DG Shipping 2nd Mate (FG) Written Examination Mock Test

Overview of the DG Shipping 2nd Mate (FG) Examination

The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), an attached office of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India, is the statutory authority responsible for administering maritime training, safety, and certification across India. The DG Shipping 2nd Mate (Foreign Going) Written Examination is a pivotal professional licensing exam administered through the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) examination centers located across maritime hubs like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi, and Kandla.

Achieving the Second Mate (Foreign Going) Certificate of Competency (CoC) qualifies a mariner to act as an Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch (OICNW) on merchant ships of 500 gross tonnage or more, worldwide. The qualification is fully compliant with Regulation II/1 of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), as amended. Candidates who clear the written competency papers alongside practical signal examinations and oral evaluations receive their commercial merchant navy officer license.

Examination Structure and Functional Areas

The statutory assessment for Second Mate (FG) under Indian maritime rules is structured around the STCW operational-level competency functions:

1. Function 1: Navigation at the Operational Level

   • Terrestrial and Coastal Navigation (including chart plotting and passage planning)
   • Celestial Navigation (sun, star, planet, and moon sights, azimuth, amplitude)
   • Meteorology and Oceanography
   • Bridge Watchkeeping and the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs 1972)
   • Electronic Navigational Equipment (ECDIS, RADAR/ARPA, GNSS, AIS, Echo Sounders, Gyro Compass)

2. Function 2: Cargo Handling and Stowage at the Operational Level

   • General Cargo, Container Operations, Bulk Cargoes, and the IMSBC Code
   • Dangerous Goods Transport under the IMDG Code
   • Tanker Operations (Oil, Chemical, and Gas carriers) and inert gas systems
   • Heavy Lift, Timber, and Specialized Stowing and Securing

3. Function 3: Controlling the Operation of the Ship and Care for Persons on Board

   • Ship Construction details and terminology
   • Hydrostatics, Stability, List, Trim, and Free Surface Effect
   • Marine Environmental Regulations (MARPOL Annexes I through VI)
   • Industrial Safety, Fire Fighting (FFA), and Life-Saving Appliances (LSA) under SOLAS
   • Code of Safe Working Practices and the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006)

Eligibility Criteria and Application Prerequisites

Before booking examination slots on the DGS e-Governance portal, candidates must fulfill strict prerequisites:

• Approved Pre-Sea Training: Completion of an approved pre-sea training program, such as the 3-Year B.Sc. Nautical Science, 4-Year B.S., or Diploma in Nautical Science (DNS) leading to B.Sc. Nautical Science.
• Approved Sea Service: Completion of structured shipboard training documented in an approved Training Record Book (TRB), with at least 12 to 18 months of qualifying sea-time as a deck cadet on trading vessels (or 36 months for candidates pursuing the non-cadet direct sea-time pathway).
• Mandatory Modular Courses: Valid certification in STCW advanced modular courses, including Medical First Aid (MFA), Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (PSCRB), Advanced Fire Fighting (AFF), Radar Observation and Plotting / ARPA (ROC/ARPC), and generic Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).
• Assessment Approval: Candidates must have their sea service and documentation formally assessed and approved by the MMD examiner before booking written examination modules.

Scoring System and Passing Benchmarks

The MMD maintains uncompromising standards to protect safety of life at sea:

• Navigation and Watchkeeping Papers: The passing mark for core navigation subjects—including Celestial Navigation, Terrestrial Navigation, and Bridge Watchkeeping/COLREGs—is set at a stringent 70%.
• Technical and Cargo Subjects: For Ship Stability, Ship Construction, Cargo Handling, and General Ship Knowledge, the passing requirement is generally 60%.
• Rule of the Road Rigor: Questions dealing directly with COLREG 1972 Steering and Sailing Rules require near-zero error tolerance, as navigational errors directly correlate with collision risks at sea.
• Modularity: Candidates who do not pass an individual subject are permitted to re-appear for that specific subject in subsequent monthly MMD examination cycles, subject to DG Shipping attempt regulations.

Strategies for Success

• Practice Daily Chart Work: Accuracy in coastal navigation, tidal calculations, secondary port predictions, and running fixes requires steady, manual drafting with parallel rules and dividers.
• Master COLREGs Word-for-Word: Thoroughly memorize Rules 1 through 19, sound signals, day shapes, and light configurations. MMD examiners require precise, unambiguous interpretation of watchkeeping duties.
• Systematic Stability Calculations: Practice cross-curves of stability, calculating GZ values, free surface corrections, and draft surveys using ship stability data booklets.
• Time Mock Assessments: Timed mock tests simulate the rigorous tempo of MMD exams, preventing costly calculation mistakes in spherical trigonometry and sight reduction procedures.