A Four-Week OUPV Captain’s License Study Plan

Start with your assigned exam modules

The NMC lists Q100 Rules of the Road, Q170 Deck General–Safety, Q171 Navigation General, and Q172 Chart Plot for the ONC07 Near Coastal OUPV pathway. Confirm your own assigned modules before adopting a study schedule.

Create four columns in a notebook. Under each module, record the concepts you can explain, the ones you recognize but cannot explain, and the ones you have not studied. A short diagnostic can suggest a starting point; it cannot establish exam readiness.

Week 1: Learn the foundations and build an error log

Begin each session with one concept, such as identifying the rule that applies to a vessel encounter or distinguishing true, magnetic, and compass directions. Close the lesson and explain the idea in your own words before looking at answer choices.

For every missed question, write the subject, why your answer seemed right, what you overlooked, and one new question that would test the same idea. A record that says only ‘wrong answer: B’ will not tell you what to practice.

• Day 1: Take a baseline and organize your module list.
• Days 2–3: Study Rules concepts and rehearse the reasoning aloud.
• Days 4–5: Work through Deck & Safety and Navigation foundations.
• Day 6: Set up chart tools and practice plotting positions carefully.
• Day 7: Revisit the error log and choose next week’s priorities.

Week 2: Retrieve the answer before revealing it

Use Watch Cards in short sessions. Say the answer before flipping the card, and rate whether you could explain it to someone else. Separate a lucky correct answer from a concept you understand.

For a 30-minute study watch, try five minutes of recall, fifteen minutes on a weak concept, and ten minutes applying it to a scenario or calculation. If you have only fifteen minutes, finish a smaller task instead of rushing several topics.

• Mix a few previously missed concepts into each session.
• Change one detail in a scenario and explain whether your answer changes.
• Keep chart work in the routine instead of saving it for the final week.
• End each watch by naming the next specific task.

Week 3: Move from isolated facts to complete problems

Use Command Lab to practice explaining a decision, then connect your explanation to the lesson or official reference. Ask AI Captain to question your reasoning one step at a time. Verify any unfamiliar regulatory claim in the official material.

In Chart Lab, keep your work visible: givens, units, direction labels, calculation, and a reasonableness check. If a result is wrong, locate the first incorrect step before doing another problem.

Week 4: Check consistency under exam conditions

Complete module simulations in uninterrupted sessions using the rules and permitted materials that apply to your actual examination. Record each module separately. An overall average can conceal a subject that still needs work.

Review the method behind every miss and every guess. Repeat with a different set after more study; recognizing yesterday’s answer is weaker evidence than solving a fresh problem. If performance varies widely, repeat the relevant study week and reassess your test timing.

• Keep separate results for all assigned modules.
• Mark correct answers that you guessed.
• Review calculations without skipping units or conversion steps.
• Confirm your appointment instructions, required identification, and permitted materials with the examination provider.

Turn the plan into tomorrow’s watch

Choose one error from your log. Write a task small enough to finish: ‘Explain why this encounter uses the overtaking rule’ or ‘Solve three speed–time–distance problems with minutes converted to hours.’ Finish by checking whether you can do the task without a hint.

Command Ready’s free five-question assessment can help you choose that first task. Sign in when you want to save progress and continue with your personal Study Watch.