Coast Guard Testing Failures

I heard that 40% of this years seniors at Maine Maritime did not pass the Coast Guard tests. Is there any truth to that?

Oof. That smarts, if true. Any more info than that?

Does this include the retakes?

60% passing rate for all 7 modules first time is actually good when compared to other academies.

[QUOTE=brjones;179279]60% passing rate for all 7 modules first time is actually good when compared to other academies.[/QUOTE]

That might be about average (60%).

[QUOTE=brjones;179279]60% passing rate for all 7 modules first time is actually good when compared to other academies.[/QUOTE]

Sure, a 60% pass rate isn’t bad, but a 40% fail rate? That’s disgraceful.

I’m assuming by pass, this is referring to going 7/7. If 40% passed all seven and 30% failed less than two tests I would not consider that awful results. When at Maine during our license prep class the teacher had a spreadsheet of the % of pass fails and even average scores per test per year. Would be nice to have someone on here that could obtain this information. Also, would be curious as to the percentages of deck versus engine, as it is my understanding that there is a new engine question bank, and whether it was used or not.

After four years at an Academy, a graduate sure as hell should pass all seven modules on the first try. The first time pass rate should be at least 90 percent.

For Christssake, the USCG gives them all the questions to memorize. How could they fail?

I suspect that the real problem is that the education bureaucracy has taken over the academies and turned them into regular state colleges with social promotion and grade inflation. Where no one can have their feelings hurt by flunking a class. Where too much time is spent studying humanities and politically correct nonsense. And of course, too much time is wasted on the regiment.

Obviously, the academies need to be more selective and rigorous in the core curriculum. No one should receive a degree until after they have passed to USCG exam.

No one receives a degree without the license. They go hand in hand and you can’t graduate without both. Most other professions do however confer your degree before you’re professionally licensed, nursing and engineering come to mind.

[QUOTE=LI_Domer;179336]No one receives a degree without the license. They go hand in hand and you can’t graduate without both. Most other professions do however confer your degree before you’re professionally licensed, nursing and engineering come to mind.[/QUOTE]

And law. Lots of JDs running around without a law license these days.

[QUOTE=catherder;179339]And law. Lots of JDs running around without a law license these days.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, quite a few in my business. . . then there are those that are no longer licensed. . .they are quick not to flaunt their JD. . .

[QUOTE=LI_Domer;179336]No one receives a degree without the license. They go hand in hand and you can’t graduate without both. Most other professions do however confer your degree before you’re professionally licensed, nursing and engineering come to mind.[/QUOTE]

Wrong. You don’t get the license without the degree. It may be different at KP, but at state schools you can get a degree with no license.

Wrong, maybe for certain degrees, like Electrical Engineering or Naval Architecture, that also have a non license option, but for degrees that do not have some sort of internship option you have to get both. BS Marine Transportation at SUNY is one example, both the academic requirements and the license requirements must be met before the degree is conferred.
From SUNY’s website under the section of Undergraduate Programs:
“USCG License: In some degree programs, passing the USCG Merchant Mariner’s License examination is a requirement of the degree, and completing all degree requirements is necessary to receive the license. In other words, the degree and license are linked; a student receives both degree and license or neither.”

Yikes. When I sat for license at GLMA we had a 98% 7/7 pass rate. Those that missed one or two modules passed a few weeks later at the REC. granted GLMA is really small and my year we had 46 total sitting for license, so almost everyone was helping each other study and make sure they were passing practice tests weeks before the actual USCG testing.

Nope. Can’t get a degree without passing the license exams if your on a license track at CMA

Maine has the license as a graduation requirement for license programs. No license=no diploma. More importantly, why tolerate a maritime academy for no license?

The ABA publishes the first time bar pass rate for every law school. The top tier law schools have fairly high bar pass rates. The bottom tier schools have fairly low bar pass rates. Law schools do not teach students how to pass the bar. Virtually all graduating law students take private bar review courses to learn how to pass the bar. When a state school suddenly has a lower pass rate then lower ranked private schools, it’s an embarrassment. Administrators defend themselves by saying those other schools are just “trade schools” that only teach the bar exam.

I would like to see the deck and engine license pass rate data from all the
Academies for the past 30 years. That would be interesting reading. I have a mental model of what it probably shows. Someone must have that data.

There is some truth to your statement regarding the over allocation of time towards non-maritime classes. In fact, a new discussion was launched recently at CMA trying to find a new identity for the school...seems like there is a large faction of people in admin/non-license student body that would like to see this place become a regular CSU that just so happens to offer a maritime program. Wtf???  

On the other hand, based on my own personal experience (keyword) you are almost entirely wrong about grade inflation. I haven’t been doled out any free grades or been given the easy road to an A. I have worked by fricking butt off the last two years to get the grades I have, mainly to get a good commercial cruise pick (and of course learn and retain stuff). My hair actually recently started to fall out because of it.

That being said, there are lots of students who pass these courses just barely…and/OR they cheat (have seen this first hand a few times and it pisses me the f&ck off), or they memorize things right before a quiz or exam and then do a “data dump” right after, thus not learning anything. Knowledge assessment other than in the form of a test I oftentimes think is much needed, and that is starting to come about now after CMA’s MT program failed CG audit last year (many more STCW competency demonstrations with sign offs in the labs and classes). Anyways that’s my 2 cents.

[QUOTE=LI_Domer;179336]No one receives a degree without the license. They go hand in hand and you can’t graduate without both…[/QUOTE]
Foreign students (ineligible for a license) do not get academic degrees…?

[QUOTE=LI_Domer;179336]…Most other professions do however confer your degree before you’re professionally licensed, nursing and engineering come to mind. [/QUOTE]
In “most other professions” you have to graduate before you are allowed to take the professional licensing exam.

[QUOTE=tugsailor;179360]I would like to see the deck and engine license pass rate data from all the academies for the past 30 years. [/QUOTE]
The Coast Guard maintains such records. MARAD might also.
Use the link for a suggestion on how to get this information

Foreign students, though I could be mistaken, have to still sit for and pass the USCG Exam. Usually they do that and apply for a CoC from their government.