- What National Master 200 NC (NM2N) Actually Covers
- How the Five Preparation Groups Are Organized
- Domain 1: Rules of the Road (Q100)
- Domain 2: Deck General (Q150)
- Domain 3: Deck Safety (Q151)
- Domain 4: Navigation General (Q152)
- Domain 5: Chart Plot (Q153)
- Scope Traps: Modules That Do Not Belong in Your Plan
- Sequencing the Five Domains in Your Prep
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The full Near Coastal route for this credential consists of five modules: Q100, Q150, Q151, Q152 and Q153.
- Q153 is specifically Chart Plot; Q154 Navigation Problems: Oceans belongs to the Oceans option, not Near Coastal.
- The United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC) assigns your individual modules, so test against your actual approval.
- The published guide reference is 2.1.1.3 on printed page 17 of a March 24, 2014 regulations-effective document.
What National Master 200 NC (NM2N) Actually Covers
National Master 200 NC (NM2N) is a mariner credential governed by the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center. Its examination scope is organized under the ONC05 route, and the selected credential here is the Near Coastal option. If you are brand new to the terminology, the plain-language explainers at What Is NM2N? and What Does NM2N Stand For? cover the naming before you dive into the modules below.
This article is about the content of the examination, not the career economics. For those, see the separate breakdowns on certification cost and earnings. Here the goal is simple: name every module on the full Near Coastal route, explain what each one tests in practical terms, and warn you about the modules that look related but do not belong in your plan.
How the Five Preparation Groups Are Organized
The NMC publishes its examination modules and topic matrices publicly, so this is not a hidden or secret scope. What the published material does not give us is a set of domain weighting percentages, a single overall question count, a single overall exam duration, or a verified population pass rate for this route. Anything you read elsewhere that claims precise percentages for these five areas should be treated with suspicion. For a candid look at what is and is not known about results, read NM2N Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Because the weights are not published, this guide treats the five modules as unweighted, route-aware preparation groups. That wording matters. The number five is the count of modules on the full Near Coastal route, not a universal count of examinations for every applicant.
| Domain | Module | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q100 | Rules of the Road: Inland and International |
| 2 | Q150 | Deck General |
| 3 | Q151 | Deck Safety |
| 4 | Q152 | Navigation General: Oceans or Near Coastal, applied to Near Coastal |
| 5 | Q153 | Navigation Problems: Chart Plot |
Notice the split in character. Domains 1 through 4 are knowledge-heavy modules, while Domain 5 is a hands-on chart exercise. That difference should shape how you practice, which we return to in the sequencing section.
Domain 1: Rules of the Road: Inland and International (Q100)
Q100 covers the navigation rules for both inland and international waters. For a Near Coastal master, this is the module that governs how you behave around other vessels, and it tends to reward candidates who can distinguish between the two rule sets rather than blending them together.
Rules of the Road (Q100)
This module tests whether you can apply the right set of rules in the right waters and recognize the correct action in a given situation.
- Know where the inland rules and the international rules each apply, and where the demarcation lines separate them.
- Be able to identify vessel status, such as power-driven, sailing, fishing, restricted in ability to maneuver, and not under command.
- Master lights, shapes and sound signals, including the differences between inland and international signaling.
- Understand responsibilities in crossing, overtaking and head-on situations, including stand-on and give-way duties.
- Study conduct in restricted visibility and in narrow channels.
One practical point on scope: Q100 may also appear as an add-on in certain reduced-scope increases when a COLREGS limitation applies. That is a separate situation from the full Near Coastal route and does not change the fact that Q100 is one of the five modules here.
Domain 2: Deck General (Q150)
Q150 is the broad seamanship and vessel-operations module. It is the one most likely to feel like a collection of loosely related topics, so organized review matters more here than in the other four.
Deck General (Q150)
Think of this module as the working knowledge a master needs about the vessel itself and the practical business of operating it.
- Vessel construction and stability concepts, including how loading and free surface affect the vessel.
- Cargo handling, stowage and securing fundamentals appropriate to the vessel type.
- Deck equipment, mooring, anchoring and ground tackle.
- Basic ship handling concepts, including how wind, current and vessel characteristics affect maneuvering.
- Marine regulations and documentation relevant to operating and managing a vessel.
Candidates often underestimate this module because it lacks a single organizing theme. A topic-by-topic checklist built from the NMC's published matrix is far more effective than rereading a general seamanship text cover to cover. The NM2N Cheat Sheet can help you condense recurring facts once you have worked through the matrix.
Domain 3: Deck Safety (Q151)
Q151 addresses the safety side of vessel operation: how you protect people, the vessel and the environment, and how you respond when something goes wrong.
Deck Safety (Q151)
Safety questions typically reward procedural fluency, meaning you know the correct order of actions and the equipment involved.
- Fire prevention, detection and firefighting, including extinguishing agents and their appropriate uses.
- Lifesaving appliances and abandon-ship procedures.
- Emergency response, including man overboard, collision, grounding and flooding.
- Pollution prevention and the responsibilities of the master in the event of a spill.
- Drills, training and the safety management duties of a person in command.
Domain 4: Navigation General: Oceans or Near Coastal (Q152)
The official title of Q152 spans both Oceans and Near Coastal. For this credential, the module is applied to the Near Coastal route. It is important not to treat that dual title as if it created two separate navigation modules. There is one Q152, and on your route it is one of five.
Navigation General (Q152)
This module covers the theory and tools of navigation as opposed to plotting a specific problem on a chart.
