Communication and GMDSS Practice Questions for the MCA Orals
OOW Part A: 1 of the 15 questions, 50% to pass this topic
The real MCA oral is a spoken interview with an examiner; these questions are knowledge practice for it, each with a model answer.
60 test points across every Part A topic in 40 minutes, scored against the MCA’s minimum for each topic.
Free Communication drillWhich VHF channel is used for distress, urgency and safety calls by voice?
Communication in the MCA orals
Communication is a 50% topic on OOW Part A. MIN 653 covers emergency communications under the GMDSS, IAMSAR Volume III, distress signals and penalties for misuse, the International Code of Signals and the IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases.
- On Part A
- 4 of the 60 test points (1 of 15 questions); you need 50%, 2 of 4
- In the oral
- The examiner can ask about any part of the syllabus, in scenarios. Say your answer out loud before you check it.
- Our drill
- 10 questions from 28 Communication questions, untimed, a model answer after every one; one free attempt, unlimited with a pass
Study notes
- Priority order: distress (MAYDAY), urgency (PAN PAN), safety (SECURITE). A distress alert is sent only on the master’s authority when a ship or person is in grave and imminent danger needing immediate assistance.
- GMDSS sea areas: A1 within VHF DSC range of a coast station; A2 within MF DSC range; A3 outside A1 and A2 but within coverage of a recognised mobile satellite service; A4 any area outside A1, A2 and A3.
- VHF channel 16 is for distress, urgency and safety calling by voice; channel 70 is DSC only. MF DSC distress uses 2187.5 kHz.
- An EPIRB on 406 MHz sends a distress alert with the ship’s identity through Cospas-Sarsat; a SART (radar 9 GHz or AIS-SART) shows survival craft on an X-band radar as a line of 12 dots (or on AIS).
- IAMSAR Volume III is the mobile facilities manual carried on board: actions for a ship in distress, a ship assisting, on-scene coordination and search patterns.
- A false distress alert is cancelled at once by voice on the associated distress frequency (VHF 16 after a VHF DSC alert) to all stations.
Sit the Part A practice test under the clock
60 test points across every Part A topic in 40 minutes, scored against the MCA’s minimum for each topic.
Free Communication drillWhat the examiner looks for
- Emergency communications within the GMDSS, and the distress, urgency and safety procedures (MIN 653).
- IAMSAR Volume III, distress signals (COLREG Annex IV) and the penalties for misuse.
- The International Code of Signals and the IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases.
How to study it
- Write a MAYDAY message in full and say it aloud: MAYDAY ×3, this is (name ×3, call sign, MMSI), MAYDAY, name, position, nature of distress, assistance required, persons on board, other information, over.
- Learn the four sea areas and the equipment each needs.
- Take the communication drill until you score 80% or better.
Common questions
What is the difference between MAYDAY and PAN PAN?
MAYDAY is a distress call: grave and imminent danger needing immediate assistance. PAN PAN is an urgency call: an urgent message about the safety of a ship or person that does not reach the level of distress.
How does a SART appear on radar?
An activated radar SART, triggered by an X-band (9 GHz) radar, shows as a line of 12 dots outward from the SART position on the bearing of the survival craft; the dots become arcs and then circles as the searching ship closes.
60 test points across every Part A topic in 40 minutes, scored against the MCA’s minimum for each topic.
Free Communication drillThe other MCA orals topics
- International Collision Regulations
- IALA Systems of Buoyage
- Navigational Procedures
- Seaworthiness
- Cargo Work
- Emergency Procedures
- Regulation
- Other (Ship Handling, Meteorology, Safety and Security)
- Master: Law, Certificates and Surveys
- Master: Stability, Damage and Emergencies
- OOW Part A practice test (15 questions, 40 minutes)
- Mixed drill: every topic
Sources
- MCA: MIN 653 (M) Amendment 1, Deck Oral Exam Syllabus (OOW, Chief Mate and Master; expires 1 May 2027)
- MCA: MIN 690 Amendment 6, oral exam booking, Part A and Part B, resits and appeals
- MCA: MSF 4274, application for a deck oral examination (fees, oral pass validity)
- MCA: MIN 720 (M) Amendment 1, modernised officer qualifications and digital assessments (30 September 2026)
- MCA: MIN 654 (M) Amendment 1, Engineering and Electro-technical Officer Oral Exam Syllabus
- MCA: MSN 1781 (M+F) Amendment 3, the COLREG as applied in the UK
- IALA: Recommendation R1001, the IALA Maritime Buoyage System (Edition 2.0)
The MCA oral is a spoken interview with an MCA examiner. These are knowledge drills for it, with the model answer an examiner would expect after every question; they are not a simulation of the interview. The timed test copies the format of the OOW Part A computer-based exam. Original practice questions written from the MCA deck oral exam syllabus (MIN 653), the COLREG 1972 as applied by MSN 1781 and the IALA Maritime Buoyage System; they are not MCA questions or questions reported by candidates. The real oral is a spoken interview with an MCA examiner, and this is knowledge practice for it, not a simulation of the interview. Independent practice, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.