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Boater Education Card Practice Test

Required equipment, navigation rules, aids to navigation, emergencies, water sports and boating laws for the boater education exam.

210 questions · 7 topics · free, no sign-up

Mixed practice test

10 questions, graded as you go, with the reason for every answer. No sign-up.

Timed mock exam

50 questions in 60 minutes, drawn from every topic. No answers shown until the end, then a score, your weakest topics and a review of what you missed.

Practise by topic

Sample questions

Which description fits a green lateral buoy in the US system?

  1. A can-shaped buoy with an odd number
  2. A cone-topped buoy with an odd number
  3. A can-shaped buoy with an even number
  4. A cone-topped buoy with an even number
Show the answer

A. A can-shaped buoy with an odd number

Green buoys are cans (cylinders with flat tops) and carry odd numbers. Red buoys are nuns, with cone-shaped tops and even numbers.

Reference: US Aids to Navigation System (33 CFR 62.25)

A chart shows 3 ft of water over a sandbar. Which measurement of your boat tells you whether you can cross it without touching bottom?

  1. Beam
  2. Freeboard
  3. Length overall
  4. Draft
Show the answer

D. Draft

Draft is the vertical distance from the waterline down to the lowest point of the boat (often the propeller or keel), so it is the least depth of water the boat needs. Freeboard is measured upward from the waterline and says nothing about clearing the bottom.

Reference: NASBLA boating education standard: boat terminology

A passenger falls overboard while the boat is underway. What should be done first?

  1. Throw a flotation device and keep the person in sight
  2. Jump in at once and swim to help the person
  3. Put the engine in reverse and back toward the person
  4. Radio a Mayday before doing anything else
Show the answer

A. Throw a flotation device and keep the person in sight

The immediate steps are to shout 'man overboard', throw something that floats, and have someone point at the person continuously while the operator turns back. Backing toward a person puts the propeller next to them.

Reference: NASBLA boating education standard: person overboard

At what boat length must a throwable flotation device be carried in addition to wearable life jackets?

  1. 12 ft or longer
  2. 20 ft or longer
  3. 16 ft or longer
  4. 26 ft or longer
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C. 16 ft or longer

Boats 16 ft and over must carry one throwable device, such as a ring buoy or buoyant cushion, on top of the wearables. Canoes and kayaks are exempt from the throwable. The 26 ft figure belongs to other rules, such as fire extinguisher counts and placards.

Reference: 33 CFR 175.15 and 175.17

Under federal law, a recreational boat operator is considered under the influence at what blood alcohol concentration?

  1. 0.02 percent or more
  2. 0.08 percent or more
  3. 0.05 percent or more
  4. 0.10 percent or more
Show the answer

B. 0.08 percent or more

The federal standard for recreational vessel operators is a BAC of 0.08 percent or higher. Where a state sets its own standard, that state's limit applies on its waters.

Reference: 33 CFR 95.020

Exams this helps with

ExamWho runs itWhere
Boater education card readyNASBLA, statesUnited States (varies by state)

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