- Chart reading, chart symbols and the information carried on nautical charts and publications.
- Aids to navigation, including buoyage systems and how to interpret them.
- Compass use, including variation and deviation concepts.
- Tides and currents, and how they influence a passage.
- Electronic navigation aids, their capabilities and their limitations.
- Weather awareness as it applies to passage planning in coastal waters.
Q152 and Q153 are neighbors in your study plan, but they test different skills. Q152 asks what you know about navigation. Q153 asks you to do navigation on a chart.
Domain 5: Navigation Problems: Chart Plot (Q153)
Q153 is specifically the Chart Plot module. It is not a generic replacement for all navigation problem modules, and it is not the same thing as Q154. It is a working exercise: you are given a scenario and expected to plot and solve it with the correct tools and technique.
Chart Plot (Q153)
This module rewards accuracy and method. A small plotting error early in a problem can carry through to a wrong final answer.
- Plotting positions, courses and bearings using the correct chart tools.
- Applying variation and deviation to convert between true, magnetic and compass directions.
- Working with set and drift, and determining courses to steer with current in play.
- Estimating times, distances and speeds for coastal passages.
- Using fixes, lines of position and running fixes to establish where the vessel is.
Because this is a skill rather than a body of facts, repetition with actual chart work is the most reliable preparation. Reading about plotting is not a substitute for plotting. For a sense of how this module contributes to overall difficulty, see How Hard Is the NM2N Exam?
Scope Traps: Modules That Do Not Belong in Your Plan
The most common source of confusion with this credential is that the NMC publishes several related module sets for different routes and upgrades. If you mix them up, you can waste weeks studying material you will not be tested on, or worse, skip something you will.
Q154 Is an Oceans Module
Q154, Navigation Problems: Oceans, belongs to the Oceans option. It must not be added to your Near Coastal scope. If a study resource lists Q154 as part of a Near Coastal route, it is describing a different credential path.
Do Not Count Alternatives Together
Alternative Rules modules and Navigation General modules must never be counted together as simultaneous requirements. The title of Q152 spanning Oceans or Near Coastal does not mean you face two navigation-general exams.
Upgrades and Raises Are Different From the Full Route
Reduced module sets exist for certain increases in scope or grade. Two examples published by the NMC:
- An increase from Great Lakes and Inland to Near Coastal uses Q150 plus Q152, with Q100 added if a COLREGS limitation applies.
- An increase from Master Near Coastal under 100 gross register tons to Near Coastal under 200 uses Q156.
These are route-extension or raise-of-grade modules. They are not extra domains on top of the full original five, and they should not be added to the count for someone taking the full route.
Key Takeaway
Before you buy any study material, ask the NMC-assigned module list on your approval to test which modules you are actually sitting. Your individual assignment is authoritative, and the five-module count describes only the full Near Coastal route.
Sequencing the Five Domains in Your Prep
Generic study advice is plentiful, so this section is deliberately limited to how the five modules interact. For a broader methodology, see the NM2N Study Guide. The sequencing logic below is specific to this credential.
Rules of the Road (Q100)
- Start here because lights, shapes and signals are pure memorization that benefits from the longest runway.
- Keep returning to it in short sessions rather than one long block.
Deck General and Deck Safety (Q150, Q151)
- Work through the published topic matrix item by item.
- Pair safety procedures with real drills you have experienced where possible.
Navigation General (Q152)
- Build your theory foundation before you start plotting.
- Focus on chart information, aids to navigation, compass concepts and tides and currents.
Chart Plot (Q153)
- Spend the most hands-on time here, with actual plotting tools and charts.
- Redo problems until your method is consistent and error-free.
The logic is that Q152 supplies the vocabulary and concepts that Q153 puts into practice, so theory should precede plotting. Meanwhile Q100, being the most memorization-heavy, benefits from starting earliest and repeating most often.
Practical Next Steps
Once you understand the five domains, the logistics come next. Eligibility and prerequisites are covered in NM2N Requirements, and timing questions are addressed in NM2N Exam Dates. Be careful with any source that quotes a single fee, duration or question count for the whole credential, since current fees and a single overall exam duration are not established by the material reviewed here. Confirm current figures directly with the NMC.
When you are ready to test your recall under realistic conditions, the NM2N practice test site offers question practice built around these modules. If you want to confirm you are reading the right credential in the first place, NM2N Certification and What Is NM2N Certification? lay out the basics. And for the bigger picture on whether the investment makes sense, see Is the NM2N Certification Worth It?
Frequently Asked Questions
The full route consists of five modules: Q100, Q150, Q151, Q152 and Q153. This count reflects the full Near Coastal route, not necessarily the number of examinations every individual applicant will take.
No. Q154, Navigation Problems: Oceans, belongs to the Oceans option and should not be added to a Near Coastal study plan. The Near Coastal route uses Q153, Chart Plot, for its navigation problems module.
The material reviewed does not establish domain percentages, a single overall question count or a single overall duration for this route. This guide therefore treats the five modules as unweighted preparation groups. Confirm any specifics with the National Maritime Center.
No. Q152's official title spans Oceans or Near Coastal, but it is a single module. For this credential it is applied to the Near Coastal route, and alternative navigation general modules are never counted together as simultaneous requirements.
The NMC determines each individual's assigned modules, and your approval to test is the authoritative record. Raises of grade and route extensions use reduced module sets, so your list may differ from the full five-module route.