AMSA OOW oral exam preparation (Watchkeeper Deck)

In everyday use, deck officers talk about the OOW (Officer of the Watch) certificate. AMSA’s official name for it is Watchkeeper deck (STCW II/1). AMSA says it allows you to work as an officer in charge of a navigational watch on vessels of any size, in any operating area, and to perform Able Seafarer – Deck duties.

AMSA requires you to pass an oral exam before you can apply for it. This page explains how the oral fits into the process, where to find AMSA’s checklist and syllabus, and how AMSA organises the topics you are examined on.

AMSA certificate name

Watchkeeper deck (STCW II/1)

Type

International (STCW) certificate

Oral examination

Required before AMSA issues the certificate; scheduled for 2 hours

AMSA examiner checklist

AMSA 243

Also called

the OOW orals, the deck watchkeeper orals, the Officer of the Watch oral exam, or the OOW 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. AMSA’s exam-day list says to have your photo identification and provisional assessment letter ready, and to follow the examiner’s instructions throughout the exam.

AMSA publishes the Watchkeeper deck oral examination checklist (AMSA 243) and the Appendix 3 watchkeeper syllabus on its Prepare for your oral exam page. AMSA lists the same checklist and syllabus for Watchkeeper deck <500 GT. 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

• AMSA describes an unrestricted Watchkeeper Deck certificate as a common progression for seafarers moving from Watchkeeper Deck <500 GT, Integrated Rating, Able Seafarer – Deck or near coastal deck officer roles into the STCW deck officer pathway.
• Trainee deck officers and experienced seafarers who have completed, or are completing, the qualifying sea service and AMSA-approved course and want to prepare for the oral.

Official AMSA requirements

AMSA sets the requirements for the AMSA OOW (Watchkeeper Deck) certificate. In summary, as AMSA listed them on 3 October 2026:

• Be at least 18 years old, hold a valid AMSA Certificate of Medical Fitness (303), and hold a valid GMDSS radio operator certificate (or GMDSS certificate of recognition).
• Complete a Diploma of Maritime Operations (Watchkeeper Deck) with an AMSA-approved training provider, plus the STCW short courses AMSA lists: advanced fire fighting (A-VI/3), medical first aid (A-VI/4 (1-3)), 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 the qualifying sea service for your pathway. AMSA lists four: an Australian cadetship or trainee deck officer program with AMSA-approved pre-sea training (at least 540 days, 18 months); overseas or non-approved pre-sea training (at least 720 days, 24 months); an Integrated Rating or Able Seafarer – Deck certificate in an approved onboard training program (at least 720 days, 24 months); or building sea service at work, for example from near coastal experience (at least 1,080 days, 36 months). Each pathway has further conditions on vessel size, voyage length and watchkeeping experience, so check AMSA’s page.
• Hold your sea service assessment notice and pass the AMSA oral exam. AMSA says not to book the oral exam 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 3 – Syllabus for the AMSA oral examination: Watchkeeper deck, and Mate <500 GT (watchkeeper only)

AMSA’s syllabus is organised into these 13 sections:

1. Operations
2. 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

AMSA’s examiner checklist

AMSA 243 – Watchkeeper deck oral examination checklist. AMSA groups the checklist topics under these 14 headings: Operations; 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):

• Operations: classification societies; frequency of statutory musters and drills; the ISM and ISPS codes; MARPOL, SOLAS, ballast water and the MLC; port and flag state inspection regimes; joining a ship, handover and responsibilities; marine orders, SMS certificates and marine notices; OH&S legislation; ship’s records; statutory certificates and their validity; types of surveys.
• Standards of watchkeeping: BRM principles; fitness for duty; maintaining a proper lookout and an anchor watch; restricted visibility and congested waters; pilot on board; taking over and handing over the watch; voyage planning; watchkeeping records, night orders and standing orders; protection of the marine environment.
• Bridge equipment: AIS precautions, BNWAS and VDR; ARPA; ECDIS; emergency steering procedures; radar types, presentation and setting up; testing of bridge equipment; S-band and X-band radar.
• Navigation – charts and publications: altitudes and meridian passage; basic tidal calculations; chart corrections and symbols; compass errors by various methods; notices to mariners; navigation warnings, EGC and MSI; ship reporting systems; position fixing and position lines.
• Rules of the road: Rules 1–3 and the annexes, 4–18, 19, 20–31 and 32–35; IALA buoyage Region A; radar plotting; use of radar for collision avoidance.

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.
• The examiner may ask any question relevant to the topic areas, and may ask for diagrams or simple calculations, to test the operational and safety aspects of the Watchkeeper deck certificate.
• You can be asked about all sections, with the focus on the operational responsibilities and shipboard duties of the certificate applied for. The standards of watchkeeping section also covers keeping a cargo watch and bridge teamwork principles.
• You may be asked to show practical radar plotting and chart-work, and an adequate command of English.

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.

• Use the 13 syllabus sections as a timetable. Give each section a study session and work through the matching checklist topics. Keep extra time for bridge equipment and the rules of the road, where practical demonstrations such as radar plotting can be asked.
• Write one watch-based example per heading. For headings such as standards of watchkeeping and emergency situations, write a short true example from your watchkeeping or drills.

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

• Chief Mate <3000 GT oral exam preparation. Watchkeeper Deck is one of the AMSA certificates AMSA lists as a prerequisite for Chief Mate <3000 GT.
• Chief Mate Unlimited oral exam preparation. Watchkeeper Deck (II/1) is also an AMSA-listed prerequisite for Chief Mate (unlimited).
• All AMSA oral exam preparation guides, including the other certificates this site covers.