Deck · Collision regulations
1. Under the COLREGs, a vessel is deemed to be overtaking when she comes up with another vessel from a direction more than how many degrees abaft her beam?
Nauti Test ProIndependent guide · Crew Evaluation System
CES test for seafarers
what it is and how to prepare
CES, the Crew Evaluation System, is a computer-based multiple-choice test of STCW knowledge that shipping companies and manning agencies use before they hire or promote a seafarer. It was developed by Seagull and is sold today as the OneOcean Crew Evaluation System. It tests what your certificate says you know — so you prepare for it by revising the STCW competences of your rank, not by memorising a list.
- 6,500questions in its bank*
- STCWaligned
- 3 usesrecruitment, promotion, detail
- Your rankdecides the content
* The maker's own figure (OneOcean, October 2024).
At a glance
| Full name | Crew Evaluation System (CES). Often called "the Seagull test". OneOcean · Marine Insight |
| Who makes it | Developed by the Norwegian company Seagull Maritime AS; marketed today under OneOcean, a trading name of Lloyd's Register Group. USM, 2021 · OneOcean |
| What it tests | Maritime knowledge against STCW: it was first built to verify the STCW knowledge a certificate implies. Not English as such, and not practical skill. OneOcean |
| Format | Multiple choice on a computer, drawn from a bank of about 6,500 questions; it can be taken remotely. OneOcean |
| Kinds of test | Pre-recruitment, pre-promotion and specialised detail tests. OneOcean |
| Who asks for it | Shipping companies and the manning agencies that crew for them; companies can adapt it to their needs. Marine Insight |
| Pass mark | We found no universal published pass mark: the company that tests you sets it. When Ukraine trialled CES for state certification in 2021, it set 70 %. USM, 2021 |
Read on 27 October 2026. Figures are the publishers' own and can change; ask the company that books your test for its format and score.
01What the CES test is — and what it is not
Your certificate of competency says you meet the STCW standard for your rank. A company about to put you on one of its ships wants to check that the knowledge behind it is still there — the rules of the road for a watchkeeper, cargo and stability for a chief mate, machinery and electrical systems for an engineer. CES is the tool many of them use for that. OneOcean describes it as built to evaluate the knowledge of maritime professionals, first developed to verify the STCW knowledge a certificate implies, and since extended to pre-recruitment, pre-promotion and detailed tests (OneOcean, 2024).
It is not an exam for a certificate: no administration issues your licence because you passed it. It is not an English test either, although it is in English: the Marlins test is the English test, and many companies ask for both. And it is not a public question bank. Sites that sell "CES questions and answers" are, at best, items remembered by candidates; the bank is large, the test you sit is drawn from it, and the company can add its own questions.
One case shows how seriously it can be used. In 2021 Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure started an experiment using CES 6.0 for the state certification of seafarers: special workstations with no internet access, audio and video recorded, the result shown immediately and a pass at 70 % or more correct answers (USM, July 2021). Most seafarers, though, meet CES at a manning agency, before a contract.
02Format: what to expect on the day
- A computer and a set of multiple-choice questions chosen for you — by rank, department and the type of ship, or by the topics the company wants to check. Ask your agency how many questions and how much time; it depends on the test they book.
- Topics from the STCW functions of your rank. For a deck officer: navigation, collision regulations, cargo handling and stability, safety and pollution prevention. For an engineer: marine engineering, electrical and control systems, maintenance, safety and pollution prevention. For ratings: watchkeeping duties, safety and the equipment of their department.
- A score and a report for the company. OneOcean says managers get detailed feedback on the candidate's performance, including knowledge gaps, benchmarked against the requirements and the wider industry. The company — not CES — decides what score is enough.
- Sometimes at home, sometimes at the office. The test can be administered remotely, which matters for companies that outsource their crewing; others test candidates on their own premises.
Points 3 and 4: OneOcean, October 2024. Points 1 and 2 are general guidance from the STCW functions; the exact content of your test is the company's choice.
03CES vs Marlins: two different tests
They are often booked together, and they measure different things.
| CES (Crew Evaluation System) | Marlins English Language Test | |
|---|---|---|
| Measures | Maritime knowledge against STCW, for your rank and department | English for work at sea: listening, grammar, vocabulary, numbers, reading |
| Questions | Drawn from a bank of about 6,500 multiple-choice questions; the company chooses the test | 85 questions in fixed sections (Seafarers test), recommended 60 minutes |
| Same test for every rank? | No — content follows the rank, the department and the company | Yes — only the recommended minimum changes with the rank |
| Score | Report to the company, benchmarked; the company sets the bar | A percentage; Marlins recommends 45–85 % by rank, the employer decides |
| Audio | Not part of a knowledge test | Yes — listening and sound-alike words are about 40 % of the points |
| Made by | Seagull Maritime; sold as OneOcean CES | Marlins |
| Owner | Since 2024, Lloyd's Register, which bought Ocean Technologies Group — the group of both Seagull and Marlins | The same: Ocean Technologies Group, owned by Lloyd's Register since 2024 |
| How to prepare | Revise the STCW competences of your rank | Practise in the format, above all listening |
CES: OneOcean. Marlins: marlinstests.com, About the tests and the Marlins help centre. The marlinstests.com site describes Marlins as part of the Ocean Technologies Group.
