Nauti Test Pro

Marlins English Language Test for Offshore Workers · practice

Marlins test for offshore workers
the 60-minute test, practised section by section.

509 original questions set on rigs, platforms, FPSOs, supply vessels and wind farms — 180 with audio recordings of radio calls, briefings and alarms — plus a 60-minute timed simulation with the section weighting Marlins publishes, word-order tasks, a typed dictation and the six-gap reading task, scored per section against Saudi Aramco's minimums.

  • 509questions
  • 180audio recordings
  • 85 / 60 mintimed simulation
  • 100 %with explanations

01What the offshore workers test looks like

Marlins has a separate English test for people working offshore — oil and gas installations and the vessels and wind farms around them — for every position. It is taken on a computer, has a recommended time of 60 minutes and 85 points, and the result is a percentage. It measures whether you understand English at work, in the setting of the offshore industry; it does not test technical skills. The reading section is a single text with six gaps, each worth a point, which is why the sections below add up to 80 screens and 85 points.

SectionPointsWhat it tests
Listening comprehension28Radio calls, drill-floor and crane exchanges, briefings, alarms and PA announcements — and hearing the difference between similar words — each recording played at most twice
Grammar28Prepositions, tenses and question forms — including putting words in order to make a sentence
Vocabulary17PPE, areas of an installation, tools and lifting gear, jobs, procedures, first aid
Time and numbers6Times, depths, weights, channels and quantities — how to say them, and typed from a recording
Reading6A job description or a procedure with six gaps to complete

What score do offshore employers ask for?

Marlins publishes no minimum scores for this test, and each operator decides. The one requirement Marlins itself quotes is Saudi Aramco's: an overall score and a minimum in every single section — so a strong total with a weak Listening still fails. Our simulation reports each section against those floors.

RankOverallEvery section
Master80 %70 %
Chief Officer80 %70 %
Chief Engineer80 %70 %
2nd Officer70 %60 %
Second Engineer70 %60 %

Saudi Aramco's requirement as quoted in the Marlins help centre (January 2022). Other operators set their own; there is no pass mark.

02How Nauti Test Pro prepares you

Listening on the installation

160 recordings with British voices: a crane lift stopped by the wind, a helicopter delayed by fog, an H2S alarm, a shift handover, and sentences where you must hear the difference between similar words. Two plays before you answer, as in the test.

The task types of the test

Multiple choice, word order with the first and last word fixed, a dictation you type, and the six-gap reading task with a point for each gap — the formats you meet on the day.

Timed simulation, every section scored

60 minutes, 85 points: 28 Listening, 28 Grammar, 17 Vocabulary, 6 Time & numbers and 6 Reading. Pick your rank and the result marks any section below Saudi Aramco's minimum.

An explanation after every answer

Every question explains why the answer is right and why the closest option is wrong — in English, or in Spanish for members in the Spanish-speaking markets.

  • Listening160 questions
  • Grammar160 questions
  • Vocabulary100 questions
  • Time & Numbers50 questions
  • Reading39 questions

03Try three questions

Tap an option to check it. The free demo has more, no sign-up needed.

Send all ____ requests to the admin office, please.

Plays left: 2

Make sure the safety catch on the crane ____ is closed so the sling cannot come off.

Which word means 'a long, open metal box with low sides, used for lifting pipes with the crane'?

Continue with the free demo

04How it works

  1. Create an account — verify your email and phone and you get 5 free tokens.
  2. One token = one practice — a unit of up to 50 questions, a drill or the full 60-minute simulation.
  3. Buy tokens when you need more — packs from a few dollars, paid by card through Stripe, no subscription.
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05Questions offshore workers ask

How many questions does the Marlins test for offshore workers have?

Marlins gives it 85 questions and a recommended time of 60 minutes: 28 Listening comprehension, 28 Grammar, 17 Vocabulary, 6 Time and numbers and 1 Reading task. The reading task is one text with six gaps, each worth a point, so on screen you see 80 questions and the score is out of 85.

What score do I need for an offshore job?

Marlins does not publish minimum scores and there is no pass mark: each operator decides. The requirement Marlins quotes in its help centre is Saudi Aramco's: 80 % overall and at least 70 % in every section for a Master, Chief Officer or Chief Engineer, and 70 % overall with 60 % in every section for a Second Officer or Second Engineer. Check the figure in your own offer.

Does it test technical offshore knowledge?

No. The questions are set in the oil and gas and offshore industry — drill floors, cranes, permits, helicopters, muster — but they test whether you understand English, not how to do the job. You never need to know how a piece of equipment works, only what is being said about it.

Does the practice include listening with audio?

Yes. 180 of the 509 questions are audio-based: radio calls, briefings, alarms and conversations recorded with British voices, sentences where you must hear the difference between similar words, and dictations where you type the number you hear. You can play each recording twice before answering, like in the test.

Is the timed simulation like the real test?

It draws 80 screens in 60 minutes with the section weighting Marlins publishes, including the six-gap reading task, and reports your percentage per section so you can see which one would fail a per-section minimum. It is practice written by us in the format of the test — not the test itself, and not its questions.

Is Nauti Test Pro affiliated with Marlins?

No. Nauti Test Pro is an independent practice tool, it is not a Marlins test centre and a result here is not a Marlins certificate. Marlins is a trademark of its owner.

How much does it cost?

Each practice — a unit, a drill or the full simulation — costs one token. New verified accounts get 5 free tokens; after that you buy small packs by card, with no subscription.

Working on a merchant ship or a cruise ship instead? See Marlins test for seafarers or Marlins test for cruise ship staff.