Chart Plot changed

Only impression I got is that based off one person’s post and one person’s experience with a pretty dumb Third Mate you arrived at the conclusion that the merchant marine is full of idiots.

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No way! Looky at all the help I received from the XO. I did not even know the term until he asked the question! Merle pointed that EACH merchant watch officer does his own navigation. 95 percent of Naval officers have not a clue and only a glancing exposure to the subject!

That’s exactly why they got the question bank exempted from FOIA then changed the questions. So people have to actually know the material as opposed to just memorizing answers.

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At the risk of sounding ‘harsh’, maybe being a deck officer ain’t for you. . .if’n you can’t navigate.

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Not harsh at all. But to be fair I have not honestly tried to learn chart plot. I just looked at the questions and it seems like it will be difficult but it might turn out i over reacted. My stepdad is building a chart table so if really need be I can do charts at home on my time off for up to 4 or 5 hours a day every day

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3 posts were split to a new topic: How much value in traditional navigation plotting skills?

Do you even know how to plot a position on a chart? You were honestly going to attempt to take license without even attempting to have an understanding of the most basic of navigation skills? You fully expected to cheat your way through license?? Have you taken any nav classes at all?

This is terrifying.

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Just finished a chart plot in my kitchen while studying for C/M unlimited. Coincidence that this thread was created.
Anyways, it had been several years until just now that I did one of these; I would like to underscore the importance of accuracy, precision, and reading the questions thoroughly.
New questions vs old questions…just learn the material. They’re not going to reinvent the wheel here, just change up the numbers.

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Dude no. I was not going to memorize 250 chart plot questions for the three charts I could get I was just going to memorize Chesapeake Bay as that seems to be the one most people get often but I was going to know how to do the problems I’m not going in blind not knowing how to do any chart ploting that’s just dumb but what I may do is learn everything and study a little bit on running fixes and if I get a running fix question have a good shot at solving it but if not hopefully I can figure the other 14 questions out so that the one I miss is the running fix one but I am going to learn how to do chart plot I’m not going into it blind and that was never the plan

Sounds a lot like that break bulk outfit out of Washington State. My pal worked there for a bit and definitely had a good cry over it. Hahaha fantastic.

I know it sounds too good to be true but I improved my chart plot results tremendously by sharpening my pencil after each plot. Sounds nuts but it works.

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From what I understand from a true professional who was at the USCG meeting on the issue the problem is that if you miss the very first part of the chart plot problem you cannot recover, the questions are chained together and dependent on the preceding being right. In essence you must get 100% on the first 9 out 10 to pass.

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The other bad thing is that the NMC asks for “volunteers” to come to WV four times a year at YOUR expense and help them massage the question banks. They, unlike other USCG Mariner Committees, are not serious about wanting real help since they do not offer, like other committees do, any reimbursement for your travel expenses. With trillions floating around in government circles the USCG could at least buy dinner for professionals helping them out.

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There may be trillions floating around in Government circles, but that doesn’t mean it ends up being available for the NMC.

Same here… they changed up some of the incorrect answers and the order of the answers is all I think. Didn’t even realize I got the new modules until I was looking over my score sheet afterwards. If there were any major changes I didn’t even notice them when I tested.

That’s one of the things they changed, now each test is generated with the answers in random order.

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For chief mate, some relatively minor subjects were removed, no new subjects were added. Not really changes anyone would have noticed.

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Not nuts at all. Some of the FAA plotting exercises back in the day had right and wrong answers separated by about a dull pencil line width. Learned the sharp pencil thing long ago :wink:

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Hello in case it is helpful for anyone studying for 3rd mate exams, I filmed a solution set for one of the publicly available “new” 3rd/2nd mate chart plot exams from NMC.

I think the exams are fair but just a little different from the older versions which I think was causing some hate and discontent at the academies. If you put in the time and practice, you should be ok on the plot exams.

The sample exam (in early 2023) can be found here:
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/exams/ONC02-second-mate-third-mate-Q114-Q117/
and then click on “Chart Plot.”

Hope it is helpful if you are studying!

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Azimuth and Amplitude are very simple questions and chart plotting is a breeze once you learn, even a little fun.
You have to learn them to pass Nav questions anyway. If they were added to plotting I’d consider those a gimme.
Plotting takes a steady hand, a sharp edge and a little patience. Also RTFQ/RTFA.
It’s a skill that can can be honed with time and practice.
There was never a “memorize the question bank” approach to chart plotting either like some are postulating here, you either know it or you don’t, like Terrestrial.
I am a hawsepiper, when I was an AB I asked the Mates and Captains I worked with politely if I could do every chart correction that came out,
when I went to test, i was confident in my ability.
Just practice! Good luck!

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