04How to prepare: revise by STCW competence
Because CES checks the knowledge behind your certificate, the honest way to prepare is to revise that knowledge, function by function, until you can explain each answer — not to learn letters. That is exactly how our STCW banks are organised.
- Find your STCW table. Officer of the watch on deck: A-II/1. Chief mate and master: A-II/2. Engineer of the watch: A-III/1. Second and chief engineer: A-III/2. The STCW practice test page lists the chapters of each.
- Take one mock exam per function and note the chapters behind your mistakes. Our 10,318 English STCW questions are split into chapters and 24 mock exams by function.
- Close the gaps chapter by chapter and sit the wrong-answers review until the same questions stop coming back.
- Do not forget the safety chapters. Fire fighting, survival, first aid, security and pollution prevention apply to every rank and are easy points to lose.
- Book the English test separately. If the agency also asks for Marlins, start with the free Marlins practice tests — listening needs weeks, not days.
05Try 6 STCW competence questions
Written by us to show the kind of knowledge a competence test checks — they are not CES questions. Tap an option; the reason appears under it, with the rule it comes from.
Deck and engine · Pollution prevention
2. Outside an Emission Control Area, what is the maximum sulphur content of fuel oil used on board under MARPOL Annex VI since 1 January 2020?
Deck and engine · Emergency drills
3. On a cargo ship, how often must every crew member take part in at least one abandon ship drill and one fire drill?
Deck and engine · Hours of rest
4. Under the STCW Code, what is the minimum number of hours of rest a watchkeeper must have in any 7-day period?
Deck and engine · Enclosed space entry
5. Before anyone enters an enclosed space without breathing apparatus, the oxygen reading should be steady at:
Engine · Fuel oil
6. Under SOLAS, apart from a few permitted exceptions, oil fuel used on board must have a flashpoint of not less than:
Answer key with explanations
- B · 22.5 degrees. COLREG Rule 13(b): more than 22.5 degrees abaft the beam — at night you would see only her sternlight, not her sidelights. The overtaking vessel keeps out of the way until she is finally past and clear, and if in doubt she assumes she is overtaking.
- D · 0.50 % m/m. MARPOL Annex VI, regulation 14: the global limit fell from 3.50 % to 0.50 % m/m on 1 January 2020. Inside a sulphur Emission Control Area the limit is 0.10 % m/m. An approved equivalent, such as an exhaust gas cleaning system, can be used instead of compliant fuel.
- C · Every month. SOLAS chapter III, regulation 19: every crew member takes part in at least one abandon ship drill and one fire drill every month, and the drills are held within 24 hours of leaving port if more than 25 % of the crew did not take part in the previous month's drills on that ship.
- A · 77 hours. STCW Code section A-VIII/1: at least 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period. The rest may be split into no more than two periods, one of them at least 6 hours long, with no more than 14 hours between consecutive periods.
- A · 21 % by volume. IMO resolution A.1050(27), the recommendations for entering enclosed spaces: a steady reading of 21 % oxygen by volume, together with readings within limits for flammable and toxic gases. A lower figure means something is using or displacing the oxygen; a higher one is a fire risk.
- B · 60 °C. SOLAS chapter II-2, regulation 4: no oil fuel with a flashpoint of less than 60 °C (closed cup test) may be used, with exceptions such as fuel for emergency generators, which may be 43 °C. Ships designed for low-flashpoint fuels follow the IGF Code instead.
06Questions about the CES test
What does CES stand for in shipping?
Crew Evaluation System: a computer-based test of maritime knowledge, aligned with STCW, developed by Seagull and sold today as the OneOcean Crew Evaluation System. Companies and manning agencies use it before hiring or promoting seafarers.
Is the CES test the same as the Marlins test?
No. CES checks maritime knowledge for your rank against STCW; the Marlins test checks English — listening, grammar, vocabulary, numbers and reading — and is the same test for every rank. Many companies ask for both.
What is the passing score of the CES test?
We found no universal published pass mark: the company that books your test decides what score it accepts and may differ by rank. When Ukraine trialled CES for state certification in 2021, it set 70 % correct answers.
Can I get the real CES questions and answers?
No legitimate source publishes them. The bank is large and the test you sit is drawn from it, and companies can add their own questions. Lists sold as "CES answers" are, at best, items remembered by candidates. Revising the STCW competences of your rank is what carries over to any version of the test.
How should I prepare for CES?
Revise the STCW functions of your certificate chapter by chapter, with mock exams that mix the chapters, and learn why each answer is right. Include the safety, security and pollution-prevention subjects every rank shares.
Do ratings take the CES test?
It depends on the company. CES has tests by rank and department, so companies can test ratings as well as officers. Ask your manning agency which test it books for your position.
Is Nauti Test Pro connected to CES?
No. We are an independent practice tool, not affiliated with Seagull, Ocean Technologies Group, OneOcean or Lloyd's Register, and we have no access to the CES bank. Our questions are written by us for practice by STCW competence.
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