- What Is a OUPV, Exactly?
- Who Governs and Issues the Credential
- Exam Format: Four Modules, 160 Questions
- The Four OUPV Exam Domains
- Who Can Sit for the OUPV Exam
- Fees and the Pay.gov Process
- ONC07 vs. GLI07 vs. GLI08
- Who Actually Hires a OUPV Holder
- Scheduling Study Around the Testing Rules
- Frequently Asked Questions
- OUPV stands for National Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel Less Than 100 GRT, tested under exam code ONC07.
- The exam has four separately graded modules totaling 160 multiple-choice questions, three answer choices per module type notwithstanding - all four options per...
- Passing requires 90% on Rules of the Road and Chart Plot, and 70% on Deck General/Safety and Navigation General.
- Total original endorsement cost is $240, split into a $100 evaluation, $95 examination, and $45 issuance, paid via Pay.gov.
What Is a OUPV, Exactly?
OUPV stands for National Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel Less Than 100 GRT. It is the mariner credential the U.S. Coast Guard issues to individuals qualified to carry passengers for hire aboard smaller uninspected vessels - the license most commonly associated with six-pack charter boats, fishing guides, and small commercial tour operators. If you've heard the term "six-pack license" thrown around at a marina, that colloquial nickname refers to this exact credential.
Unlike a general recreational boating certificate, the OUPV is a professional mariner credential regulated under federal law. It sits below the Master license in the hierarchy of Coast Guard officer endorsements, but it still requires documented sea service, a formal exam process, and a Merchant Mariner Credential issuance. For a full breakdown of what the credential involves beyond the name itself, see OUPV Certification and the companion piece What Is OUPV Certification?
Who Governs and Issues the Credential
The OUPV is governed by the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC). Examinations are administered either at Coast Guard Regional Examination Centers (RECs) or through USCG-approved course providers who test candidates "in lieu of examination" - meaning a school can administer the same required modules on the school's own schedule rather than requiring a trip to a Coast Guard office.
This dual-path structure matters for planning. If you test through an REC, you're working within that office's calendar and testing windows. If you go through an approved provider, you're working within their course schedule, which may compress or space out the modules differently. Either way, the underlying content, passing scores, and module structure stay fixed. For a deeper look at how testing windows and deadlines actually work in practice, see OUPV Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Exam Format: Four Modules, 160 Questions
The near-coastal OUPV exam - exam code ONC07 - is broken into four separately graded modules. Every question across all four modules is multiple choice with four answer options. There is no essay, no simulation, no oral component. In total, candidates answer 160 questions.
Each module has its own three-and-a-half hour time limit, and testing has structural rules that surprise a lot of first-time candidates:
- A minimum of two modules must be completed per day.
- All four modules must be finished on consecutive business days within the same week.
- The entire process must fall inside a 90-day examination cycle, itself nested inside a one-year Approval to Test validity window.
That timeline pressure is one reason the OUPV exam feels more demanding than its multiple-choice format might suggest on paper. For a candid assessment of where the real difficulty lies, read How Hard Is the OUPV Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Key Takeaway
Because two modules per day are required and all four must land on consecutive business days, you cannot casually spread the OUPV exam across a leisurely two-week window - plan your test week, not just your test date.
The Four OUPV Exam Domains
The ONC07 exam is organized into four content domains, each corresponding to a separately scored module. Three of the four modules carry 50 questions each, which together account for roughly 94% of all questions on the exam - Chart Plot is the outlier, both in question count and passing threshold.
Domain 1: Q100 Rules of the Road: Inland and International (31%)
Covers navigation lights, sound signals, steering and sailing rules, and the differences between Inland and International Rules. This module is closed book - no references of any kind are permitted.
- Passing score: 90% - you can miss only five questions out of 50
- Requires rote memorization of rule numbers and their exact conditions
Domain 2: Q170 Deck General/Safety (31%)
Covers vessel safety equipment, firefighting, stability basics, emergency procedures, and general deck operations.
- Passing score: 70%
- REC-supplied references such as Light List and Coast Pilot excerpts may apply depending on the specific question set
Domain 3: Q171 Navigation General: Near Coastal (31%)
Covers chart reading, aids to navigation, tides and currents, and basic piloting concepts for near-coastal operation.
- Passing score: 70%
- Reference materials like Tide Tables and Tidal Current Tables may be used where permitted
Domain 4: Q172 Navigation Problems: Chart Plot (6%)
The smallest module by question count but the strictest by passing score - hands-on plotting problems using training charts, maneuvering boards, and plotting sheets.
