and so it begins

Ahhhh memories. 14 years later and I can even remember which table i sat at.

Mt advice to the 1st class ...
take your time, there is plenty of it.
Read the entire question before answering.
"All of the above" is not always the right answer.
Don`t overstudy. Relax... you know this.
 
KPEngineer said:
Ahhhh memories. 14 years later and I can even remember which table i sat at.

Mt advice to the 1st class ...
take your time, there is plenty of it.
Read the entire question before answering.
"All of the above" is not always the right answer.
Don`t overstudy. Relax... you know this.
Click to expand...

Also, don't 'over think' the questions.. Most of the time your first answer is the correct one.
Get a good nights sleep before the exam. Don't stay up late trying to cram the night before; if you haven't learned it by now that extra studying won't make any difference.. Being rested is more important.
Ditto what KPengineer said about taking your time. For the 'deckies' at least, you'll have enough time to do each section of the test twice.. and remember to RTFQ:thumb:
 
thanks!




deepdraft1 said:
Here are the sections for the Coast Guard 3rd Engineer Unlimited, Steam or Motor exam.

  • Motor Plants, Part I
  • Motor Plants, Part II
  • Engineering Safety & Environmental Protection
  • General Engineering Subjects
  • Electricity
  • Steam Plants, Part I
  • Steam Plants, Part II
Like the Mates exam, the test takes 4 days, but unlike the mates ALL the sections are 70% to pass..
Click to expand...
 
Spoke to DS today - in some way they have changed the prep materials as compared to the actual exam; different from the past. He said Mass Maritime deckies had a 58% pass rate last week on the first try. Good luck to the 1/C's.
 
KPDADTX57 said:
in some way they have changed the prep materials as compared to the actual exam; different from the past.
Click to expand...
Yes, as I understand it, starting this year the Coast Guard has stopped publishing the questions.. So it will get a bit more challenging in the future. Kinda like it was back in the day when I sat for my original thirds 'ticket'.

I was in the second year group to take the multiple choice exam.. We had ZERO scoops (what KP calls the 'pony'). You REALLY had to know your 'onions' to pass back then. Myself and the rest of the 'deckies' in my class at CMA had a 87% first time pass rate.. The engineers went 96%.:thumb: Which now that I look back on it, was pretty remarkable.
 
deepdraft1 said:
Here are the sections for the Coast Guard 3rd Engineer Unlimited, Steam or Motor exam.

  • Motor Plants, Part I
  • Motor Plants, Part II
  • Engineering Safety & Environmental Protection
  • General Engineering Subjects
  • Electricity
  • Steam Plants, Part I
  • Steam Plants, Part II
Like the Mates exam, the test takes 4 days, but unlike the mates ALL the sections are 70% to pass..
Click to expand...

thanks!

Do you know if this is the order in which they take them?

And many prayers to the 1C's this week!
 
DogCarbon said:
thanks!

Do you know if this is the order in which they take them?

And many prayers to the 1C's this week!
Click to expand...

There used to be a set order. Now I understand, after talking to my son, the Coast Guard allows the class to decide the order they want to take the test. My son said they all voted on it.
 
deepdraft1 said:
Yes, as I understand it, starting this year the Coast Guard has stopped publishing the questions.. So it will get a bit more challenging in the future. Kinda like it was back in the day when I sat for my original thirds 'ticket'. I was in the second year group to take the multiple choice exam.. We had ZERO scoops (what KP calls the 'pony'). You REALLY had to know your 'onions' to pass back then. Myself and the rest of the 'deckies' in my class at CMA had a 87% first time pass rate.. The engineers went 96%.:thumb: Which now that I look back on it, was pretty remarkable.
Click to expand...
True ... about 6 months or so ago the USCG took all the files off their website. I just used a CD to upgrade and founs it very helpful. I got about 10% of the of the question from the CD and the ones that were different I knew the concept well. In addition to the questions they had a TON of reference material. I actually learned some things better off the disk than I did as a M/N.
 
Class of 2011 you have this covered, rememeber to breath...inhale....exhale..repeat often.
then ring that bell!!
 
deepdraft1 said:
The Coast Guard license exam is commonly referred to as ‘Thirds’ at all the maritime schools. The exam is generally, but not always, the final examination given before graduation. The testing lasts 4 days and covers 7 sections for ‘deckies’. Those sections for the Mates are:

  • Deck General
  • Navigation General
  • Safety
  • Celestial Navigation
  • Terrestrial Navigation
  • Navigation – Chart Plot
  • Rules of the Road
The first three sections listed require a 70% to pass. The last four require 90% to pass. In addition there are exams for the Radar Observers endorsement, flashing light (signaling) and the GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress Signaling System) license. Those are administered earlier in the year in a corresponding academic class.
I’m not sure what the sections are for the engineers, but I think their exam lasts for the same length of time.
Click to expand...

