- What This Credential Is (and Isn't)
- The Module Map: Which Exams You Actually Sit
- Rules of the Road: Q100 vs. Q300
- Deck General (Q308) Quick Facts
- Deck Safety (Q309) Quick Facts
- Navigation General (Q310) Quick Facts
- Chart Plot (Q311) Quick Facts
- Great Lakes Topics (Q312) Quick Facts
- The "Note 3" Topics to Flag
- Sequencing Your Review Around the Modules
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NMUGI here means National Mate Unlimited GL and Inland, governed by the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC GLI02).
- Full initial routes use six modules for Great Lakes and Inland, or five for Inland-only. Never a universal seven.
- Q100 is the standard Rules module; choosing Q300 produces a geographic COLREGS limitation on the credential.
- Q312 (Great Lakes Topics) applies only to the Great Lakes route and is omitted on Inland-only routes.
What This Credential Is (and Isn't)
This cheat sheet covers National Mate Unlimited GL and Inland (NMUGI), the U.S. Coast Guard credential identified by the National Maritime Center as GLI02, Mate of Unlimited Tonnage Great Lakes and Inland. The acronym is shared by other unrelated credentials, so everything below is specific to this mariner endorsement and its Coast Guard examination modules. If you are new to the term, What Is NMUGI? and What Does NMUGI Stand For? cover the naming in more depth.
The governing body is the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC). That matters for how you prepare: the NMC publishes an examination guide that lists topic headings for every module, and those headings are your most reliable map of what can appear. This page condenses that structure into a one-page style review. For a fuller preparation plan, pair it with the NMUGI Study Guide.
The Module Map: Which Exams You Actually Sit
The single most common source of confusion is how many modules a candidate takes. There is no universal seven-module exam. The number depends on your route and your Rules choice.
| Route | Rules Module | Q312 Included? | Typical Module Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full initial, Great Lakes and Inland | Q100 | Yes | Six |
| Full initial, Inland only | Q100 (or Q300 on request) | No | Five |
| Increase from Inland to Great Lakes and Inland | Q100 additionally if the existing credential has a COLREGS limitation | Yes (Q312 required) | Depends on existing credential |
The six content areas map to the following module codes:
- Rules of the Road: International and Inland (Q100), or Inland-only (Q300) where applicable
- Deck General (Q308)
- Deck Safety (Q309)
- Navigation General Great Lakes and Inland (Q310)
- Chart Plot (Q311)
- Great Lakes Topics (Q312; Great Lakes route only)
The "six headings" are module or topic groups, not percentage weights. The Rules alternatives (Q100 and Q300) are grouped as one preparation area, which is why the list shows six areas even though a given candidate sits only one Rules module. For a deeper breakdown of each area, see the NMUGI Exam Domains Guide, and check NMUGI Requirements to confirm which route applies to you.
Rules of the Road: Q100 vs. Q300
Q100: Rules of the Road, International and Inland
The published examination guide specifies Q100 for Great Lakes and Inland. Its topic headings are Watchkeeping, COLREGS, and Inland Navigational Rules.
- Required for the Great Lakes and Inland route
- Covers both international (COLREGS) and Inland rules
- Needed in addition if an existing credential carries a COLREGS limitation and you are upgrading scope
Q300: Rules of the Road, Inland
Topic headings: Watchkeeping and Inland Navigational Rules.
- Available to Inland applicants who specifically request it
- Taking Q300 instead of Q100 produces a geographic COLREGS limitation on the credential
- Not the default: Inland applicants use Q100 unless they request Q300
Deck General (Q308) Quick Facts
Q308 is the broadest module by heading count, blending seamanship, maneuvering, cargo, law, and ship management. Use these clusters as a checklist:
- Seamanship: marlinspike seamanship; purchases, blocks, and tackle
- Watchkeeping: basic principles; Navigation Safety Regulations (33 CFR 164)
- Vessel maneuvering and handling: rivers and estuaries; shallow water; bank and passing-ship interaction; berthing and unberthing; anchoring and mooring; dragging and clearing fouled anchors; heavy weather
- General maneuvering concepts: turn circle, pivot point, advance and transfer; maneuvering characteristics of major vessel types; wake reduction; ice operations and ice navigation
- Cargo handling and stowage: stowage and security, including cargo gear; loading and discharging; dangerous and hazardous cargo regulations; tank vessel and fuel oil operations
- Maritime law: national maritime law; credentialing of seamen
- Shipboard management and training: vessel alteration, repair, and hot work; safety; ship's business; certificates and documents required
Deck Safety (Q309) Quick Facts
Q309 pulls together stability, damage control, firefighting, emergency response, and lifesaving. The heading clusters are:
- Stability, construction, and damage control: principles of vessel construction; trim and stability; vessel structural members; damage control
- Vessel power plants: marine engineering terms
- Fire prevention and firefighting: appliances; organization of fire drills; classes and chemistry of fire; firefighting systems; equipment and regulations; basic firefighting and prevention
- Emergency procedures: temporary repairs; passenger and crew safety in emergencies; fire or explosion; abandon ship; emergency steering; rescuing survivors from ship or aircraft in distress; man overboard; emergency towing
- Communications: storm, wreck, distress, and special signals
- Lifesaving: lifesaving appliance regulations and operation
Navigation General (Q310) Quick Facts
Q310 is the Great Lakes and Inland navigation module and is the one most tied to instruments, compasses, and environmental knowledge.
Position and Piloting
Navigation and position determination is the core.
