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Deck · 2,138 questions

General Navigation - USCG Exam Questions

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.

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All General Navigation questions

Questions 601–700 of 2,138 · page 7 of 22

  1. #642 Compass deviation is caused by __________.
  2. #643 Deviation in a compass is caused by the __________.
  3. #644 Variation is not constant; it is different with every change in __________.
  4. #645 If a magnetic compass is not affected by any magnetic field other than the Earth's, which statement is TRUE?
  5. #646 The compass error of a magnetic compass that has no deviation is __________.
  6. #647 The standard magnetic compass heading differs from the true heading by __________.
  7. #648 Compass error is equal to the __________.
  8. #649 When changing from a compass course to a true course you should apply __________.
  9. #650 The chart indicates the variation was 3°45'W in 1988, and the annual change is decreasing 6'. If you use the chart in 1991 how much variation should y...
  10. #651 The chart indicates the variation was 3°45'W in 1988, and the annual change is increasing 6'. If you use the chart in 1991 how much variation should y...
  11. #652 The chart indicates the variation was 3°45'E in 1988, and the annual change is increasing 6'. If you use the chart in 1991 how much variation should y...
  12. #653 Variation is a compass error that you __________.
  13. #654 Error may be introduced into a magnetic compass by __________.
  14. #655 The lubber's line on a magnetic compass indicates __________.
  15. #656 Which would influence a magnetic compass?
  16. #657 As a vessel changes course to starboard, the compass card in a magnetic compass __________.
  17. #658 The permanent magnetism of a vessel may change in strength due to __________.
  18. #659 Which would influence a magnetic compass?
  19. #660 The lubber's line on a magnetic compass indicates __________.
  20. #661 The permanent magnetism of a vessel may change in strength due to __________.
  21. #662 The permanent magnetism of a vessel may change in polarity due to __________.
  22. #663 Magnets are placed in horizontal trays in the compass binnacle to compensate for the __________.
  23. #664 Magnets in the binnacles of magnetic compasses are used to reduce the effect of __________.
  24. #665 Permanent magnetism is caused by __________.
  25. #666 At the magnetic equator there is no induced magnetism in the vertical soft iron because __________.
  26. #667 The magnetic compass magnets are acted on by the horizontal component of the Earth's total magnetic force. This magnetic force is GREATEST at the ____...
  27. #668 Magnetism which is present only when the material is under the influence of an external field is called __________.
  28. #669 Induced magnetism is found in __________.
  29. #670 The line which connects the points of zero magnetic dip is __________.
  30. #671 The line connecting the points of the earth's surface where there is no dip is the __________.
  31. #672 The points on the earth's surface where the magnetic dip is 90° are __________.
  32. #673 The vertical angle between the horizontal and the magnetic line of force is the __________.
  33. #674 Magnetic dip is a measurement of the angle between the __________.
  34. #675 What is the basic principle of the magnetic compass?
  35. #676 By convention, the Earth's north magnetic pole is colored __________.
  36. #677 By convention, the south pole of a magnet is painted __________.
  37. #678 By convention, the north pole of a magnet is painted __________.
  38. #679 By convention, the Earth's south magnetic pole is colored __________.
  39. #680 By convention, the south seeking ends of a compass' magnets are colored __________.
  40. #681 By convention, the north seeking ends of a compass' magnets are colored __________.
  41. #682 What is an advantage of the magnetic compass aboard vessels?
  42. #683 When a magnetic compass is not in use for a prolonged period of time it should __________.
  43. #684 A magnetic compass card is marked in how many degrees?
  44. #685 When a magnetic compass is not in use for a prolonged period of time it should __________.
  45. #686 A magnetic compass card is marked in how many degrees?
  46. #687 Yesterday your chronometer read 11h 59m 59s at the 1200 GMT time tick. Today the chronometer reads 11h 59m 57s at the 1200 time tick. What is the chro...
  47. #688 When your vessel is on the storm track but behind the storm's center the __________.
  48. #689 The atmosphere in the vicinity of a high pressure area is called a(n) __________.
  49. #690 Which instrument is used to measure the relative humidity of the air?
  50. #691 Using the surface analysis in illustration D049NG below, which wind speeds are reported at position A? illustration
  51. #692 Which of the following represents the slope of a warm front?
  52. #693 In a cyclone the lowest pressure is found in the __________.
  53. #694 To avoid error you should read the scale of an aneroid barometer with your eye placed __________.
  54. #695 You are underway on course 050°T and your maximum speed is 10 knots. The eye of a hurricane bears 100°T, 90 miles from your position. The hurricane is...
