from the Earth varies slightly but averages about __________.
  95. #1722 When correcting apparent altitude to observed altitude, you do NOT apply a correction for __________.
  96. #1739 On November 1st the zone time is 1700 EST (ZD +5) in LONG 75°W. What is the corresponding zone time and date in LONG 135°E?
  97. #1753 You are in LONG 165°E, zone time at 0400, 1 November. What is the zone time and date in LONG 165°W?
  98. #1762 The difference in local time between an observer on 114°W and one on 119°W is __________.
  99. #1764 The Local mean time of LAN is 1152. Your longitude is 73°15'E. What time would you use to enter the Nautical Almanac to determine the declination of t...
  100. #1768 A mean sun is used as the reference for solar time for three reasons. Which reason is NOT a cause for use of a mean sun?

General Navigation questions: what to expect

Q How many General Navigation questions are in the Deck pool?

This retired set holds 117 General Navigation questions the Coast Guard no longer draws on exams. They stay online for reference; the current General Navigation module is the one to study.

Q What score do I need to pass the General Navigation module?

Most USCG exam modules, including General Navigation, require 70 percent to pass. Rules of the Road modules require 90 percent.

Q Are these the real USCG General Navigation exam questions?

Yes. They are the published U.S. Coast Guard questions, matched to the National Maritime Center's 2026 sample examinations. Answer any question to see the correct choice, the USCG reference and the illustration where the question uses one.

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About the Deck question pool

The Deck pool holds the current U.S. Coast Guard questions for every deck credential, from Able Seaman and the OUPV six-pack up to unlimited Master. Each question is multiple choice with four options, graded instantly, with the USCG reference shown where one exists.