AMSA Watchkeeper Deck less than 500 GT oral exam preparation

The Watchkeeper Deck less than 500 GT (STCW II/1) certificate is an STCW entry-level deck officer certificate for smaller vessels. AMSA says it allows you to work as officer in charge of a navigational watch on vessels under 500 GT in any operating area and to perform Able Seafarer – Deck duties on vessels of any size. With a near coastal endorsement you can also work on vessels under 3000 GT in near coastal waters.

An AMSA oral exam is required before AMSA issues the certificate. This page explains how that exam fits into the process, which official checklist and syllabus AMSA lists, and how AMSA organises the material.

AMSA certificate name

Watchkeeper Deck less than 500 GT (STCW II/1)

Type

International (STCW) certificate

Oral examination

Required before AMSA issues the certificate; scheduled for 2 hours

AMSA examiner checklist

AMSA 243

Also called

the Watchkeeper Deck 500 orals, the OOW <500 GT oral exam, or the Watchkeeper <500 GT 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 Watchkeeper deck oral examination checklist (AMSA 243) and the Appendix 3 syllabus for Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT, the same documents it lists for Watchkeeper Deck. 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

• Deck candidates and cadets finishing a Diploma of Maritime Operations (Watchkeeper Deck) who need a first STCW officer certificate for vessels under 500 GT.
• Seafarers with a work-based sea-service history who are completing the approved training for their first officer-level certificate.

Official AMSA requirements

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

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Meet one of AMSA’s two sea-service pathways: a work-based pathway of at least 1,080 days (36 months), or an approved-cadetship pathway of at least 540 days (18 months). AMSA attaches conditions on vessel size and watchkeeping time to both, so read its page for the full wording.
• Complete a Diploma of Maritime Operations (Watchkeeper Deck) with an AMSA-approved training provider, plus the STCW short courses AMSA lists.
• Hold a valid AMSA Certificate of Medical Fitness (303) and a valid GMDSS radio operator certificate.
• Get your sea service assessed and pass the AMSA oral exam. AMSA says to book only after 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 3 – Syllabus for the AMSA oral examination: Watchkeeper deck, and Mate <500 GT (watchkeeper only)

AMSA’s syllabus is organised into these 13 sections:

1. Operations
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 243 – Watchkeeper deck oral examination checklist. AMSA groups the checklist topics under these 14 headings: Operations; 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):

• Operations: classification societies; frequency of statutory musters and drills; the ISM and ISPS codes; MARPOL, SOLAS, ballast water and the MLC; port and flag state inspection regimes; joining a ship, handover and responsibilities; marine orders, SMS certificates and marine notices; OH&S legislation; ship’s records; statutory certificates and their validity; types of surveys.
• Standards of watchkeeping: BRM principles; fitness for duty; maintaining a proper lookout and an anchor watch; restricted visibility and congested waters; pilot on board; taking over and handing over the watch; voyage planning; watchkeeping records, night orders and standing orders; protection of the marine environment.
• Bridge equipment: AIS precautions, BNWAS and VDR; ARPA; ECDIS; emergency steering procedures; radar types, presentation and setting up; testing of bridge equipment; S-band and X-band radar.
• Navigation – charts and publications: altitudes and meridian passage; basic tidal calculations; chart corrections and symbols; compass errors by various methods; notices to mariners; navigation warnings, EGC and MSI; ship reporting systems; position fixing and position lines.
• Rules of the road: Rules 1–3 and the annexes, 4–18, 19, 20–31 and 32–35; IALA buoyage Region A; radar plotting; use of radar for collision avoidance.

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 any question relevant to the topic areas, and may ask for diagrams or simple calculations, to test the operational and safety aspects of the Watchkeeper deck certificate.
• You can be asked about all sections, with the focus on the operational responsibilities and shipboard duties of the certificate applied for. The standards of watchkeeping section also covers keeping a cargo watch and bridge teamwork principles.
• You may be asked to show practical radar plotting and chart-work, and an adequate command of English.

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.

• Use the 13 syllabus sections as a timetable. Give each section a study session and work through the matching checklist topics. Keep extra time for bridge equipment and the rules of the road, where practical demonstrations such as radar plotting can be asked.
• Write one watch-based example per heading. For headings such as standards of watchkeeping and emergency situations, write a short true example from your watchkeeping or drills.

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

• AMSA OOW (Watchkeeper Deck) oral exam preparation. Watchkeeper Deck is the certificate without the <500 GT limit and uses the same AMSA 243 checklist and Appendix 3 syllabus.
• Mate <500 GT oral exam preparation. AMSA lists Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT as one of the certificates that make you eligible for Mate <500 GT.
• Chief Mate <3000 GT oral exam preparation. Chief Mate <3000 GT is the next officer certificate for larger vessels; AMSA lists Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT with a near coastal endorsement among its prerequisites.
• All AMSA oral exam preparation guides, including the other certificates this site covers.