How to pass your UK MCA Chief Mates SQA written exams

This webpage is designed to help you pass your UK MCA Chief Officer SQA exams, which consist of:

  • Navigation
  • Stability and Structure

This content can also be used to study towards your Higher Nautical Diploma (HND) Nautical Science exams.

By subscribing to this content, you will receive monthly access to:

  • Step by step guides for all calculations
  • Worked example tutorial videos for all calculations
  • Written theory
  • Infographics
  • Quizzes
  • SQA style questions, complete with model answers
  • Past paper questions

The content on this page is in line with the March 2025 Syllabus.

  1. SQA Past Papers and resources
  2. Publications Required for Passage Planning
  3. Selection of an Appropriate Route for a Given Passage
  4. Sailings
  5. Tides
  6. Factors to be Considered when Making Landfall
  7. Ship Routeing Schemes
  8. The Requirements when Navigating in or near Traffic Separation Schemes
  9. The Precautions to be taken when Navigating in or near the Vicinity of Offshore Installations, Safety Zones and Safety Fairways
  10. The Hazards and Procedures to be followed when Navigating in the Vicinity of a Tropical Revolving Storm
  11. Hazards of and Procedures to be Followed Including Master’s Obligations when Navigating in or near Ice
  12. The Adjustments to Course and/or Speed in order to Rendezvous with another Vessel for SAR, Safety or Operational Purposes
  13. Position Fixing Methods
  14. The Operation of Electronic Charts
  15. Operation of Electronic Navigational Aids and Position Fixing Systems
  16. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
  17. The Statutory and International Requirements regarding Navigation, Navigational Equipment and the Qualifications and Fitness of Watchkeeping Personnel
  18. Bridge Procedures for both Routine and Emergency Situations
  19. Radar Plotting
  20. Stability Information Carried Onboard Ship and the Inclining Experiment
  21. Calculating KG and GM when loading, shifting and discharging weights
  22. KG and GM practice questions
  23. Free Surface Effect
  24. The Effect on Vessel’s Centre of Gravity of Loading, Discharging, Weights, Final List and Requirements to Bring Vessel Upright
  25. Suspended weight calculations
  26. Stability During Dry docking
  27. Longitudinal Centre of Flotation (LCF) With Respect to the After Perpendicular and Explains Change in LCF With Change in Draft
  28. Draught Survey Calculations
  29. Curves of Righting Levers (GZ), Using Real Ship Stability Information, and Determine Compliance With ‘Intact Stability’ Requirements of the Current Loadline Regulations
  30. Simplified Stability Using Real Ship Stability Information
  31. Angle of Loll and Effective GM at Angle of Loll
  32. Factors Affecting a Curve of Righting Levers (GZ)
  33. A tender vessel has a small GM, due to a high centre of gravity, causing it to heel easily and roll slowly.
  34. Use of the Current IMO Grain Rules to Determine if the Vessel Complies with the Specified Stability Criteria
  35. The Effect of Damage and Flooding on Stability
  36. Damage Stability Requirements for Passenger Vessels and Type A and B Vessels
  37. ‘Intact stability requirements’
  38. The Additional Criteria required by the ‘Stockholm Agreement 1996’ in Determining Compliance for Passenger Ship Damage Stability
  39. The Damage Stability Flooding Criteria for Type A, B-60, B-100 Vessels
  40. Loadline Terminology and Definitions for New Builds
  41. Conditions of Assignment of Loadlines
  42. The Special Factors Affecting the Assignment of Timber Loadlines
  43. The Requirements and Codes Relating to the Stability of Specialised Vessels
  44. The Stability Problems associated with Offshore Supply Vessels
  45. The Preparations Required for Surveys
  46. SQA Chief Mates Navigation

SQA Past Papers and resources

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SQA Chief Mates Stability & Structure

Notes

  1. Longitudinal stability calculations are to be based on taking moments about the After Perpendicular and using formula:Trim = Displacement x (LCB~LCG) / MCTC
  2. Formula sheets will be provided to Candidates for the Examination.

Ship stability data sheet ship A

MCA-SQA-Chief-Mate-Stability-Book-A-V3.1-Revised-February-2023Download

SQA Stability formulae sheet

Ship-Stability-Formulae-June-2025Download

SQA Chief Mates past papers

CM-SQA-Stability-2023Download
CM-Stability-SQA-Past-Papers-Chief-Mates-Publications-Oct-2022Download

SQA Chief Mates Navigation

SQA Navigation formulae sheet

Navigation-Formulae-V-3.0-Revised-March-2019Download

SQA Navigation past papers

CM-SQA-Navigation-2023Download
CM-SQA-Past-Papers-NavigationDownload