The way it was structured for us 30 years ago, we took our license exam earlier in the year. We were on the "quarter" system instead of the trimester. We had license right after third quarter finals. For those that passed license, we were then given the privilege of "free gangway" for the rest of the year (about 2/3 of the last quarter as I recall). Our last round of testing was for our final quarter classes, about a week or so before graduation. I am not sure, but I believe that there was enough time before graduation for those that did not pass all the sections to retake the parts of the test before graduation. Of course this was back when it took some time to get the results, too. I am not sure how much time the kids have now before they know their actual results, but I bet most have a pretty good idea when they turn the test material into the examiner.
 
cmakin said:
The way it was structured for us 30 years ago, we took our license exam earlier in the year. We were on the "quarter" system instead of the trimester. We had license right after third quarter finals. For those that passed license, we were then given the privilege of "free gangway" for the rest of the year (about 2/3 of the last quarter as I recall). Our last round of testing was for our final quarter classes, about a week or so before graduation. I am not sure, but I believe that there was enough time before graduation for those that did not pass all the sections to retake the parts of the test before graduation.
Click to expand...
That’s the way it is at CMA now. The Cadets take ‘Thirds’ in January and then have the last trimester to get through before graduation at the end of April. When I was at CMA ‘Thirds’ was our last exam before graduation. Much like the way Kings Point currently does it.
cmakin said:
Of course this was back when it took some time to get the results, too. I am not sure how much time the kids have now before they know their actual results, but I bet most have a pretty good idea when they turn the test material into the examiner.
Click to expand...
[FONT=&quot]Yeah, back when I sat 36 years ago, the Coasties didn’t grade the tests on site. They sent them to Oklahoma City (of all places:confused:)to be graded. We had to wait 2 long and torturous weeks for the results.:thumbdown:
[/FONT]
 
deepdraft1 said:
Yeah, back when I sat 36 years ago, the Coasties didn’t grade the tests on site. They sent them to Oklahoma City (of all places:confused:)to be graded. We had to wait 2 long and torturous weeks for the results.:thumbdown:
Click to expand...

They grade it on site? Where is the fun in that? Gotta suffer for a few days, anyway. They were probably graded in Oklahoma City for the same reason NASA launches in Florida, but Mission Control is in Houston.
 
Since the Coast Guard no longer post questions on line, is there a past link for past questions?
What study aid would you suggest for your DS to study to help with the test when he becomes a senior?
 
shutterbugC said:
Since the Coast Guard no longer post questions on line, is there a past link for past questions?
What study aid would you suggest for your DS to study to help with the test when he becomes a senior?
Click to expand...
I would think that once the link is disabled, that's it..

The 'deckies' could still use the Murphy Deck Officer study guides or even the Cornell Maritime Press study guide if it's still published. Although they might not give you the exact Coast Guard questions, they contain representative examples from the subjects on which the actual questions are based. Lapware is a database program that also can be of help.
http://www.lapware.org/about_richard_plant?PHPSESSID=04acd051fc2dd497ae1dd41418d8c42c
 
My son said it was so hot in there today that they were allowed to take off their shirts! Lol, but, this probably is not much of a problem for the engineers since they are used to working in hot places :thumb:
 
[FONT=&quot]
kpmom2011 said:
My son said it was so hot in there today that they were allowed to take off their shirts! Lol, but, this probably is not much of a problem for the engineers since they are used to working in hot places:thumb:
Click to expand...
They should have let the 'snipes' wear their boiler suits and bring in a set of 'channies' .. Maybe even pipe in the deafening sound of a Sulzer diesel engine (complete with screaming turbochargers) to help them feel completely at home..:biggrin:

shutterbugC said:
What study aid would you suggest for your DS to study to help with the test when he becomes a senior?
Click to expand...

Just a word of warning here.. Don't let the study guides and the lapware program become a crutch. Use them to 'sound' the depth of your subject knowledge and help you to identify areas where you may need further work.

One of the big reasons that my contemporaries from other licensing sources and I did well on 'Thirds' was that we really knew the material 'cold'. The Coast Guard did publish a few sample questions, but those just gave us a very small taste of what the test was going to be like.

I have no doubt, given our thorough preparation, that if my deck classmates and I had been given the Chief Mates exam we would have passed it without a problem. I also have no doubt that with an additional 7 to 10 days study of 'ships business' we could have probably passed the Masters exam. I'm sure the same could be said for the guys over at KP as well as the other schoolships.[/FONT]
 
kpmom2011 said:
My son said it was so hot in there today that they were allowed to take off their shirts! Lol, but, this probably is not much of a problem for the engineers since they are used to working in hot places :thumb:
Click to expand...

With all those "Engineers" in there, it seems like one or some of them could have FIXED the AC. LOL
 
Ring the Bell Web-Cam

Does anyone know if there will be a web-cam focused on the bell ringing this year? If so, what is the link? When does it go live?
 
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