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Code vessel · Deck
Master <200gt · OOW <500gtMaster 200 / OOW under 500 Orals Preparation
Preparation for the small commercial and code-vessel oral route, where area limitation and certificate entitlement need to be understood as clearly as the seamanship.
Oral preparation for Master under 200gt and OOW under 500gt code-vessel candidates. Four weeks core preparation, standard published option £1,675.
Rank / pathway
Master <200gt / OOW <500gt — Deck pathway
Duration
4 weeks core preparation
Delivery
Zoom / live online or classroom in Glasgow
Intake
Monthly intakes
Fee
£1,675
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
This route serves candidates working towards Master under 200gt or Officer of the Watch under 500gt on code vessels. It is a well-travelled route into commercial small-craft and yacht work, and it trips people up in one particular place: entitlement.
A Yachtmaster Ocean background and a Yachtmaster Offshore background do not carry the same area limitations, and the certificate you end up holding depends on your certificates, your qualifying service and the MCA's assessment of your eligibility. We work through this carefully with you rather than giving you a slogan.
The rest of the course is oral preparation in the normal sense: subject teaching, examiner-style questioning and directed study, ahead of an examination that the MCA conducts and controls.
Syllabus-led preparation
What we teach for this MCA oral
Preparation is structured around the published MCA oral syllabus for Master (code vessels under 200 GT) and OOW (yachts under 500 GT). The examiner can draw from any part of that syllabus.
Position, tides & meteorology
- Position fixing and monitoring the vessel's track
- Variation, deviation and compass checks
- Tides, tidal streams and height calculations
- Weather systems, forecasts and their effect on the passage
Watchkeeping & COLREGs
- Keeping a safe navigational watch
- Bridge equipment and steering systems
- COLREGs applied to practical scenarios
- TSS, narrow channels and traffic management
Distress, manoeuvring & failures
- Distress procedures and GMDSS communications
- Manoeuvring, mooring and anchoring
- Steering gear failure and changeover
- Bridge control failures and immediate actions
Emergencies, fire & stability
- Collision, grounding and flooding response
- Fire prevention, firefighting, LSA and survival
- Pollution prevention obligations
- Watertight integrity, stability and heavy-weather precautions
Codes, safety practice & manning
- Applicable small commercial vessel Codes
- COSWP, risk assessment and drills
- Maintaining seaworthiness and salvage awareness
- Safe manning, hours of rest and crew agreements
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 — Part A practice for Master 200 & OOW <500
The MCA Part A test is a separate, online, proctored multiple-choice assessment on UK maritime legal and administrative procedures. Both Master (code vessels under 200 GT) and Officer of the Watch (yachts under 500 GT) candidates must complete Part A before booking the Part B oral. NAVXTEST is an optional practice and purchase tool — it is not the MCA exam and not included in the oral-preparation course fee.
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
Package options are available — ask when you enquire.
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
Master 200 / OOW under 500 preparation
£1,675
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
Master <200gt · OOW <500gt preparation FAQs
Master under 200gt and Officer of the Watch under 500gt on code vessels.
Yes. The MCA requires Master (code vessels under 200 GT) and Officer of the Watch (yachts under 500 GT) candidates to complete Part A before booking Part B. Part A is a separate, proctored online multiple-choice test on UK maritime legal and administrative procedures. NAVXTEST, linked on this page, is an optional practice tool and is not included in the course fee.
They carry different area limitations, and the entitlement you end up with depends on your certificates, your qualifying service and the MCA's assessment. We go through your specific position with you rather than generalising.
The standard published option is £1,675 for the four-week preparation. Other booking options exist — contact us and we will confirm exactly what is included.
No. That is a separate route with its own page. This page is the small commercial and code-vessel route.
No. The MCA conducts and charges for the examination and makes the certificate decision.
Yes — live online by Zoom or in the classroom.
Related preparation
Other routes in this pathway
Next step
Book your Master <200gt · OOW <500gt 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