- Piloting, distance off, bearing problems, fix or running fix
- Chart navigation and dead reckoning
- Electronic navigation; instruments and accessories
- Aids to navigation; charts, publications, and Notices to Mariners
Compasses
Both magnetic and gyro appear in the published headings.
- Principles, operation, and maintenance of the gyro compass
- Principles of the magnetic compass
- Gyro and magnetic compass error and correction
- Determination of compass error; terrestrial observation
Meteorology and Oceanography
Weather and water knowledge rounds out the module.
- Characteristics of weather systems; weather charts and reports
- Ocean current systems
- Tides and tidal currents
- Navigation Safety Regulations (33 CFR 164) also appear here
Chart Plot (Q311) Quick Facts
Q311 is the hands-on plotting module. Its headings are a subset of the navigation skills above, applied to charts:
- Piloting, distance off, bearing problems, and fix or running fix
- Chart navigation and dead reckoning
- Electronic navigation; instruments and accessories
- Aids to navigation; charts, navigation publications, and Notices to Mariners
Because the same skills show up in Q310 theory, practice them as a single connected skill set: work the plotting problems on a chart, then explain the reasoning in words. Expect the difficulty here to come from precision and workflow rather than memorization. The NMUGI difficulty guide discusses where candidates tend to find the exam demanding.
Great Lakes Topics (Q312) Quick Facts
Q312 is route-specific. Inland-only routes omit it, and an increase from Inland to Great Lakes and Inland requires it. Its headings overlap heavily with Q308, Q310, and Q311, applied to Great Lakes operations:
- Navigation: piloting, distance off, bearing problems, fix or running fix, chart navigation, dead reckoning, instruments, aids to navigation, publications and Notices to Mariners, compass error, terrestrial observation
- Weather and water: meteorology and oceanography; weather systems; weather charts and reports; tides and tidal currents
- Maneuvering: rivers and estuaries; shallow water; bank and passing-ship interaction; berthing and unberthing; anchoring and mooring; fouled anchors; heavy weather; turn circle, pivot point, advance and transfer; maneuvering characteristics of major vessel types; wake reduction; ice operations and navigation
- Stability and construction: vessel construction principles, trim and stability, structural members, damage control
- Cargo: stowage and security including cargo gear; loading and discharging; dangerous and hazardous cargo regulations; tank vessel and fuel oil operations
Key Takeaway
Q312 rewards candidates who studied Q308, Q310, and Q311 thoroughly. The overlap is large, so a strong foundation in those modules pays off twice. Layer Great Lakes context (ice, shallow water, restricted channels, weather) on top rather than starting from scratch.
The "Note 3" Topics to Flag
The published guide marks several headings with a Great Lakes-specific footnote (Note 3). The current indexed NMC matrix corroborates these headings and the footnote. Flag these in your notes, because they signal content tied to Great Lakes practice:
- Heavy weather operations
- Determining maneuvering characteristics of major vessel types
- Ice operations and ice navigation (flagged in Q308)
- Principles of vessel construction
- Trim and stability
- Vessel structural members
Because some of these headings appear in more than one module (Q308, Q309, and Q312), a single deep study session on each can serve several exams.
Sequencing Your Review Around the Modules
This is the one place for scheduling advice, and it is tied directly to the module structure. The logic: start with the module whose skills feed the others, and finish with the module that depends on everything else.
Rules (Q100 or Q300)
- Lock down lights, shapes, signals, and right-of-way logic first; they are foundational to watchkeeping
- Confirm early whether your route needs Q100, and what a Q300 election would limit
Navigation and Chart Plot (Q310, Q311)
- Work plotting problems on paper charts until the workflow is automatic
- Review compass error, weather, and tides in parallel with plotting practice
Deck General and Deck Safety (Q308, Q309)
- Group maneuvering, cargo, and law topics from Q308 by theme
- Split Q309 between regulation recall and emergency procedure recall
Great Lakes Topics (Q312), if on your route
- Revisit the Note 3 topics as one consolidated pass
- Use Q312 as a cross-check on gaps from earlier modules
Adjust the pacing to your sea time and work schedule. For scheduling the actual sittings, see NMUGI Exam Dates; for how results are judged, see NMUGI Passing Score. To test yourself against exam-style questions, use the NMUGI practice tests and track which headings keep tripping you up.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A full initial route ordinarily contains six modules for Great Lakes and Inland, or five for Inland. The two Rules modules (Q100 and Q300) are alternatives, not both required, so a universal seven-module exam does not apply.
Q100 covers International and Inland Rules of the Road and is the module specified for Great Lakes and Inland. Q300 covers Inland rules only. Inland applicants use Q100 unless they request Q300, which produces a geographic COLREGS limitation on the credential.
Q312 (Great Lakes Topics) applies to the Great Lakes route. Inland-only routes omit it, and anyone increasing from Inland to Great Lakes and Inland must take it. If the existing credential has a COLREGS limitation, Q100 is additionally required.
No. The six headings are module or topic groups from the NMC examination guide, not percentage weights. This article does not assert any weights, and you should be skeptical of sources that present exact percentages without citing the NMC.
Administrative and financial details are best confirmed with the NMC directly. For broader context on the credential's value, see NMUGI Certification Cost, NMUGI Salary Guide, and Is the NMUGI Certification Worth It?
Keep this sheet beside your study notes: confirm your route, count your modules, flag the Note 3 topics, and use the module code list as your checklist. Then verify current administrative details against the NMC sources before you apply.