Tuition course preparing deck officers for the MCA oral examination required to obtain a Chief Mate Certificate of Competency under STCW Regulation II/2.
Chief Mate Orals Preparation is a specialist tuition course designed to prepare deck officers for the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) oral examination — the mandatory gate to being issued a Chief Mate Certificate of Competency (CoC). The course is not itself an STCW certificate; it is exam coaching, covering the full syllabus as defined in Marine Information Note MIN 653 (M) — Amendment 1 (updated November 2024). The MCA currently administers the oral examination remotely via Microsoft Teams.
The regulatory framework is STCW 1978 as amended (Manila Amendments 2010), specifically STCW Regulation II/2 and STCW Code Section A-II/2, implemented by the MCA under MSN 1856 (M+F) Amendment 1. MIN 653 defines three relevant oral examinations: Oral Examination B (Chief Mate Unlimited — any tonnage, any sea area), Oral Examination D (Chief Mate less than 3,000 GT), and Oral Examination F (Chief Mate Near Coastal — unrestricted tonnage, near-coastal area). Most standalone orals preparation courses are aimed at Oral Examination B (Unlimited).
Tuition is delivered through a combination of formal lectures, demonstrations, group discussion, question-and-answer sessions, directed study, and at least one mock oral examination in the final week. Course length ranges from 2 weeks (intensive, assuming strong prior knowledge) to 4 weeks (methodical pacing through the full syllabus), with online self-paced options also available. While there is no regulatory requirement to attend a preparation course — any candidate who satisfies the prerequisites may sit the MCA oral — attendance is strongly recommended given the breadth and rigour of the examination syllabus.
Holding a Chief Mate CoC (Unlimited) qualifies an officer to serve as Chief Officer on merchant vessels of any gross tonnage operating in any sea area — cargo ships, tankers, passenger vessels, offshore supply, and commercially coded superyacht operations. It is the penultimate step in the standard UK deck officer hierarchy (Cadet, OOW II/1, Chief Mate II/2, Master II/2) and a prerequisite for progression to Master Unlimited.
Standalone orals preparation courses range from approximately £520 (online, self-paced) to £2,500 or more (4-week classroom). These figures cover preparation coaching only and do not include SQA written examination fees, NAEST (Management Level), HELM (Management Level), the Medical Care course, or the MCA oral examination booking fee — all of which are paid separately. Comprehensive packages combining SQA written exam preparation with NAEST(M), HELM(M), and orals coaching are available from some providers at approximately £8,700–£9,025. Always confirm current fees directly with the provider.
Revalidation: The Chief Mate CoC is valid for 5 years. Revalidation does not require re-sitting the oral examination. To revalidate, the holder must demonstrate at least 12 months of approved sea service as master or deck officer on seagoing vessels over 80 GT or 24 metres within the preceding 5 years (or 10 years with additional refresher training), hold current ancillary STCW safety certificates, and hold a valid ENG1 medical fitness certificate. Applications are submitted via the MCA electronic revalidation process (form MSF 4201). Regulatory reference: MSN 1856 (M+F) Amendment 1.
Only providers confirmed in our directory are listed above. Other UK providers known to offer Chief Mate orals preparation include South Shields Marine School, Fleetwood Nautical Campus, and Warsash Maritime (Solent University), among others. Verify course availability and start dates directly with each provider.