The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) administer exams on behalf of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
To qualify as a Deck Officer, candidates need to pass a Navigation paper, and a Stability and operations paper, which is administered by the SQA.
SQA assessments
Candidates undertaking the Foundation Degree (FD), Honours Degree (HD) or Scottish Professional Diploma (SPD) can apply for exemptions to SQA exams, provided they pass their college assessments with a mark of 50% overall and 65% in the navigation assessment and 60% stability and operations assessment.
The Navigation Assessment
At the Officer of the Watch level, the navigation assessment is split into two main sections
– Section A, which is Chartwork and Tides (40% weighting) and
Section B – Navigation Theory (60% weighting).
You must achieve an overall pass mark of 60% in Section A & B together and, must also achieve at least 70% in Section A.
You will be assessed on:
1. Stages of making a passage plan
2. Following a passage plan
3. Routing instructions and guidelines
4. Adjustment of the vessel’s course and speed to take account of passage plan requirements
5. Plane and Parallel Sailing
6. Meridional parts, DMP and Mercator sailing formula
7. Bridge watchkeeping procedures
8. Communications between the Bridge and Machinery Spaces
9. Navigation in the proximity of ice
10. Cause of tides and definitions
11. Finding the tidal information at standard ports – Worldwide
12. Finding the tidal information at secondary ports – Worldwide
SafeSeas Training has the syllabus for chartwork and tides and navigational maths and science available as part of their learning platform, which can be accessed on chartwork and tides and Navigational maths and science.
The Stability Assessment
The Officer of the Watch Stability assessment is split into:
⁃ Section A – Stability (40% weighting) and
⁃ Section B – Operations (60% weighting).
You must achieve an overall (section A plus Section B) pass mark of 50% and not fall below 40% in either section A or B.
The syllabus you will be assessed on is:
1. Hydrostatics
2. Statical Stability at small angles
3. Transverse Stability
4. Longitudinal Stability
5. Maintaining a Deck Watch (alongside or at anchor)
6. Pollution prevention
7. Legislation
SafeSeas Training has the syllabus for stability, marine law and management and cargo operations available as part of their learning platform, which can be accessed via Ship Stability, Marine cargo operations and Marine Law and Management.
The Assessment
The next set of SQA exams are in July 2024. The timetable can be found here.
Before entering the exam room, you will be required to produce a photo ID such as a passport or discharge book.
You will be provided with formula sheets and relevant information such as tide tables for the assessment for both navigation and stability papers.
Marking and results
The MCA operates a negative marking scheme where the following marks are deducted for the following errors:
⁃ 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.
SQA results are usually issued 8 weeks after the date of your last exam. If you meant feedback on your assessment, you need to contact your assessment centre.
Should you fail an assessment, you are able to carry a pass forward for 12 months – however both modules must be passed within the 12 months of carrying the pass forward. If this does not happen, you need to pass both SQA assessments again.
Appeals
You are unable to appeal the mark, this is because each paper is second marked and anything within 10% of the pass mark will be marked by a MCA surveyor. However, for a fee you can ask for an administrative check where the paper will be re-checked to ensure that all marks have been correctly added up.
Further information on this can be found here.
What happens after passing your SQA assessments?
Once you have passed both assessments, the pass is valid for a total of three years. You will then need to apply for Part A of their UK MCA orals, which is a computer based assessment. Once this is passed, candidates can then apply for their one-to-one oral exam with a UK MCA examiner. You have three years from passing both SQA assessments to pass your orals.
Unless you have followed the FD, HD or SPD route, you cannot get a Certificate of Competency without passing your SQA written exams.
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