  55. #696 You are underway on course 120°T and your maximum speed is 12 knots. The eye of a hurricane bears 150°T, 120 miles from your position. The hurricane i...
  56. #697 Weather information is available from __________.
  57. #698 Weather information provided by the National Weather Service (NWS) advisories should be used along with __________.
  58. #699 When a high pressure system is centered north of your vessel in the Northern Hemisphere __________.
  59. #700 What instrument measures wind velocity?
  60. #701 In the Southern Hemisphere winds in a low pressure system rotate in a __________.
  61. #702 How can you estimate the position of a tropical storm's center?
  62. #703 Which theoretical minimum number of measurements from satellites does a GPS receiver need in order to provide an exact three-dimensional position?
  63. #704 According to Buys Ballot's law, when an observer in the Northern Hemisphere experiences a northwest wind, the center of low pressure is located to the...
  64. #705 What classification of tropical cyclone would have closed isobars, counter clockwise rotary circulation, and sustained winds between 34 and 63 knots?
  65. #706 When cold air displaces warm air you have a(n) __________.
  66. #707 Which condition exists in the eye of a hurricane?
  67. #708 Your present weather is sunny with a steady barometer. A low swell approaches your vessel from the south with crests passing at relatively long period...
  68. #709 The barometer is an instrument for measuring the __________.
  69. #710 A decrease in barometric pressure is associated with all of the following except __________.
  70. #711 Weather conditions in the middle latitudes generally move __________.
  71. #712 As a Merchant Marine Officer you are expected to be able to do which of the following?
  72. #713 Which cloud commonly produces a halo about the Sun or Moon?
  73. #714 A easterly wave is located 200 miles due west of your position, which is north of the equator. Where will the wave be in 24 hours?
  74. #715 Your vessel is participating in the Voluntary Observing Ship Program, you are preparing WS Form B-80 as seen in illustration D041NG below. The dry bul... illustration
  75. #716 Which weather element cannot be measured accurately while on board a moving vessel?
  76. #717 Which instrument is used to predict the approach of a low pressure system?
  77. #718 You have replaced the chart paper in the course recorder. What is NOT required to ensure that a correct trace is recorded?
  78. #719 A marine chronometer should be rewound once every __________.
  79. #720 The flow of air around an anticyclone in the Southern Hemisphere is __________.
  80. #721 Cumulus clouds that have undergone vertical development and have become cumulonimbus in form, indicate __________.
  81. #722 Which of the following causes a frontal thunderstorm?
  82. #723 With regard to GPS, a civilian receiver may be capable of achieving the same accuracy as a military receiver if __________.
  83. #724 An instrument that maintains a continuous record of humidity changes is called a __________.
  84. #725 Time signals broadcast by WWV and WWVH are transmitted __________.
  85. #726 The pressure-sensitive element of an aneroid barometer is called a __________.
  86. #727 An instrument useful in predicting fog is the __________.
  87. #728 In mid-ocean, the characteristics of a wave are determined by three factors. What is NOT one of these factors?
  88. #729 Which data must ECDIS be able to record at one-minute intervals?
  89. #730 When a low pressure area is approaching, the weather generally __________.
  90. #731 With respect to failure warnings and status indications, GPS receivers should provide, at a minimum, __________.
  91. #732 If a weather bulletin shows the center of a low pressure system to be 100 miles due east of you, what winds can you expect in the Southern Hemisphere?
  92. #733 While navigating in fog off a coastline of steep cliffs, you hear the echo of the ships fog horn 6 seconds after the signal was sounded. What is the d...
  93. #734 There are seven sources of error in the marine sextant. Of the four errors listed, which one is adjustable?
  94. #735 When using an ARPA, what should you consider in order to evaluate the information displayed?
  95. #736 You can follow the approach of a dangerous cyclonic storm by inspecting __________.
  96. #737 What benefit is a weather bulletin to a mariner?
  97. #738 From which type of cloud can a tornado or waterspout develop?
  98. #739 Cumulonimbus clouds can produce __________.
  99. #740 An aneroid barometer on a boat should always be __________.
  100. #741 A radar display which is oriented, so that north is always at the top of the screen, is called a(n) __________.

General Navigation questions: what to expect

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

There are 2,138 General Navigation questions on this site, every one released by the U.S. Coast Guard or taken from the National Maritime Center's sample examinations, with its correct answer. The exam draws its General Navigation module from the same pool.

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.