AMSA Chief Mate less than 3000 GT oral exam preparation

The Chief Mate less than 3000 GT (STCW II/1 and II/2) certificate is an STCW officer-level certificate for experienced deck officers progressing into senior deck officer roles. AMSA says it lets you work as Chief Mate on vessels under 3000 gross tonnes in any operating area, as a watchkeeper deck officer on vessels of any size, and as an Able Seafarer – Deck. If endorsed, you can also perform Master duties on vessels under 500 GT in any operating area and on vessels under 3000 GT in near coastal waters.

You must pass an AMSA oral exam before you can apply for the certificate. This page explains what AMSA publishes for that exam, how AMSA organises the topics, and how to approach your preparation.

AMSA certificate name

Chief Mate less than 3000 GT (STCW II/1 and II/2)

Type

International (STCW) certificate

Oral examination

Required before AMSA issues the certificate; scheduled for 2 hours

AMSA examiner checklist

AMSA 273

Also called

the Chief Mate 3000 orals, the Chief Mate <3000 GT oral exam, or the Chief Mate 3000 CoC oral

About the AMSA oral examination for this certificate

AMSA schedules oral exams for two hours. Most are held online using Microsoft Teams, and you can request a face-to-face exam when you book, subject to examiner availability. Booking opens only after AMSA sends your sea service assessment outcome notice.

AMSA lists its Chief Mate oral examination checklist, printed as AMSA 273, and the Appendix 1 syllabus for Chief Mate <3000 GT, the same documents it lists for Chief Mate (unlimited). Direct links are listed under Official AMSA sources below. For a full explanation of how AMSA oral exams are booked, run and assessed, read the AMSA oral exam preparation guide.

Who this certificate is for

• Deck officers who hold, or have held, one of the AMSA-listed prerequisite certificates and are progressing into Chief Mate roles.
• Candidates coming from the near coastal system, because AMSA lists Master <100 near coastal among the eligible prerequisites.

Official AMSA requirements

AMSA sets the requirements for the Chief Mate <3000 GT certificate. In summary, as AMSA listed them on 3 October 2026:

• Be at least 18 years old and hold, or have held, one of these AMSA-issued certificates: Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT (with <3000 GT near-coastal endorsement), Watchkeeper Deck, Mate <500 GT, Master <500 GT, Master <100 near coastal, or an overseas STCW certificate AMSA considers equivalent.
• Complete AMSA-approved Chief Mate <3000 GT training (STCW A-II/1 and parts of A-II/2), typically delivered as part of a Diploma of Maritime Operations (Masters up to 500 GT), plus the STCW short courses AMSA lists: advanced fire fighting (A-VI/3), medical care on board ship (A-VI/4 (4-6)), proficiency in survival craft and rescue boats other than fast rescue boats (A-VI/2), basic safety training (Reg VI/1) and security awareness training (VI/6(4)).
• Complete at least 1,080 days (36 months) of sea service on vessels of 12 metres or more in the deck department, performing watchkeeping or other deck duties, including at least 720 days as a Master or officer in charge of a navigational watch, with at least 360 days on vessels of 24 metres or more and on voyages of 24 hours or more.
• Hold a valid AMSA Certificate of Medical Fitness (303) and a valid GMDSS radio operator certificate (or GMDSS certificate of recognition).
• Get your sea service assessed and pass the AMSA oral exam before you apply. AMSA says not to book it until you have received your sea service assessment letter. After you pass, you apply using Seafarer form 419.

This is a summary only, and requirements change. Check AMSA’s certificate page, linked under Official AMSA sources below, for the current requirements before you plan your pathway or book.

What to prepare for: AMSA’s own syllabus and checklist

AMSA publishes a syllabus and an examiner checklist for this certificate. This section follows the headings AMSA itself uses, and summarises them only to show how AMSA organises the material. Download AMSA’s documents, linked under Official AMSA sources, for the full topic lists.

