NM1N Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

What "Pass Rate" Can and Cannot Tell You About NM1N

Most people searching for the NM1N pass rate want a single number: out of everyone who sits the exam, what fraction passes? It is a reasonable question, but National Master 100 NC (NM1N) is a poor fit for a single-number answer. Here is why, and what you can usefully learn instead.

NM1N is the Master Near Coastal, less than 100 GRT credential examined through the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC). It is not one sitting with one score. The original route is built from separate modules, each with its own subject matter, and the modules you actually take depend on your approval to test and the pathway you are following. A blended statistic would hide far more than it reveals.

If you want the full picture of how demanding the credential is, pair this article with our NM1N difficulty guide, and for the scoring side see what you need to pass. For the overall mission of this site, you can also start from the main practice test.

What the National Maritime Center Does and Does Not Publish

The governing body for NM1N is the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center. Its public exam pages list the module codes and a topic catalog for each one. They also point to the NMC Examination Guide, whose regulations are effective 2014-03-24. That guide is meant to be used alongside the current published NMC module-topic index and your individual approval to test. It is not a fresh 2026 exam specification, and it should not be read as one.

Here is what is and is not available:

The practical consequence is that your preparation should be built from the topic catalog, not from rumored weightings. When you see a site claiming, for example, that one module is "30 percent of the exam," ask where that number came from. For this credential, it did not come from an official weight table. Our domains guide walks through all five content areas using only the published topics.

Why the Five-Module Structure Shapes Your Odds

The full original exam for Master Near Coastal under 100 GRT is made up of five modules. Think of these as five separate hurdles rather than one big test. Each is described below using the topic names from the published catalog.

One important point: older split headings such as separate Deck General Part I and Part II, or a standalone Stability Problems module, belong to a different larger-vessel module pattern. They are not the NM1N domain structure, and stability for this route is addressed within Q161.

Where Candidates Tend to Lose Points, Module by Module

Because no official pass-rate breakdown by module is published in our sources, the following is an expert reading of the topic catalog rather than a statistic. These are the places where the nature of the material makes errors most likely.

Q163: Chart Plot demands precision, not recall

Chart plotting is the module where good understanding can still produce a wrong answer. A fix or running fix, a bearing problem, or a distance-off calculation depends on accurate plotting, correct application of compass error, and careful reading of the chart. A small slip early in a problem carries through to the end. Candidates who treat Q163 like a memorization module tend to be surprised.

Q100: Rules of the Road rewards fine distinctions

This module asks you to apply both the international rules and the inland rules, and the two are not identical. Candidates who blur them together, or who study only one, expose themselves. Watchkeeping questions also reward careful reading of the scenario rather than a gut reaction.

Q161: stability and damage control reward understanding over rote

Trim and stability, vessel construction, and damage control are conceptual. You are better served by understanding why a vessel behaves as it does than by memorizing isolated facts. This module also overlaps with emergency topics such as fire or explosion, abandon ship procedures, man overboard procedures, and emergency towing.

Q160: breadth is the challenge

Deck General does not usually fail candidates through any one hard topic. It fails them through sheer range, from knots and tackle to firefighting chemistry to radiotelephone procedure to the paperwork a vessel must carry. The risk is leaving a whole cluster of topics unreviewed.

Your Route Changes Which Modules You Sit

This is the single biggest reason a universal pass rate is misleading. The modules you take depend on your individual approval to test and on the pathway you are following. The published module information supports several distinct situations:

Two cautions follow from this. First, do not add Q165 to the original five; it belongs to the raise-of-grade pathway only. Second, do not sum alternate upgrade pathways together to build a hypothetical "total" exam. Each route stands on its own. These are route-aware preparation groups, not one common mandatory examination, and the NMC does not publish official percentage weights for them.

If you are unsure where you fit, start with eligibility and prerequisites and then confirm the details with the NMC against your own approval to test.

How to Read Any Pass-Rate Claim You Find Online

Since you will encounter pass-rate claims, it helps to have a short checklist for evaluating them.

1. Ask which credential it describes. The acronym NM1N is shared by several unrelated credentials, and a statistic about one says nothing about this one. Everything here refers only to National Master 100 NC (NM1N).
2. Ask which modules it covers. A rate for a single module is not a rate for the full five-module route.
3. Ask for the source. A genuine figure should trace back to the NMC or another named authority.
4. Ask about the population. First-time candidates, repeat candidates, and raise-of-grade candidates are different groups.
5. Distrust false precision. A number like "73.4%" with no citation is a warning sign, not a fact.

For the money side of the decision, our cost breakdown explains why you should confirm current fees directly rather than relying on a blanket figure, and the ROI analysis weighs the credential against the effort.

Sequencing the Modules to Protect Your Pass Odds

Study method is a minor part of this article, but sequencing is worth a short note because the modules overlap in useful ways. Q162 and Q163 share topics such as piloting, dead reckoning, distance off, bearing problems, fix or running fix, aids to navigation, and charts and publications. Learning the concepts in Q162 first makes the plotting in Q163 far easier. Likewise, Q160 and Q161 share fire, abandon ship, and rescue topics, so covering them once and revisiting them later is efficient.

This is only a sample ordering, and you should adjust it to your own strengths and the modules your route requires. For a fuller plan, see our NM1N study guide and keep the one-page cheat sheet handy for last-minute review. You can also drill questions on the practice test site.

What Employers Actually Look For

A near coastal master credential for vessels under 100 GRT is a working license, so the people who care about it are the operators who put licensed masters in charge of vessels. In practice, that means companies running smaller commercial vessels in near coastal waters. Hiring decisions in this field generally turn on whether you hold the correct credential for the vessel and route, plus your documented sea service and practical competence, rather than on how many attempts it took you to pass a module.

That is worth keeping in perspective. Passing the written modules is a gate, not the finish line. If you are curious about where the credential leads, our pages on NM1N jobs and the earnings analysis cover the career side, and the scheduling article explains how to think about testing windows without assuming one fixed calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions