AMSA Master less than 500 GT oral exam preparation

The Master less than 500 GT (STCW II/1 and II/2) certificate is an STCW officer-level certificate that AMSA describes as typically for seafarers progressing from near coastal, watchkeeping or Mate-level deck officer roles into command positions. It allows you to work as Master or Chief Mate on vessels under 500 gross tonnes in any operating area, perform officer in charge of a navigational watch duties on vessels of any size, and perform Able Seafarer – Deck duties. You can also work as Master or Chief Mate on vessels under 3000 GT in near coastal waters.

An AMSA oral exam is required before you can apply for the certificate. This page explains how it fits into the process, what AMSA publishes for the exam, and how AMSA organises the topics.

AMSA certificate name

Master less than 500 GT (STCW II/1 and II/2)

Type

International (STCW) certificate

Oral examination

Required before AMSA issues the certificate; scheduled for 2 hours

AMSA examiner checklist

AMSA 249

Also called

the Master 500 orals, the Master <500 GT oral exam, or the Master 500 CoC oral

About the AMSA oral examination for this certificate

AMSA schedules oral exams for two hours. Most are held online using Microsoft Teams, and you can request a face-to-face exam when you book, subject to examiner availability. Booking opens after AMSA sends your sea service assessment outcome notice.

AMSA lists the Master oral examination checklist (AMSA 249) and the Appendix 2 syllabus for Master <500 GT and Mate <500 GT on its Prepare for your oral exam page. Direct links are listed under Official AMSA sources below. For a full explanation of how AMSA oral exams are booked, run and assessed, read the AMSA oral exam preparation guide.

Who this certificate is for

• Seafarers progressing into command of vessels under 500 GT from near coastal, watchkeeping or Mate-level deck officer roles.
• Domestic near coastal Masters moving into the STCW system, because AMSA lists Master <45 m near coastal (unrestricted) as an eligible prerequisite.

Official AMSA requirements

AMSA sets the requirements for the Master <500 GT certificate. In summary, as AMSA listed them on 3 October 2026:

• Hold, or have held, one of these certificates: an AMSA-issued Master <45 m near coastal (unrestricted), an AMSA-issued Mate <500 GT, or an overseas STCW certificate that AMSA considers equivalent.
• Complete a Diploma of Maritime Operations (Master up to 500 GT) with an AMSA-approved training provider, plus the STCW short courses AMSA lists: advanced fire fighting (A-VI/3), medical care on board ship (A-VI/4 paras 4–6), proficiency in survival craft and rescue boats other than fast rescue boats (A-VI/2), basic safety training (Reg VI/1) and security awareness training (VI/6(4)).
• Meet one of AMSA’s two sea-service pathways. Standard (36 months), if you hold Master <45 near coastal (unrestricted) or Mate <500 GT (or equivalent): at least 1,080 days on vessels of 24 metres or more, in the deck department as officer in charge of a navigational watch, including at least 720 days on voyages of 24 hours or more, with at least 360 days while holding Master <24 m near coastal (unrestricted), Master <45 m near coastal (unrestricted), Mate <500 GT, Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT or an equivalent certificate AMSA recognises. Reduced (24 months), if you hold a Mate <500 GT with a Chief Mate <3000 GT near coastal endorsement (or equivalent): at least 720 days on vessels of 24 metres or more as officer in charge of a navigational watch, including at least 480 days on voyages of 24 hours or more, with at least 360 days while holding that certificate.
• Hold a valid AMSA Certificate of Medical Fitness (303) and a valid GMDSS radio operator certificate (or GMDSS certificate of recognition).
• Get your sea service assessed and pass the AMSA oral exam. AMSA says not to book it until you have received your sea service assessment letter. After you pass, you apply using Seafarer form 419.

This is a summary only, and requirements change. Check AMSA’s certificate page, linked under Official AMSA sources below, for the current requirements before you plan your pathway or book.

What to prepare for: AMSA’s own syllabus and checklist

AMSA publishes a syllabus and an examiner checklist for this certificate. This section follows the headings AMSA itself uses, and summarises them only to show how AMSA organises the material. Download AMSA’s documents, linked under Official AMSA sources, for the full topic lists.

