MCA Oral Exam & Part B Exam for Deck and Engineering Officer Certificates of Competence (COC)
Prior to your oral exam the MCA will email you two or three documents to read.
- Candidate’s Code of Conduct (all CoCs)
- Microsoft Teams Guidance (all CoCs)
- Plotting Sheet, you need to print a copy of this for the exam (Deck CoCs only)
The MCA uses Microsoft Teams for online face-to-face oral examinations. Candidates will require access to Microsoft Teams prior to the start of the examination.
Candidates should take the examination in a suitable room and have the necessary amenities. E.g., a clear desk, comfortable chair, water, low ambient noise, and adequate lighting with no glare.
The device in use must have a camera and access to a reliable, high-speed, internet connection (recommended minimum of 10mbps), enough for Microsoft Teams to be successfully supported. Candidates are not permitted to use background effects, turn off the microphone or wear headphones during any part of the online oral examination.
Candidates must log onto the meeting at least 10 minutes prior to their designated start time. If a candidate does not appear in the virtual waiting room within five minutes after the scheduled examination start time, they will be deemed to have failed.
If, during the MCA oral exam, there are connectivity or IT equipment issues resulting in repeated disruption of the examination, this will result in postponement of the examination and the candidate will be required to re-schedule.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to provide a reliable internet connection. A third postponement owing to connectivity or IT equipment issues will result in the examination being declared as a failure by default.
Cancellation or transfer of booked oral examinations is only permitted in exceptional circumstances. For the absence of doubt, this does not include a desired change of date or not being ready to take the examination. Candidates who need to cancel for exceptional circumstances should email the details to onlineoralexams@mcga.gov.uk, including appropriate evidence of the exceptional circumstance.
Potential exceptional circumstances may include, but are not limited to:
- Returning to sea at the request of the company
- Unavoidably held on a ship
- Medical emergency of self or close relative
- Compassionate reasons
Any cancellation must be made with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to avoid the examination being declared a failure by default.
Failure to attend without a valid reason will result in the MCA oral examination being declared as a failure by default.
MCA Oral Exam- Pass / Fail
The MCA Oral Exam typically take 90 minutes but may be longer or shorter at the examiner’s discretion. Once the candidate has completed their online oral examination, the MCA Examiner will verbally announce the result and provide any feedback. The MCA Examiner will then complete and submit an examination result form, which will automatically generate an email to the candidate confirming the result and, in the event of a failure, provide feedback.
If the candidate does not receive an email confirming their result within five working days of the online oral examination taking place, they should contact the Online Oral Examination Team via email at onlineoralexams@mcga.gov.uk.
Candidates who pass their MCA oral examination should submit a copy of the email confirming their result and any outstanding documents, or evidence, as required by the Marine Notice applicable to the CoC being applied for.
Candidates who fail their online oral examination and wish to apply for a resit should submit a copy of their email confirming their result and any required supporting documentation to the appropriate team via email, either deck@mcga.gov.uk or engineering@mcga.gov.uk (as applicable). These candidates will be required to pay an exam resit fee.
Further Information
Further information on the resit process can be found in the Marine Notice applicable to the CoC being applied for. This guidance is available on our NOE information page & MCA MIN 690.