What is the vessel instructed to do before the pilot boards?
Plays left: 2
Nauti Test ProMarlins English Language Test for Seafarers · free practice test 1 of 6
Marlins practice test 1
ten questions, two recordings, every answer explained.
This is the first of six free practice tests in the format of the ICS Marlins English Language Test for Seafarers. Answer the ten questions below — two of them are recordings you can play twice, as in the real test — and each one tells you straight away whether you were right and why. Nothing to install and no account needed.
- 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 in the real test, and freely afterwards — with the transcript.
The captain _______ the bridge since 0400 hours and will not leave until the pilot boards.
Which sentence correctly uses a linking word to show cause and effect in an incident report?
We ____ the main engine so early: the pilot was two hours late, so we drifted off the port for nothing.
Which word does NOT belong to the group of safety equipment found on the muster station?
What are guests told about their lifejackets?
Plays left: 2
Which term does NOT belong to the group of phrases used to express obligation in formal maritime instructions?
The ____ supplies air for about ten minutes so that a person can escape from a smoke-filled space; it must not be used for fire-fighting.
The OOW's standing orders state: 'Call the master if ETA changes by more than 30 minutes.' The vessel was due at 1400 but will now arrive at 1445. Should the master be called?
When concluding a routine radio conversation, you say:
02Answers and explanations
The answer to every question above, and why the other options are not it.
Q1 — Listening
C · Rig the pilot ladder on the port side, one metre above the water
You hear 'Rig the pilot ladder on the port side, one metre above the water'. The starboard side is not mentioned, nor reducing speed, nor a combination accommodation ladder.
Transcript: Nordic Star, this is Harwich pilot station. Instruction. Rig the pilot ladder on the port side, one metre above the water. Pilot will board at zero six three zero. Over. Harwich pilot station, this is Nordic Star. Pilot ladder on the port side, one metre above the water. Pilot boarding at zero six three zero. Over.
Q2 — Grammar
D · has been on
'Since 0400' marks a period that began in the past and continues now, which calls for the present perfect: 'has been on'. 'Was on' (past simple) would mean the captain is no longer on the bridge.
Q3 — Grammar
C · The main engine was not on standby during the approach; consequently, the vessel was unable to respond when the pilot ordered full astern.
'Consequently' after a semicolon links cause and effect between two complete sentences. 'Because… so' doubles the linking word (a word-for-word carry-over from other languages), and the option with 'therefore' leaves out the verbs ('the vessel unable').
Q4 — Grammar
B · needn't have started
'Needn't have' plus past participle means something was done but it was not necessary: 'needn't have started'. 'Mustn't have started' does not have this meaning, because 'mustn't' expresses a prohibition.
Q5 — Vocabulary
A · Manometer
The 'lifejacket', the 'immersion suit' and the 'thermal protective aid' are personal life-saving appliances (LSA) at the muster station. A 'manometer' measures pressure; it protects nobody.
Q6 — Listening
A · Leave them behind; the crew will demonstrate
You hear 'Please do not bring your lifejacket; the crew will show you how to use it at the station'. Nobody is asked to bring one, to collect one at reception or to put one on for the walk.
Transcript: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is your Cruise Director speaking. All guests are required to attend the safety briefing at four o'clock this afternoon. Your assembly station is printed on the back of your cabin door and on your cruise card. Please do not bring your lifejacket; the crew will show you how to use it at the station.
Q7 — Vocabulary
B · More or less
'Shall', 'must' and 'is required to' express obligation in formal instructions ('The master shall…'). 'More or less' shows approximation, not obligation.
Q8 — Vocabulary
A · EEBD
The 'EEBD' (Emergency Escape Breathing Device) gives about ten minutes of air for escape only. The 'SCBA' is the breathing apparatus that fire-fighters wear to fight the fire.
Q9 — Time and numbers
C · Yes — 45 minutes exceeds the 30-minute threshold stated in the standing orders
The delay is 1445 − 1400 = 45 minutes, which is more than the 30-minute threshold in the standing orders; that is why the master must be called. It is not 'any change', only one that exceeds the stated limit.
Q10 — Standard phrases
D · '[Station name], this is [vessel], out'
The correct close names both stations and ends with 'out', which means the end of the exchange with no reply expected. 'Over and out' contradicts itself ('over' asks for a reply) and 'goodbye' is not radio procedure.
03The other practice tests
Six free tests, sixty questions, none repeated. They are ours, written in the format of the Marlins test.
- Practice test 1you are here
- Practice test 2ten new questions, none repeated from test 1.
- Practice test 3the same weighting the real test uses.
- Practice test 4the words that cost marks, not the ones you already know.
- Practice test 5ten more, with times, numbers and standard phrases.
- Practice test 6the last free one — then the full 85-question simulation.
04After the free tests
The real test is 85 questions in 60 minutes and the result is a percentage, with no pass mark — the score you need is the one your employer asks for. Nauti Test Pro has 2,314 questions in that format, 510 of them recorded, and a timed simulation with the weighting Marlins publishes, scored section by section against the minimum recommended for your rank.
- Create an account — verify your email and phone and you get 5 free tokens.
- 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.
Taking a different Marlins test? See cruise ship staff, offshore workers or the speaking test (TOSE).