AMSA’s syllabus

Appendix 2 – Syllabus for the AMSA oral examination: Master <500 GT, Mate <500 GT and Master 24 m Foreign Going

AMSA’s syllabus is organised into these 13 sections:

1. Management
2. Standards of watchkeeping
3. Bridge equipment
4. Navigation, charts and publications
5. Stress and stability
6. Cargo work
7. Ship handling
8. Prevention of pollution
9. Emergency situations / response and equipment
10. Dry docking
11. Search and rescue
12. Essential shipboard equipment and machinery
13. Collision avoidance

AMSA’s examiner checklist

AMSA 249 – Master oral examination checklist. AMSA groups the checklist topics under these 14 headings: Management and shipmaster’s business; Standards of watchkeeping; Bridge equipment; Stress and stability; Navigation – charts and publications; Cargo work; Ship handling; Prevention of pollution; Emergency situations / response and equipment; Dry docking; Search and rescue; Essential shipboard equipment and machinery; Rules of the road; English language.

Under some of those headings, AMSA’s checklist lists topics such as the following (a summary, not the full list):

• Cargo work: ship–shore checklist and bulk cargo publications; bulk cargo loading requirements and the shipper’s declaration; cargo handling equipment and Marine Order 32 issues; cargo securing and the cargo securing manual; confined space entry; failure of cargo gear and heavy-lift precautions; the IMDG Code; tanker operations and inert gas.
• Ship handling: under-keel clearance and squat; embarking and disembarking a pilot; synchronous and parametric rolling; launching rescue or survival craft in adverse weather; mooring and unmooring; anchoring; heavy weather; ship and tug interaction; turning a ship short round.
• Prevention of pollution: action in a pollution incident and to prevent pollution; applicable Australian legislation; Garbage Management Plan and Garbage Record Book; precautions while bunkering; SOPEP and MARPOL annexes.
• Essential shipboard equipment and machinery: anchors and cables, davits, lifeboat falls and pilot ladders; maintenance of bilges and ballast tanks; planned maintenance; practical operation of firefighting and lifesaving equipment; watertight integrity.
• Management and shipmaster’s business: taking over command or joining a ship as Master and the authority of the Master; statutory certificates and surveys; the ISM and ISPS codes; MARPOL, SOLAS and the MLC; OH&S legislation; ship’s records.

What AMSA tells candidates

• AMSA says the syllabus is not a fully detailed list of orals questions but a list of topics candidates are expected to know, for guidance only.
• The examiner may ask for diagrams or simple calculations, may ask you to show radar plotting and chart-work, and will expect an adequate command of English.
• Master and Mate candidates can be asked from all sections; the focus relates to the main management responsibilities and shipboard duties of the certificate applied for. The syllabus also incorporates lower-grade certificates.
• The wording of the syllabus distinguishes basic knowledge of some areas, such as classification societies, ship administration, cargo legislation, pilotage and towage, from fuller knowledge of others, such as the use of navigational publications.

Suggested study structure

This is our own suggested study structure. It is not an AMSA syllabus and it is not a list of actual exam questions.

• Study the Appendix 2 sections in order. Use the 13 sections as a timetable and, within each, tick off the matching AMSA 249 checklist topics. Note where the syllabus says “basic” and where it says “full” knowledge so you spend time accordingly.
• Translate your service into examples. If you come from near coastal work, write down examples from your own service for each section so you can describe what you did and why.

How AMSA Examiner helps you prepare

AMSA Examiner is a study platform. After you register and enrol for a rank, it gives you these tools:

• Learning topics that you work through in order.
• A Quiz Bank for practice questions.
• Mind maps for revision.
• A study plan built around your exam date.
• Weak-area identification and a revision book.
• Exam readiness reports.

The content you see depends on the rank you enrol for and on what has been published for that rank. AMSA Examiner’s practice material is study material. It is not official AMSA examination content, and it cannot predict the questions you will be asked.

Preparation strategy

AMSA’s own advice is to use the checklist as your study plan, prepare examples from your sea service, practise answering aloud and check your readiness before you book. For this certificate, that advice looks like this:

Related certificates

• Master <45 m Near Coastal oral exam preparation. AMSA lists Master <45 m near coastal (unrestricted) as one of the certificates that make you eligible for Master <500 GT.
• Chief Mate <3000 GT oral exam preparation. AMSA lists Master <500 GT as one of the prerequisites for Chief Mate <3000 GT.
• All AMSA oral exam preparation guides, including the other certificates this site covers.