Ready to book?
You can submit an oral exam booking request after you have received an invitation or notice of assessment from AMSA.
Submitting an oral exam booking request does not confirm your booking.
We’ll contact you with an available appointment.
On this page:
- Check if you need an oral examination
- How to book your oral exam
- What happens after your exam
- How much it costs
- Changes, cancellations and refunds
- Complaints and feedback
- Submit a booking request
Check if you need an oral examination
You need to pass an oral exam if you're applying for:
- an STCW Certificate of Competency (Master, deck officer, engineer)
- one of these near coastal certificates of competency:
- Master <45m
- Master <100m
- Marine Engine Driver (MED) Grade 1
- Engineer Class 3
- an STCW certificate of recognition
- a skilled migration assessment.
You may also be able to complete an oral exam to renew a seafarer certificate when you don’t meet qualifying sea service requirements.
You do not need an oral exam for STCW certificates of proficiency (Ratings), or near-coastal certificates that aren’t listed above.
How to book your oral exam
Follow these steps to book and attend your oral exam.
- (1) Wait for your invitation or assessment notice
Before you can book an oral exam, we'll assess either your:
- near-coastal certificate application
- sea service assessment application (if you are applying for an STCW CoC or CoR)
- application for migration skills assessment
If you're eligible, we'll send you:
- Near coastal certificates - an invitation to sit an oral exam
- STCW certificates - a sea service assessment outcome notice
- Migration skills assessment - a provisional assessment letter.
You cannot book an oral exam until you receive the relevant invitation or notice.
- (2) Choose how you'd like to sit your exam
Most oral exams are conducted online using Microsoft Teams.
If you'd prefer to sit your exam in person, you can request a face-to-face exam when you book.
Face-to-face exams are subject to examiner availability
If you've been unsuccessful in an online oral exam 3 or more times, we may require you to sit your next exam face to face.
Exam times
Oral exams are conducted Monday to Thursday.
Available session times for online and face-to-face exams are:
9am
11am
2pm
We'll confirm your exam time and time zone when your booking is confirmed
Engineer Class 1 and Electro-Technical Officer oral exams are not available on Wednesdays.
Face-to-face locations
You can request a face-to-face oral exam at selected AMSA offices.
Available locations depend on the certificate you're applying for and examiner availability.
Deck exam locations
Certificate Available locations Master <45 m NC Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Devonport, Adelaide, Darwin, Brisbane, Gladstone, Townsville, Fremantle, Geraldton and Port Hedland Master <100 m NC, Master <500 GT (STCW), Watchkeeper deck (STCW), Chief mate and Master (STCW) Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Devonport, Adelaide, Darwin, Brisbane, Gladstone, Townsville, Fremantle and Port Hedland Near coastal engineer exam locations
Certificate Available locations Marine Engine Driver Grade 1 Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Devonport, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin, Townsville, Fremantle, Karratha, Geraldton and Port Hedland Engineer Class 3 Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Devonport, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin, Townsville, Fremantle, Karratha, Geraldton and Port Hedland STCW engineer certificates (motor or motor and steam)
Certificate Available locations Engineer Watchkeeper Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Devonport, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin, Brisbane, Townsville, Fremantle, Karratha, Geraldton and Port Hedland Engineer Class 2 Newcastle, Melbourne, Devonport, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin, Townsville, Fremantle and Geraldton Engineer Class 1 Newcastle, Melbourne, Devonport, Adelaide, Darwin, Fremantle and Geraldton STCW engineer certificates (steam only)
Certificate Available locations Engineer Watchkeeper (Steam) Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Karratha Engineer Class 2 (Steam)
Engineer Class 1 (Steam)Sydney Electro-Technical Officer
Certificate Available locations Electro-Technical Officer (STCW) Newcastle, Melbourne, Adelaide, Townsville and Fremantle.
- (3) Make a booking
Once you've received your invitation or assessment notice, you can book your oral exam.
Exam availability varies throughout the year. During busy periods, you may need to wait up to 3 months for the next available appointment.
Not ready yet?
Before you book, make sure you have read how to prepare for your oral exam.Submit a booking request
Request an oral exam booking by completing the Oral Exam Booking Request form
Choose an exam time
We'll send you:
available exam dates and times
payment instructions
Confirm your booking
You must pay the exam fee before we can confirm your booking.
