[QUOTE=tugsailor;153842]Welcome to the very illogical, confused, and confusing USCG licensing scheme.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=tugsailor;154084]A rational licensing scheme would have everything on the third mate exam also on both the master and mate 500. Not just on the mate 500 exam. This would save mariners and the USCG time, trouble, and duplication of efforts.[/QUOTE]
The exams for Mate 500, Mate 1600, and 3rd Mate were combined in anticipation of a regulation that would require Master 500 and 1600 to test for and hold Mate 500 or 1600. This was in the original STCW 2010 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). Since all Masters 500/1600 had to go through Mate 500/1600, there would have been no testing for a Master 500/1600 going to 3rd Mate. But, there was an overwhelming number of negative comments to this proposal, much more than any other provision in the entire proposed rulemaking. In the Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) the progressions to Master 500/1600 were left alone, and it was still possible to go to Master 500/1600 without first holding and obtaining exoperience as Mate 500/1600. The NPRM progression scheme was simpler and more logical, but the proposal was abandonded in response to overwhelming criticism.