Coast Guard Testing Failures

i do agree with after the retakes you definitely should pass on the first go around. The people who didnt go 5 for 7 were the ones who thought that they were perfect or lazy people.

[QUOTE=cali deckie;179527]Well when you conider that many of us study for 2-6 hours a day for 3 months 70% isnt bad. Most of us dont move to just memorizing stuff till Christmas break[/QUOTE]

What memorizing? Better to understand the processes and subjects. . .

The pass rate on the CPA exam is about 50 percent.

The pass rate on the bar exam is about 70 to 80 percent.

I believe that the CPA and Bar exams both require that all sections by passed in one sitting.

It seems to me that the USCG exams should reasonably be expected to be about the same.

CPA and bar are white collar jobs that require a degree. A merchant mariner license doesn’t even require a GED. We should be held to the standards of carpenters and masons.

The unlicensed ratings should be held to the standard of carpenters.

The officers should be held to a higher standard that requires either: a degree; or self learned knowledge equivalent to a degree.

We no longer have the bright line division between white collar and blue collar jobs that we use to have. They are all just sweaty collar jobs now. More knowledge was required to get a high school degree in 1950 than is now required to get a college degree. The presence or absence of a degree does not mean much one way or the other.

[QUOTE=DeckApe;179587]CPA and bar are white collar jobs that require a degree. A merchant mariner license doesn’t even require a GED. We should be held to the standards of carpenters and masons.[/QUOTE]

Being in charge of a fifty million dollar ship with a hundred million dollars of cargo should be held to a minimum of lawyer/CPA level.

then the masters exam should be on that level. 3rds aren’t in charge of anything…

[QUOTE=brjones;179605]then the masters exam should be on that level. 3rds aren’t in charge of anything…[/QUOTE]

Oh really? Then why is it called Officer In CHARGE of the Navigation Watch? The 3rd can sink the ship and/or destroy the cargo very easily.

I just asked what I thought was a simple question - 4 pages ago!

[QUOTE=Capt. Phoenix;179608]Oh really? Then why is it called Officer In CHARGE of the Navigation Watch? The 3rd can sink the ship and/or destroy the cargo very easily.[/QUOTE]

Absolutely agree. It was the 3rd mate who was on watch and had the conn when the Exxon Valdez headed towards Bligh Reef.

[QUOTE=cmakin;179581]What memorizing? Better to understand the processes and subjects. . .[/QUOTE] There comes a point where it is better in our minds to just pass the damn tests. As bad as it sounds almost everyone would do that. The stuff we are memorizing is all the stupid little stuff that CG tests on or really antiquated stuff like yard and stay gear. I can only think of four ships that have that sort of gear left and those are MSC AOE class. Our class time experience comes in one 3 hour block with Bosun allen on the little bear or cub

I agree with understanding the subject matter, but at the same time when you take hundreds of practice exams, that’s more of an exercise in memorizing answers. There’s only so many ways the USCG can ask “In diagram 17, vessel ‘A’ is overtaking vessel ‘B’, what sound signal should vessel ‘A’ sound.”. Usually when you’re at the point of memorizing, you know the material but are so familiar with the questions that you’re commiting them to memory.

[QUOTE=Capt. Phoenix;179608]Oh really? Then why is it called Officer In CHARGE of the Navigation Watch? The 3rd can sink the ship and/or destroy the cargo very easily.[/QUOTE]

Cough, cough, cough, VALDEZ, cough, cough. . . .Oh, wait. . .now that I have read the whole thread, I see that my point was made more explicitly. . . .

[QUOTE=DeckApe;179587]CPA and bar are white collar jobs that require a degree. [/QUOTE]

Only in 15 states for lawyers.

[QUOTE=Steamer;179797]Only in 15 states for lawyers.[/QUOTE]

Not sure how it is now, but my late father got his law degree in California in the 70s via a correspondence course (La Salle) with an Associate Degree from San Jose State. At the time, I believe he told me that only California and Montana allowed law degrees from correspondence courses. . . he did pass the bar but struggled to get on with a firm for private practice, but worked for the State of California for may years, up to his retirement.

I was under the impression that many states allowed you to sit without any degree. There’s many former paralegals that end up practicing law this way. I suppose they’re the lawyer version of hawsepipers

[QUOTE=LI_Domer;179809]I was under the impression that many states allowed you to sit without any degree. There’s many former paralegals that end up practicing law this way. I suppose they’re the lawyer version of hawsepipers[/QUOTE]

There might be a rule that allows someone with a certain amount of time served as a paralegal to sit for the bar. That’s different than simply taking a correspondence course and then taking the bar exam.

Yea, I think you’re right.

According to Chapter 3 of this guide

California, Maine, New York, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia allow “law office study” to meet educational qualifications to take the bar exam. California, DC, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Oregon allow correspondence or online schools.

I really wish there was a course offered at the academies on how to navigate the CFR’s. Finding the info was the hardest part IMO…