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Exam guide

What the Marlins Test for Seafarers looks like

The Marlins Test is an English language assessment used by crewing companies to check whether a seafarer can work safely in English on board. This page covers what is in the test, how it is scored, and what to prepare.

The online Marlins Test for Seafarers has four sections - Listening, Grammar & Vocabulary, Reading, and Time & Number. Writing and Speaking are normally not part of the online version. There is no single official pass mark: the threshold is set by the crewing company, and 60% or above is the most common requirement.

Test sections

Grammar & Vocabulary

Checks core English grammar - tenses, articles, prepositions and common constructions - together with vocabulary questions built around maritime topics and shipboard terminology.

Reading

Checks whether you can read and understand written material of the kind you meet on board: technical documentation, safety instructions, maintenance procedures and operational notices. In practice this is the section where candidates lose most points - see our score statistics.

Listening

Checks comprehension of spoken English through audio recordings of typical shipboard situations - orders, briefings and routine exchanges.

Time & Number

Checks handling of times, dates, quantities and figures in a navigation and communication context, where a misheard number has real consequences.

Scoring and the pass mark

The Marlins Test itself does not define a universal pass mark. The threshold comes from the employer: a crewing agency or shipowner decides what score is acceptable for a given rank and vessel type. In practice most companies ask for 60% or above, and requirements for officers are usually higher than for ratings. Ask your crewing office for the exact figure before you sit the test.

Because the requirement is set per company and per rank, a single overall percentage can be misleading. A candidate at 85% overall but 55% in Reading is more exposed than the total suggests, since the question mix varies between test sittings.

How to prepare

  • Work in the real format. Take full mock tests against the clock so that the timing and the question types stop being a surprise.
  • Build maritime vocabulary. It covers a large share of both Grammar & Vocabulary and Reading.
  • Practise Reading deliberately. It is the weakest section for most candidates and the one with the most headroom.
  • Train Listening on real material - shipboard communications and instructions, not general-purpose English audio.
  • Review every wrong answer. Understanding why an answer is wrong is what stops the mistake from repeating.

Frequently asked

How many questions are in the Marlins Test?
The online test is commonly built as a set of multiple-choice questions across the four sections. The Seatrainer trainer mirrors that format with mock tests of 60 questions each.
Can the Marlins Test be retaken?
Retake rules are set by the crewing company that orders the test, not by the test itself. Some employers allow a repeat after a waiting period, others treat the first result as final - check with your crewing office.
Does the online test include Writing and Speaking?
Normally no. The online version covers Listening, Grammar & Vocabulary, Reading and Time & Number. Writing and Speaking, where required, are assessed separately.
Is Seatrainer the official Marlins Test?
No. Seatrainer is an independent trainer for self-study preparation. It is not affiliated with, licensed by or certified by the Marlins rights holders (Ocean Technologies Group Ltd), and it issues no certificates.

Next: see what scores candidates actually get, or open the Marlins Test trainer - the free sampler needs no payment and has no time limit.

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