How deep is the well now?
Plays left: 2
Nauti Test ProIndependent practice · Marlins English Language Test for Offshore Workers · free test 1 of 3
Marlins offshore workers practice test 1
the drill floor, the crane and the helideck — ten questions, explained.
The first of three free practice tests in the format of the Marlins test for offshore workers — the test for oil and gas platforms, drilling units and offshore wind, with three options per question. Ten questions set on the installation, two of them recordings, and the reason behind every answer. It tests your English, not how the equipment works.
- 10questions
- 2with audio
- 100 %explained
- Freeno sign-up
01Practice test 1
Tap the option you think is right and the answer appears at once, with the reason. Each recording can be played twice before you answer, as on Marlins' own free practice test, and freely afterwards — with the transcript. Questions have three options, as the real Marlins offshore workers test does.
Look — the crane operator ____ the cargo basket onto the pipe deck right now.
Could you tell me where ____, please? I'm new on board.
Choose the correct sentence.
A spanner fell from the scaffold and landed next to a roustabout. Nobody was hurt, but it was a ____ and it must be reported.
Who will write the test results in the log?
Plays left: 2
The job was not finished at the end of the shift, so we stayed two more hours and were paid ____.
I've worked on this platform ____ 2019, when it started production.
The toolpusher decided ____ the drilling until the storm had passed.
Just as the compressor ____ smoothly, it suddenly stopped during the test.
02Answers and explanations
The answer to every question above, and why the other options are not it.
Q1 — Listening
A · 2,150 metres
The driller says 'two thousand one hundred and fifty metres', which is 2,150 metres. 'Two thousand and fifty' (2,050) was the depth at midnight, and 2,115 mixes up 'fifty' and 'fifteen'.
Transcript: What depth are you at now, Ray? Two thousand one hundred and fifty metres. At midnight we were at two thousand and fifty, so it's been a slow night.
Q2 — Grammar
A · is lowering
The words 'right now' show an action in progress at this moment, so the present continuous 'is lowering' is used. 'Lowers' is the present simple (for habits), and 'are lowering' does not agree with the singular subject 'the crane operator'.
Q3 — Grammar
C · the muster point is
In an indirect question ('Could you tell me where…') we use statement word order, subject + verb: 'the muster point is'. 'Is the muster point' has the word order of a direct question, and 'does… be' does not exist.
Q4 — Grammar
B · Be careful on the stairs — they are wet.
With an adjective, an order is formed with 'Be' + adjective: 'Be careful'. 'Are careful' is a statement with no subject, and 'Being careful' is not an order.
Q5 — Vocabulary
A · near miss
A 'near miss' is an event that could have caused harm but did not, like a tool that lands next to someone without hitting him. A 'false alarm' is an alarm that rings when there is no real emergency, and here no alarm rang.
Q6 — Listening
C · The man, after testing again
The man says 'I'll repeat the second test when he's finished and write both results in the log myself'. She answers 'Not yet' and is going off shift, and the mechanic is only changing the valve.
Transcript: Before you go off shift, did you write the pressure test in the log? Not yet. The first test passed, but the second one stopped halfway because of a leaking valve. The mechanic's changing the valve now. OK. I'll repeat the second test when he's finished and write both results in the log myself.
Q7 — Vocabulary
A · overtime
The word 'overtime' means extra hours of work, which are paid separately. The word 'overdue' means late, and 'overboard' means over the side of a ship into the sea.
Q8 — Grammar
B · since
'2019' is a starting point, and with the present perfect a starting point takes 'since'. 'for' goes with a period of time ('for six years'), not with a date; 'ago' comes after a period ('six years ago') and goes with the past simple.
Q9 — Grammar
A · to stop
After 'decide' we use 'to' + verb: 'decided to stop'. 'decide' is not followed by the -ing form or by the verb without 'to'.
Q10 — Grammar
A · was running
The compressor was already running smoothly when it suddenly stopped, so the past continuous 'was running' fits the interrupted action. 'ran' would mean an already finished action, and 'has been running' would put the action continuing up to now.
03The other practice tests
3 free tests, 30 questions, none repeated. They are ours, written in the format of the Marlins test for offshore workers.
- Practice test 1you are here
- Practice test 2ten new questions, none repeated from test 1.
- Practice test 3the last free one — then the 85-point simulation scored per section.
Taking a different Marlins test? There are free practice tests for the Marlins test for seafarers and the Marlins test for cruise ship staff too, and the speaking test (TOSE) has its own free pack.
04After the free tests
The real test is 80 screens worth 85 points, with 60 minutes recommended and the result is a percentage, with no pass mark — the score you need is the one your employer asks for (see what score you need, by rank). Nauti Test Pro has 874 questions in that format, 180 of them recorded, and a timed simulation with the weighting Marlins publishes, scored section by section against the minimum for your rank.
- Create an account — international accounts start with 10 free tokens, plus 5 when you verify your email and phone.
- One token = one practice — a unit of up to 50 questions, a drill or the full simulation.
- Buy tokens when you need more — small packs by card, no subscription.
Before the real one, read how to pass the Marlins test, section by section and what it costs, how to book it and how long it is valid.