How do I prepare?

MarTEL organisers have put together free official study guidelines for each phase, covering the topics needed to pass each section. These guidelines will show you how the test is weighted. In other words what percentage is given to each skill in the test as well as what each section includes. They give examples of questions and how best to answer them.

An official study unit is also available to purchase alongside the study guidelines at a small cost. The funds collected will only be used to develop more detailed study units for each phase. The study units are available for each phase, providing more detailed information about the syllabus of each test, appropriate knowledge and guidance. It also includes plenty of sample questions and exercises to practice for the tests. In addition, the study unit gives a list of references of other publications that test takers may find helpful to consult. The unit provides diagrams in order to aid learning suit a variety of different learning methods.

The most important preparatory exercise however is practice. As simple as it sounds, the more you practice the better you will become.

It is also recommended that test takers watch films in English to help them hear how to correctly pronounce the language. Pronunciation was the biggest obstacle to maritime communication reported in recent research (for more information, refer to the Research section).

MarTEL also highly recommends the MarEng learning tool, MarEng Plus learning tool (www.mareng.utu.fi) and SMCP (Standard Marine Communication Phrases) to aid you with your test preparation.