AMSA Mate less than 500 GT oral exam preparation

The Mate less than 500 GT (STCW II/1 and II/2) certificate is an STCW officer-level certificate for deck officers on smaller vessels. AMSA says it allows you to work as Chief Mate or Watchkeeper Deck officer on vessels under 500 GT, perform Able Seafarer – Deck duties on vessels of any size, and, in near coastal waters, perform Master duties on vessels under 500 GT and Watchkeeper Deck officer duties on vessels under 3000 GT.

AMSA states plainly that you must pass an AMSA oral exam before you can apply for this certificate. This page explains how the exam fits into the process, which official checklist and syllabus AMSA lists, and how AMSA organises the material.

AMSA certificate name

Mate 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 Mate 500 orals, the Mate <500 GT oral exam, or the Mate 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

• Near coastal Masters moving into the STCW system, because AMSA lists Master <24 m near coastal (unrestricted) as an eligible prerequisite.
• Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT officers progressing to Mate level, because AMSA also lists that certificate as a prerequisite.

Official AMSA requirements

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

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Hold one of these certificates: an AMSA-issued Master <24 m near coastal (unrestricted), an AMSA-issued Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT, or an overseas STCW certificate that AMSA considers equivalent.
• Complete an AMSA-approved Mate training course and the STCW short courses AMSA lists.
• Have at least 1,080 days (36 months) of sea service on vessels 12 metres or more in length, including at least 720 days as a Master or officer in charge of a navigational watch, and at least 360 days on vessels 24 metres or more in length on voyages of 24 hours or more. AMSA attaches further conditions, so read its page for the full wording.
• Hold a valid AMSA Certificate of Medical Fitness (303) and a valid GMDSS radio operator certificate, pass the AMSA oral exam, then 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 <500 GT oral exam preparation. AMSA lists Mate <500 GT as an eligible prerequisite for Master <500 GT, and the two share the AMSA 249 checklist and Appendix 2 syllabus.
• Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT oral exam preparation. AMSA lists Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT as one of the certificates that make you eligible for Mate <500 GT.
• Master <24 m Near Coastal certificate guide. AMSA lists Master <24 m near coastal (unrestricted) as one of the certificates that make you eligible for Mate <500 GT. AMSA does not require an oral exam for that certificate.
• All AMSA oral exam preparation guides, including the other certificates this site covers.