For those who’d care to know. I’m thinking this might put a crimp in some sea school programs.
http://uscg.mil/nmc/announcements/removal_of_mariner_exam_questions.pdf
In the mid '80s , a group of us new 1sts and Chiefs were waiting at the REC counter for our licenses to be printed. The discussion was which study materials we all used for prep. One guy said that the question pool was available on floppy disc. The rest of us asked in unison “what the hell is a floppy disc”?? One of my grandsons just asked me the same question.
The schools shouldn’t have any problem. You only need example problems as stated in the announcement. The entire database is full of repetitive questions that serve as examples of each other anyway. You simply can’t learn the entire database. Knowing how to do that type of problem is all you need to know.
When I took the Chief Mate exam I had to retake the Nav Problems test. When I went in for the retake I ran into one of my old classmates at the REC who was taking the same test. He finished really fast. Afterward I asked how he got through it so fast, and he said he memorized all the answers. It’s possible to learn the entire database, or at least certain parts of it, but I think it is easier and more efficient to just learn how to solve the problem.
EDIT: And with this post I become a “gCaptain Regular”. Woo-hoo! 
[QUOTE=captobie;39284]When I took the Chief Mate exam I had to retake the Nav Problems test. When I went in for the retake I ran into one of my old classmates at the REC who was taking the same test. He finished really fast. Afterward I asked how he got through it so fast, and he said he memorized all the answers. It’s possible to learn the entire database, or at least certain parts of it, but I think it is easier and more efficient to just learn how to solve the problem.
EDIT: And with this post I become a “gCaptain Regular”. Woo-hoo! [/QUOTE]
Bullshit. I took the entire Chief Mate exam and did not make less than a 90% on any section…did everything in a day and a half and studied for years. You might see some questions, but your not going to remember the entire database and expect to pass like that. Nav problems can easily be done in 15-20 minutes - if you studied. Composite sailings can be remembered because there’re only 24…if you want to go that route, but unless your friend was Rain Man, I still say he’s full of shit.
[QUOTE=anchorman;39285]Bullshit. I took the entire Chief Mate exam and did not make less than a 90% on any section…did everything in a day and a half and studied for years. You might see some questions, but your not going to remember the entire database and expect to pass like that. Nav problems can easily be done in 15-20 minutes - if you studied. Composite sailings can be remembered because there’re only 24…if you want to go that route, but unless your friend was Rain Man, I still say he’s full of shit.[/QUOTE]
LOL, he may have been like Rain Man, but for other reasons… 
Good, because these tests are just way too easy!!
[QUOTE=Capt. Lee;39290]Good, because these tests are just way too easy!![/QUOTE]
Everything is easy if you’re prepared. If you want it hard, just don’t study…now that is what you call easy. Just because we did good, didn’t mean it was easy. You start mentoring subordinates like that, they’ll never give the same effort and will most likely fail.
Ehh it doesn’t really matter. Just save the databases now, and Murphy will still be publishing books - after all, what are they going to do, throw out every question and start from the beginning? I think not.
I really don’t think this is going to change anything. As many people said before on this thread they are just used as examples anyway. If you are prepared and know your stuff then it won’t matter if your practicing with the actual questions or other examples. This will just give people that fail one more excuse for failing. On that note, I’m glad I’m done with testing ahah.