- Passing score: 90% - only one missed question is allowed
- Candidates may bring their own dividers, triangles, nautical slide rule, and non-programmable calculator
For a module-by-module strategy breakdown that goes deeper than this overview, see OUPV Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas. And if you want the exact numeric thresholds laid out with margin-for-error math, OUPV Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass walks through it in detail.
| Module | Domain Name | Questions | Passing Score | References Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q100 | Rules of the Road | 50 | 90% | None (closed book) |
| Q170 | Deck General/Safety | 50 | 70% | REC-supplied only |
| Q171 | Navigation General | 50 | 70% | REC-supplied only |
| Q172 | Chart Plot | 10 | 90% | Plotting tools + REC-supplied charts |
Who Can Sit for the OUPV Exam
Prerequisites are defined under 46 CFR 11.467 and 11.201. Before you can schedule any module, you need:
- Minimum age of 18
- 360 days of sea service accrued since age 16
- At least 90 of those sea-service days within the preceding three years
- 90 days specifically on ocean or near-coastal waters for the near-coastal route
- A valid TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential)
- A CG-719K medical certificate
- A completed DOT drug test on CG-719P
- Current CPR and first aid certification
None of these are things you can complete the week before your exam - sea service alone takes months or years to accumulate. If you're mapping out your timeline from zero, OUPV Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify walks through how to document and verify each item.
Fees and the Pay.gov Process
Fees for an original lower-level officer endorsement follow 46 CFR 10.219 Table 1:
- $100 evaluation fee
- $95 examination fee
- $45 issuance fee
- Total: $240
These are paid through Pay.gov before the first module is administered - not after, and not piecemeal at each testing session. If a candidate fails three or more modules and must fully re-examine, a new examination fee applies on top of the original outlay. For the complete cost picture, including how these numbers compare to related expenses like sea-service documentation and medical exams, see OUPV Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
ONC07 vs. GLI07 vs. GLI08
This site is built around ONC07, the OUPV Near Coastal exam code - the highest-volume route and the one most candidates pursuing charter, fishing guide, or tour work will take. But it's not the only version:
- GLI07 - the Great Lakes and Inland version, which adds a separate Q300 Inland Rules module on top of the standard structure.
- GLI08 - the Limited OUPV route, a narrower endorsement.
If you operate exclusively on inland lakes and rivers rather than near-coastal waters, confirm which exam code applies to your intended route before you register - the module list is not identical across all three.
Who Actually Hires a OUPV Holder
Because the credential is scoped to uninspected vessels under 100 GRT carrying passengers for hire, the OUPV opens doors to a specific slice of the maritime workforce: charter fishing operations, small eco-tour and sightseeing boats, dive charter companies, and independent captains running six-pack vessels. It's a starting-point professional license for many mariners who later build toward a Master license as their sea service and vessel size grow.
The credential is issued as a Merchant Mariner Credential valid for five years, renewable either through qualifying service or an open-book renewal exercise - Q173 for near coastal, Q359 for Great Lakes and Inland. That renewal structure is worth understanding before you even take the initial exam, since it shapes how you'll maintain the credential long-term.
For a realistic look at what job opportunities and earning potential actually look like once you're holding the credential, see OUPV Jobs and OUPV Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis. If you're still weighing whether the time and sea-service investment pays off, Is the OUPV Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 lays out the tradeoffs without inventing numbers that aren't part of the official record.
Scheduling Study Around the Testing Rules
Because all four modules must be completed on consecutive business days, and at least two per day, your study calendar should mirror that compressed structure rather than a leisurely months-long drip. A practical approach:
Rules of the Road (Q100)
- Prioritize this domain early since it's closed book and allows zero reference crutch on exam day
- Drill until you can consistently miss no more than five of 50 questions in practice
Deck General/Safety (Q170) and Navigation General (Q171)
- These two 70%-threshold, 50-question modules carry the bulk of remaining content weight
- Practice using only the REC-supplied reference types you'll actually have on test day
Chart Plot (Q172)
- Only 10 questions, but a 90% passing score means one wrong answer is your entire margin
- Rehearse with the same tools you'll bring: dividers, triangles, nautical slide rule, non-programmable calculator
This kind of week-by-week structuring works because it matches the exam's own consecutive-day requirement - you're not just studying broadly, you're rehearsing the actual sequence you'll face. For a full first-attempt strategy that goes beyond this outline, see OUPV Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a condensed reference you can review the night before testing, check the OUPV Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts.
Understanding where candidates statistically struggle can also help you allocate study time more precisely rather than spreading effort evenly across all four modules. See OUPV Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows for that breakdown, and revisit our practice test hub regularly as you move through each domain so weak spots surface before exam week rather than during it.
Frequently Asked Questions
OUPV stands for National Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel Less Than 100 GRT. It's a USCG credential for operators carrying passengers for hire on smaller uninspected vessels. See OUPV Meaning and What Does OUPV Stand For? for more on the terminology.
The ONC07 near-coastal exam totals 160 questions spread across four separately graded modules: Rules of the Road (50), Deck General/Safety (50), Navigation General (50), and Chart Plot (10).
Rules of the Road is closed book with no references permitted. Other deck modules allow only REC-supplied references such as Light List and Coast Pilot reprints, Tide Tables, training charts, and maneuvering boards, plus your own dividers, triangles, nautical slide rule, and non-programmable calculator.
Under 46 CFR 11.217, failing one or two modules allows two retests within three months. Failing three or more modules requires a complete re-examination and payment of a new examination fee.
It's issued as a Merchant Mariner Credential valid for five years, renewable through qualifying sea service or an open-book renewal exercise - Q173 for near coastal, Q359 for Great Lakes and Inland.