Passage planning & position fixing
- Appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring of the passage
- Chartwork, publications and keeping charts corrected
- Celestial and terrestrial position fixing
- Electronic position fixing, accuracy and limitations
Operational level · Deck
OOW Unlimited · OOW Yacht 3000MCA OOW Orals Preparation
Officer of the Watch oral preparation for both the Unlimited and Yacht 3000 routes — rules, instruments, publications and the confidence to apply them out loud.
MCA OOW oral preparation for OOW Unlimited (£850) and OOW Yacht 3000 (£1,400). Four weeks, live online by Zoom or classroom, monthly intakes.
Rank / pathway
Officer of the Watch — Deck pathway
Duration
4 weeks core preparation
Delivery
Zoom / live online or classroom in Glasgow
Intake
Monthly intakes
Fee
From £850
Course dates
Choose the batch you want to book.
Batches start on the first Monday falling within the month. Two exceptions: the December 2026 batch starts Wednesday 25 November 2026 and the December 2027 batch starts Wednesday 24 November 2027.
Answer first
What this preparation is for
The OOW oral is where most candidates meet an examiner for the first time. The subject matter is not the hard part — applying it quickly, in the right order, while being pushed on it, is.
This course teaches the OOW subject areas and then drills them in oral format: rule of the road cards, buoyage, instrument theory, publications, and the practical seamanship questions that follow on from them.
It prepares you for the MCA oral examination. The examination and the certificate decision belong to the MCA.
Syllabus-led preparation
What we teach for this MCA oral
Preparation is structured around the published MCA oral syllabus for the certificate you are sitting. Choose your ticket below — the examiner can draw from any part of that syllabus, so teaching and oral practice extend well beyond a short list of sample questions.
Compasses, buoyage & meteorology
- Magnetic and gyro compass principles, errors and checks
- IALA buoyage systems and lights
- Weather systems, forecasts and shipborne meteorological information
- Steering gear, echo sounder, log and navigational equipment checks
Watchkeeping, COLREGs & bridge procedures
- Keeping a safe navigational watch and watch handover
- COLREGs applied to card and close-quarters scenarios
- Ship routeing, mandatory reporting and VTS
- Bridge Procedures Guide, BRM, communications and standing orders
Radar, ARPA & ECDIS
- Radar performance, setting up and limitations
- ARPA target acquisition, vectors and trial manoeuvres
- Collision avoidance assessment from radar/ARPA information
- ECDIS use, updating, safety settings and errors
Cargo work & seamanship
- Cargo handling, stowage, securing and care in transit
- Anchoring, mooring, towing and boat work
- Manoeuvring, berthing and pilot transfer
- Heavy weather and restricted-visibility seamanship
Safety, stability, emergencies & law
- Emergency procedures and immediate actions
- LSA and FFA, fire plans, drills and musters
- Stability, watertight integrity and ship construction
- Pollution prevention, certificates, M Notices and legislation
Passage planning & navigation
- Passage planning, charts, publications and corrections
- ECDIS and RCDS use, limitations and updating
- Sextant work and position fixing
- Tides, tidal streams and weather information
Watchkeeping & bridge equipment
- Keeping a safe navigational watch and handover
- COLREGs, lights, shapes and sound signals
- AIS, radar and bridge navigational equipment
- Bridge Procedures Guide and watch organisation
Manoeuvring, berthing & pilotage
- Ship handling, berthing and unberthing
- Anchoring and mooring arrangements
- Pilotage, pilot transfer and confined waters
- Steering failures and changeover to emergency steering
Emergencies, SAR & safety
- Navigational emergencies and immediate actions
- IAMSAR procedures and man overboard
- GMDSS distress, urgency and safety communications
- Fire, LSA, survival craft and passenger/guest safety
Pollution, seaworthiness & stability
- MARPOL requirements and SOPEP
- Maintaining seaworthiness and watertight integrity
- Stability information and its practical use
- Heavy-weather precautions and securing for sea
Codes, legislation & business
- M Notices and the Code of Safe Working Practices
- IMO conventions and applicable yacht Codes
- ISM, Port State Control and ISPS
- Safe manning, hours of rest, certificates and documentation
How the preparation works
Taught, questioned, then rehearsed
A sequence built for oral examinations rather than written ones.
01
Live instructor teaching
Each subject area is taught first by experienced maritime instructors, live online or in the classroom, so the foundation is solid before you are questioned on it.
02
Question and scenario practice
Topics are then rehearsed the way an examiner asks them: a scenario, your reasoning out loud, and follow-up questions that test whether the answer holds.
03
Directed study and discussion
Guided study between sessions, plus group discussion and peer questioning, so gaps surface in the classroom and not in the exam room.
04
Feedback-driven focus
Preparation is shaped by published candidate feedback on what is currently being asked, keeping your revision pointed at the right places.
05
Mock oral rehearsal
A live mock session runs the full oral format end to end, with structured feedback on both content and delivery.
06
Final readiness
The closing stage concentrates on the weak areas that remain, so you go in knowing what you know. No one can promise you a pass — the MCA decides that.
Built around real oral preparation
Support that sits behind the teaching
Experienced maritime instructors, feedback-driven preparation and digital learning support available alongside your course.
NAVXTEST — AI-Powered Part A OOW & Master 200 Test
An AI-proctored Part A practice and test system for OOW and Master 200 candidates. It is separate from your oral preparation course, not a replacement for it.
Open NAVXTEST
MCA Orals GPT & live mock
Oral-style question practice supported by MCA Orals GPT, with a live mock session to rehearse the real format.
Learn more
eSailor learning access
Digital maritime learning support available to candidates preparing with World Yacht.
Visit eSailorChoose your option
Published booking options
Two published options: OOW Unlimited and OOW Yacht 3000.
Book / EnquireSecure your place
Pay online and confirm your place
Card payment is handled securely at checkout. After payment we contact you to confirm your start date, delivery format and joining details.
Selected
OOW Unlimited
£850
Batch: — starts
Selected
OOW Yacht 3000
£1,400
Batch: — starts
The fee covers the World Yacht preparation course only. The MCA oral examination is booked, conducted and charged for separately by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Prefer to speak to us first? Use Book / Enquire or WhatsApp above.
Preparing for an MCA oral, not replacing it
This is oral examination preparation delivered by World Yacht. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency conducts the oral examination itself, sets eligibility, and makes the Certificate of Competency decision. We do not book, conduct or guarantee the outcome of your examination, and no preparation course can promise a pass. Confirm your eligibility and notice of eligibility requirements directly with the MCA before booking.
Questions candidates ask
OOW Unlimited · OOW Yacht 3000 preparation FAQs
They are two published options on the same four-week preparation structure, pitched at the vessel type and route you are certificating for. OOW Unlimited is £850 and OOW Yacht 3000 is £1,400.
No. It is preparation. The MCA conducts the oral examination and decides the outcome; you book that separately.
Yes. The course runs live on Zoom as well as in the classroom, so candidates prepare from anywhere.
Your sea service, your notice of eligibility position checked with the MCA, and your rule of the road knowledge at least started — the course sharpens it far faster if it is not from zero.
This page is oral preparation. For AI-proctored Part A practice for OOW and Master 200, NAVXTEST is the separate tool linked on this page.
Examiner-style questioning runs throughout, and a live mock oral session gives you a full rehearsal with structured feedback.
Related preparation
Other routes in this pathway
Next step
Book your OOW Unlimited · OOW Yacht 3000 preparation
Tell us your ticket and your exam timeline and we will confirm the next start date, the format that suits you and what to prepare beforehand.
Or email enquiries@theworldyacht.com · Call +44 141 370 0848