Pay the exam fee, then reply with:
your payment receipt
your preferred exam dates or times.
When we send your booking confirmation, we'll ask you to read and agree to the oral examination terms and conditions.
Receive your booking confirmation
Once your booking is confirmed, we'll email you:
your exam date and time
the time zone
a Microsoft Teams link (for online exams), or your exam location (for face-to-face exams)
any instructions you need before your exam.
- (4) Prepare for your exam
Before your exam, make sure you have:
- agreed to the oral exam terms and conditions
- studied the examiner checklist
- reviewed the syllabus
- prepared examples from your sea service
- practised answering questions aloud.
Get ready using our guide to prepare for your oral exam.
- (5) Sit your exam
Oral exams are scheduled for 2 hours.
On the day of your exam
Before your exam starts:
join your Microsoft Teams meeting or arrive at the AMSA office before your scheduled start time
have your photo identification and provisional assessment letter ready
follow the examiner's instructions throughout the exam.
If you're sitting your exam online
Make sure you have:
a reliable internet connection with a minimum speed of 10 Mbps
a computer or tablet with a camera and microphone
Microsoft Teams installed or available through your web browser
a quiet room where you won't be interrupted.
Test your Microsoft Teams connection at least 30 minutes before your scheduled exam.
If your internet connection doesn’t work, you may have to reschedule your exam and pay a fee.
You cannot use a mobile phone to sit an oral exam
If you're sitting an exam in person
Bring:
your photo identification
your provisional assessment letter
any additional documents listed in your booking confirmation.
What happens after your exam
After your oral exam, the examiner will assess whether you've demonstrated the required knowledge and skills.
The examiner will give you your result at the exam.
If you have concerns about how your exam was conducted, you can make a complaint. Find out how to make a complaint and how we'll handle it.
If you're assessed as competent
What happens if you’re assessed as competent depends on whether you are applying for a near-coastal or STCW certificate.
For near coastal certificates
We'll continue processing your application.
You do not need to contact us after your oral exam. If we need more information, we'll contact you.
Once your application is approved, we'll issue your certificate.
For STCW certificates
Once you have passed your oral exam, you will need to apply for your certificate using Seafarer form 419.
Find out more about how to apply for your STCW certificate.
Once your application is approved, we'll issue your certificate.
If you're assessed as not yet competent
If you're assessed as not yet competent, we'll provide feedback on the areas you need to improve before sitting another exam.
You can book another oral exam after the minimum waiting period. The waiting period depends on how many times you have sat an exam previously.
Waiting periods
| Number of unsuccessful attempts | Earliest resit |
|---|---|
| 1 or 2 | 2 weeks |
| 3 | 4 weeks |
| 4 | 3 months |
| 5 or 6 | 6 months |
| 7 or more | 9 months |
Waiting periods are minimum timeframes only. Your next available exam will depend on examiner availability.
If you've failed an online exam 3 or more times, we may require you to sit your next exam face to face.
You must pay the oral exam fee each time you sit an oral exam.
How much it costs
You must pay the exam fee before we can confirm your booking.
Exam fees are:
- Near coastal $440
- STCW $544
Changes, cancellations and refunds
If you need to change or cancel your oral exam booking, contact AMSA Connect.
If you change or cancel your booking, your new oral exam date must be at least 2 weeks after your original exam date.
Change your booking
You can change or reschedule your booking up to 2 business days before your exam.
If you request to change your booking with less than 2 business days notice, you will not receive a refund.
STCW certificate oral exams
- A change fee of $136 applies
- You must pay the fee before you can book your new exam date
Near coastal oral exams
There is no fee to change or reschedule your booking.
Cancel your booking
You can cancel your booking up to 2 business days before your exam.
If you cancel with less than 2 business days notice, you will not receive a refund.
STCW certificate oral exams
- A cancellation fee of $136 applies
- You must pay the fee before you can book a new exam
Near coastal oral exams
- There is no cancellation fee
- If you book another oral exam, you must pay a new exam fee.
Missed appointments
If you don't attend your exam, you will not receive a refund.
Technical issues
If your online exam cannot continue because your internet connection doesn't meet the technical requirements, you may need to pay another exam fee before your exam can be rebooked.