OUPV Rules of the Road Practice Test for Your 6-Pack License

Going for your OUPV license, the one most people call a six-pack? Then you already know the Rules of the Road module is the part to respect. This page gives you a free practice test with real Coast Guard style questions, explains how the module fits into the OUPV exam, and shows you how to turn your misses into points.

Every practice question here is taken word for word from our 1,272-question bank. We never change the wording, so you see the questions exactly as they're written.

What OUPV means

OUPV stands for Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels. It's the license that lets you carry up to six passengers for hire on an uninspected vessel, which is where the six-pack nickname comes from. It's a common first credential for charter fishing captains, dive boat operators, and people who want to run small tours.

How Rules of the Road fits into the OUPV exam

The National Maritime Center (NMC) lists the OUPV exam modules on its exam pages. Two routes come up most often:

NMC's deck examination guide lists the Q100 Rules of the Road module at 50 questions with a passing score of 90 percent. That leaves room for 5 misses. Many of the other deck modules in that guide have a 70 percent passing score, so plan to put more of your study time here.

On NMC's topic charts, Q100 covers two subjects under Watchkeeping: COLREGS and the Inland Navigational Rules. So even if you plan to run a charter boat inside a harbor, you should expect International questions on the Q100 module. If you're thinking about an Inland-only module, NMC's exam guide notes, for its Great Lakes and Inland deck exams, that the Inland Rules of the Road module results in a geographic COLREGS limitation on the credential. Ask NMC which module fits where you plan to operate.

Check the current NMC page for your endorsement before you test, since requirements can change.

Free OUPV Rules of the Road practice test

Here are 12 questions covering the topics OUPV candidates see most: look-out, safe speed, risk of collision, overtaking, head-on and crossing situations, the pecking order, lights, and sound signals. Read the label at the start of each question, pick your answer, then open the answer to check.

How did you do? On the real module you need 90 percent, so 11 of these 12 is the pace to aim for. If you missed two or more, don't worry. That just tells you where to look next.

Practice this on your phone. COLREGS: Rules of the Road puts all 1,272 questions, with diagrams and spaced repetition, on your iPhone and iPad. Get the iOS app

What to study if you missed one

Each question above maps to a rule. Here's where to go for each topic:

• Look-out and safe speed: Rule 5 says every vessel keeps a proper look-out at all times, and Rule 6 says every vessel proceeds at a safe speed at all times, one that lets her take proper and effective action to avoid collision.
• Risk of collision: Rule 7 says risk of collision is deemed to exist if the compass bearing of an approaching vessel does not appreciably change.
• Overtaking: Rule 13 says you're overtaking when you come up from more than 22.5 degrees abaft the other vessel's beam, the position where at night you'd see only her sternlight. The overtaking vessel keeps out of the way.
• Head-on: Rule 14 says two power-driven vessels meeting on reciprocal or nearly reciprocal courses each alter course to starboard so they pass port to port.
• Pecking order: Rule 18 sets who keeps out of whose way. A power-driven vessel underway keeps out of the way of a vessel not under command, a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver, a vessel engaged in fishing, and a sailing vessel.
• Fishing lights: Rule 26 says a vessel trawling shows two all-round lights in a vertical line, green over white.
• Inland whistle signals: Rule 34 in the Inland rules gives one short blast the meaning "I intend to leave you on my port side" for power-driven vessels meeting or crossing within half a mile, and requires one prolonged blast when leaving a dock or berth.
• Responsibility and definitions: Rule 2 lets you depart from the rules to avoid immediate danger, and Rule 3 defines restricted visibility as any condition where visibility is restricted by fog, mist, falling snow, heavy rainstorms, sandstorms, or similar causes.

Why charter captains need both rule sets

A lot of six-pack captains spend most of their time on Inland waters, inside harbors, bays, and rivers. But the line between Inland and International waters isn't always where you'd guess. It's set by the COLREGS demarcation lines in 33 CFR Part 80, and in some places, like the harbors and bays of Alaska and Puget Sound, the 72 COLREGS apply even well inside the coastline. Our guide to COLREGS demarcation lines explains how to find the line for your area.

That's one more reason the exam tests both. The Inland vs International guide walks through the differences rule by rule.

A simple OUPV study rhythm

You don't need months. You need consistency.

• Week 1: Rules 1 to 19. Definitions and steering rules, with a short daily lights review on the side.
• Week 2: Rules 20 to 31, lights and shapes. Use the navigation lights cheat sheet.
• Week 3: Rules 32 to 37, sound signals, plus Inland vs International differences. Use the sound signals guide.
• Week 4: Missed questions only, then full mixed sets of 50 until you're comfortably above 90 percent.

If you only have 20 minutes a day, that's fine. Short daily sessions beat weekend cramming for this kind of material. For a deeper look at the exam itself, read our USCG Rules of the Road test guide.

Ready for exam-style practice? Drill your weak spots with missed-question review in COLREGS: Rules of the Road for iPhone and iPad. Download on the App Store

Frequently asked questions

Is Rules of the Road on the OUPV exam?

Yes. NMC lists Q100, Rules of the Road: International and Inland, as a module for the OUPV Near Coastal exam (ONC07) and the OUPV Great Lakes and Inland exam (GLI07). The Great Lakes and Inland exam also lists Q300, Rules of the Road: Inland.

What score do I need on the OUPV Rules of the Road module?

NMC's deck examination guide lists the Q100 module at 50 questions with a passing score of 90 percent. Confirm the current requirement with NMC before you test.

What does six-pack mean?

It's the common nickname for the OUPV license, which lets you carry up to six passengers for hire on an uninspected passenger vessel.

Are these the real exam questions?

They're Coast Guard style Rules of the Road questions from our 1,272-question bank, shown word for word. The real exam draws its own set, so use them to learn the rules, not to memorize answers.

Keep studying

• Free web study tool with all 1,272 questions
• USCG Rules of the Road test guide
• COLREGS practice test
• What is COLREGS?
• COLREGS PDF and free study resources