- What National Master 100 NC Actually Is
- Who Qualifies: Two Starting Points
- Which Modules Your Route Requires
- Approval to Test: The NMC Gatekeeper Step
- What You Must Know in Each Module
- Exam Format, Fees and Scheduling Mechanics
- Sequencing Your Preparation
- Who Hires Near Coastal Masters
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NM1N means the Master Near Coastal less-than-100 GRT credential, governed by the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center.
- The original full exam route uses five modules: Q100, Q160, Q161, Q162 and Q163.
- The OUPV-to-Master raise-of-grade route uses Q165, which is not part of the original five.
- Increase-in-scope from Great Lakes or Inland uses Q160 plus Q162, adding Q100 if a COLREGS limitation applies.
What National Master 100 NC Actually Is
National Master 100 NC (NM1N) refers to the U.S. Coast Guard credential for Master of vessels of less than 100 gross register tons operating in Near Coastal waters. The issuing authority is the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC), which also publishes the examination modules and topic lists used to test candidates. If you are new to the credential itself, our explainers on what NM1N is and what NM1N stands for cover the naming and scope in more detail.
This article focuses on a narrower question: what do you have to satisfy to qualify, and in what order? The honest answer is that the examination requirements depend on how you are arriving at the Master credential. There is no single universal exam that every candidate sits. The NMC publishes route-specific module sets, and your approval to test determines which ones you take.
Who Qualifies: Two Starting Points
Most candidates fall into one of a few situations, and each maps to a different examination path. Understanding which one describes you is the single most important step in the qualification process.
Candidates taking the original full exam
The original Master Near Coastal less-than-100 GRT examination is the full route. It is built from five modules covering rules of the road, general deck knowledge, safety and stability, near-coastal navigation, and chart-plot navigation problems. This is the route most people mean when they talk about NM1N as an exam to be prepared for from scratch.
Candidates raising grade from OUPV
If you already hold an Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) credential and are moving up to Master Near Coastal less-than-100 GRT, the NMC publishes a separate raise-of-grade module pairing. That route adds module Q165, Navigation and Deck General/Safety, which is its own examination and should not be folded into the original five-module list.
Candidates increasing scope from Great Lakes or Inland
Mariners who already hold a Great Lakes or Inland Master credential and want to extend to Near Coastal follow the increase-in-scope route. According to the published guide, this uses Q160 plus Q162, and adds Q100 where a COLREGS limitation applies to the existing credential.
Which Modules Your Route Requires
| Pathway | Modules | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Original full exam (Master Near Coastal <100 GRT) | Q100, Q160, Q161, Q162, Q163 | Five modules: rules, deck general, deck safety, near-coastal navigation, chart plot |
| OUPV to Master Near Coastal <100 GRT (raise of grade) | Q165 (with Q162 per the published route page) | Q165 is a separate module, not part of the original five |
| Increase in scope from Great Lakes/Inland to Near Coastal | Q160 + Q162 | Add Q100 where a COLREGS limitation applies |
Treat the table as a map of the published patterns, then confirm your own module list against your NMC approval. If your approval letter lists something different from what you expected, the approval governs. For a deeper look at how each module breaks down, see our complete guide to all five NM1N content areas.
Approval to Test: The NMC Gatekeeper Step
You do not simply show up and sit the modules. The NMC evaluates your application and issues an approval that states what you are cleared to test on. That individual approval is what defines your examination, which is why generic checklists online can mislead. Two candidates preparing for the "same" credential may be approved for different module sets depending on prior credentials and route.
Practically, this means your first move is not studying. It is confirming, through your application and the NMC's published module pages, exactly which modules you must pass. Candidates who skip this step sometimes spend weeks mastering a module they never needed, or discover late that a COLREGS limitation pulled Q100 into their route.
Key Takeaway
Get your approval to test in hand, read the module list it names, and build your study plan from that list only. Everything else on this page is context for interpreting that approval.
What You Must Know in Each Module
The NMC publishes a topic catalog for each module. The five modules in the original route are below, with the topics the published catalog names. Because official percentage weights are not published, treat these as unweighted preparation groups rather than a weighted blueprint.
Q100: Rules of the Road, International and Inland
The navigation rules module, covering both rule sets and the watchkeeping judgment behind them.
- Watchkeeping
- COLREGS (International)
- Inland Navigational Rules
Q160: Deck General
The broadest module by topic count, mixing seamanship, vessel handling, emergencies and communications.
- Seamanship, marlinspike seamanship, purchases, blocks and tackle
- Vessel maneuvering and handling, including turn circle, pivot point, advance and transfer, and wake reduction
- Collision, temporary repairs, abandon ship procedures, and rescuing survivors
- Fire prevention, firefighting appliances, and the classes and chemistry of fire
- Lifesaving appliance operation and survival at sea
- Communications and radiotelephone, plus storm, wreck, distress and special signals
- Ship's business, certificates and documents required, vessel power plants, and small engine operations and maintenance
Q161: Deck Safety
Where stability, construction and damage control live. The stability material here is a substantive part of the module and deserves dedicated attention.