AMSA’s syllabus

Appendix 1 – Syllabus for the AMSA oral exam: Master and Chief Mate (Unlimited), Master and Chief Mate <3000 GT

AMSA’s syllabus is organised into these 13 sections:

1. Management of regulatory and ship’s administration
2. STCW standards of watchkeeping
3. Bridge equipment
4. Navigation, charts and publications
5. Stress and stability
6. Cargo work
7. Ship handling
8. Prevention of pollution
9. Emergency situations / response and equipment
10. Dry docking
11. Search and rescue
12. Essential shipboard equipment and machinery
13. Collision avoidance and buoyage

AMSA’s examiner checklist

AMSA 273 – Chief Mate oral examination checklist (aide memoire). AMSA groups the checklist topics under these 14 headings: Management and shipmaster’s business; Standards of watchkeeping; Bridge equipment; Stress and stability; Navigation – charts and publications; Cargo work; Ship handling; Prevention of pollution; Emergency situations / response and equipment; Dry docking; Search and rescue; Essential shipboard equipment and machinery; Rules of the road; English language.

Under some of those headings, AMSA’s checklist lists topics such as the following (a summary, not the full list):

• Standards of watchkeeping: BRM principles; fitness for duty; maintaining a proper lookout and an anchor watch; restricted visibility and congested waters; navigation with a pilot on board; performing the navigational watch, position fixing and use of charts and equipment; voyage planning; watchkeeping records, night orders and standing orders.
• Bridge equipment: AIS, BNWAS and VDR; ARPA; ECDIS; emergency steering procedures; radar types, presentation and testing; S-band and X-band radar.
• Stress and stability: effect of density on draft; FWA and DWA; free surface effect and angle of loll; IMO minimum stability criteria; stability information and the loading instrument; shipboard stresses, shear force and bending moments; load line diagram and submerging the load line; tank-top loadings; damage stability.
• Prevention of pollution: action in a pollution incident and to prevent pollution; applicable Australian legislation; Garbage Management Plan and Garbage Record Book; precautions while bunkering; SOPEP and MARPOL annexes.
• Dry docking and Search and rescue: preparations for docking and stability issues; procedure before leaving dock; types of docks; SAR communications, publications and the IAMSAR manual; SAR procedures; use and testing of SARTs and EPIRBs.

What AMSA tells candidates

• AMSA says the syllabus is not a fully detailed list of orals questions but a list of topics candidates are expected to know, for guidance only.
• Master and Chief Mate candidates can be asked from all sections; the focus relates to the management responsibilities and shipboard duties of the certificate applied for.
• The syllabus also incorporates lower-grade certificates, so the examiner may ask about them where they affect the safe operation of the vessel.

Suggested study structure

This is our own suggested study structure. It is not an AMSA syllabus and it is not a list of actual exam questions.

• Check the checklist against your own service. Mark each checklist topic you have little hands-on experience of, for example a cargo type or operation you have not handled, and plan study or conversations with experienced officers for those first.
• Confirm which prerequisite you are using. AMSA lists several eligible prerequisite certificates, so confirm yours on AMSA’s page before you build a study timetable around the sea-service requirement.

How AMSA Examiner helps you prepare

AMSA Examiner is a study platform. After you register and enrol for a rank, it gives you these tools:

• Learning topics that you work through in order.
• A Quiz Bank for practice questions.
• Mind maps for revision.
• A study plan built around your exam date.
• Weak-area identification and a revision book.
• Exam readiness reports.

The content you see depends on the rank you enrol for and on what has been published for that rank. AMSA Examiner’s practice material is study material. It is not official AMSA examination content, and it cannot predict the questions you will be asked.

Preparation strategy

AMSA’s own advice is to use the checklist as your study plan, prepare examples from your sea service, practise answering aloud and check your readiness before you book. For this certificate, that advice looks like this:

Related certificates

• AMSA OOW (Watchkeeper Deck) oral exam preparation. Watchkeeper Deck is one of the AMSA certificates AMSA lists as a prerequisite.
• Master <500 GT oral exam preparation. Master <500 GT is also an AMSA-listed prerequisite.
• Chief Mate Unlimited oral exam preparation. Chief Mate (unlimited) uses the same AMSA Chief Mate checklist and syllabus.
• All AMSA oral exam preparation guides, including the other certificates this site covers.