- Trim and stability
- Stability, construction, and damage control
- Principles of vessel construction
- Man overboard procedures and emergency towing
- Passenger and crew safety in emergencies, fire or explosion, abandon ship procedures
- Vessel power plants and small engine operations and maintenance
- Fire prevention and firefighting appliances
Q162: Navigation General, Near Coastal
The theory side of navigation, including weather and compass work.
- Navigation and position determination: piloting, distance off, bearing problems, fix or running fix, dead reckoning
- Chart navigation, aids to navigation, and charts, navigation publications and Notices to Mariners
- Magnetic and gyro compass, compass error, correction and determination of compass error
- Meteorology and oceanography: weather systems, ocean current systems, weather charts and reports
- Tides and tidal currents
Q163: Navigation Problems, Chart Plot
The applied plotting module, where you work problems on a chart rather than answer theory questions.
- Piloting, distance off, bearing problems, fix or running fix
- Chart navigation and dead reckoning
- Electronic navigation
- Instruments and accessories, aids to navigation, charts and navigation publications
Notice the overlap: Q162 and Q163 share navigation themes, and Q160 and Q161 share emergency and firefighting themes. That overlap works in your favor, since concepts studied once reinforce two modules. For help judging the workload, read how hard the NM1N exam is.
Exam Format, Fees and Scheduling Mechanics
This is the area where candidates most often go looking for a clean number and where care is warranted. The NMC sources behind this article do not establish a single universal fee schedule or a universal timer applying to every NM1N candidate, so this article will not invent one. Fees, any exam-center arrangements, and time allowances depend on your route, your approval, and the current NMC and testing-site procedures in effect when you apply.
What you can reliably do is verify the current figures at the source. Check the NMC module pages for your route, confirm the evaluation and exam-related costs on the NMC's current published material, and ask the test site about scheduling and any retake rules before you book. Our NM1N certification cost breakdown and exam dates and scheduling guide are good companions for planning, but your approval and the NMC's current notices remain the final word.
Question style you should expect
The published catalog tells you what topics are examinable, but you should prepare for two distinct styles of work. Modules such as Q100, Q160 and Q161 are knowledge-based, rewarding recall of rules, procedures and principles. Q163 is a working module: you plot, measure and solve on a chart. Q162 mixes both, with theory on compass and weather alongside navigation problem-solving. Match your practice to the style, not just the topic.
Sequencing Your Preparation
Once your approval confirms your modules, the order you study them in matters more than the total hours. The sequence below assumes the original five-module route. If you are on a shorter route, drop the modules you do not need and compress accordingly.
Q100 Rules of the Road
- Learn the International and Inland rule sets side by side
- Anchor everything in watchkeeping, since rules questions assume sound lookout judgment
Q162 and Q163 Navigation
- Study theory and plotting together, since they share piloting, bearings and fixes
- Practice chart work by hand until dead reckoning and running fixes are routine
Q160 Deck General
- Work through seamanship, vessel handling, communications and signals topic by topic
- Spend extra time on the long tail of small topics that are easy to neglect
Q161 Deck Safety and Review
- Dedicate real time to trim and stability, then damage control and construction
- Finish with mixed practice across all modules
Navigation goes before the broader deck modules because plotting is a motor skill that needs repetition, while deck general is largely a memory challenge that benefits from being studied closer to test day. For a fuller plan, see our NM1N study guide, and for a quick final review the one-page cheat sheet. When you want realistic question practice by module, our NM1N practice tests are organized around these same five areas.
Who Hires Near Coastal Masters
A Master Near Coastal less-than-100 GRT credential opens work aboard vessels operating beyond protected inland waters but below the tonnage ceiling. In practice that means operators in the small-vessel commercial sector: charter and passenger operators, tour and excursion companies, fishing-support and offshore-support work on smaller hulls, towing and assist operations, and other commercial operators who need a licensed Master aboard. Specific employers and pay vary widely by region and vessel type, so we do not quote figures here. See our NM1N jobs overview and salary guide for how to think about earnings, and whether the credential is worth it if you are weighing the investment.
Key Takeaway
Match the credential to the work you want. If your target employer operates only in protected waters, ask whether a Near Coastal Master is what they actually require before committing to the full exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
NM1N refers to National Master 100 NC, the U.S. Coast Guard Master Near Coastal less-than-100 GRT credential administered through the National Maritime Center. It is unrelated to other credentials that may share a similar abbreviation.
The original full route uses five modules: Q100 (Rules of the Road), Q160 (Deck General), Q161 (Deck Safety), Q162 (Navigation General, Near Coastal) and Q163 (Navigation Problems, Chart Plot).
Not the original five-module route. Q165, Navigation and Deck General/Safety, belongs to the separate OUPV-to-Master Near Coastal less-than-100 GRT raise-of-grade route and should not be added to Q100, Q160, Q161, Q162 and Q163.
The published increase-in-scope route uses Q160 plus Q162, with Q100 added where a COLREGS limitation applies. Confirm the exact modules against your own NMC approval to test.
The sources behind this article do not publish official percentage weights, so any weighting you see elsewhere should be treated cautiously. Prepare each assigned module thoroughly, and see our pass rate article for what can and cannot be said about outcomes.
For a consolidated view of the qualification picture, you can also revisit our main NM1N requirements page, and start building your readiness with practice questions organized by module.