- What This Credential Actually Is
- The Four Full-Route Module Sets
- Module Code Map by Content Area
- Western Rivers: What Makes TV03 Different
- The Alternatives Trap: Q412 vs Q413
- Scope Extensions and Upgrade Sets
- What the Published Sources Do Not Tell You
- Topics to Master in Each Group
- Sequencing Your Review
- Frequently Asked Questions
- TV01 Near Coastal uses six modules; TV01 Oceans uses seven; TV02 and TV03 each use five.
- Q412 (Near Coastal) and Q413 (Oceans) are alternatives, never simultaneous requirements. Q416 is Oceans-only.
- Western Rivers (TV03) uses its own set: Q300, Q423, Q424, Q425, Q426. Do not substitute generic Oceans navigation.
- Upgrade and extension sets are separate from full-route sets and must never be added to them.
What This Credential Actually Is
The National Master of Towing OC, NC, GL-IN, WR credential is issued through the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC). The abbreviation in this article, USCG-MOT, refers only to this towing-vessel endorsement. If you want the basics first, start with What Is USCG-MOT? or What Does USCG-MOT Stand For?, then return to this one-page review.
The most important thing to understand is structural. This is not one exam with one blueprint. The NMC publishes a set of examination modules, each with a code (Q100, Q410, and so on), and which modules you sit depends on your route: Near Coastal, Oceans, Great Lakes and Inland, or Western Rivers. The preparation groups in this article are editorial organizing tools built from the NMC's published module headings. They are not a seven-module exam that every applicant takes.
The Four Full-Route Module Sets
These are the exact module sets for a full original route, drawn from the NMC's published matrices. Memorize the counts; they are the fastest way to catch yourself when you start mixing routes.
| Route | Modules | Count |
|---|---|---|
| TV01 Near Coastal | Q100, Q410, Q411, Q412, Q414, Q415 | 6 |
| TV01 Oceans | Q100, Q410, Q411, Q413, Q414, Q415, Q416 | 7 |
| TV02 Great Lakes and Inland | Q100, Q418, Q419, Q420, Q421 | 5 |
| TV03 Western Rivers | Q300, Q423, Q424, Q425, Q426 | 5 |
Notice what is shared and what is not. Q100 (Rules of the Road: Inland and International) anchors both TV01 and TV02. Western Rivers replaces it with Q300 (Inland rules). TV01 carries the "Deck General" and "Deck Safety" modules as Q410 and Q411, while Great Lakes and Inland uses Q418 and Q419, and Western Rivers uses Q423 and Q424.
For the broader picture of how these content areas fit together, see USCG-MOT Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 7 Content Areas.
Module Code Map by Content Area
Here are the seven editorial preparation groups, each mapped to its published module codes. Remember that a given applicant will only encounter the groups that apply to their route.
Group 1: Rules of the Road, Inland and International (Q100) / Inland (Q300)
Q100 serves TV01 and TV02 applicants. Q300 is the Inland-rules module for Western Rivers (TV03).
- Know which rule set applies to your route
- Expect lights, shapes, sound signals, and right-of-way situations
- Towing-specific arrangements come up repeatedly in the study materials
Group 2: Deck General (Q410 / Q418 / Q423)
Q410 for Oceans and Near Coastal, Q418 for Great Lakes and Inland, Q423 for Western Rivers (which includes barge operations and hazardous cargo).
- Towing operations and vessel handling fundamentals
- Western Rivers version emphasizes barge operations and hazardous cargo
Group 3: Deck Safety (Q411 / Q419 / Q424)
Q411 for Oceans and Near Coastal, Q419 for Great Lakes and Inland, Q424 for Western Rivers (stability, construction, and damage control).
- Stability and damage control concepts
- Vessel construction knowledge on the Western Rivers track
Group 4: Navigation General (Q412 or Q413 / Q420 / Q425)
Q412 for Near Coastal or Q413 for Oceans (an alternative pair), Q420 for Great Lakes and Inland, Q425 for Western Rivers navigation.
- Never treat Q412 and Q413 as both required
- Q425 is Western Rivers navigation, not generic ocean navigation
Group 5: Navigation Problems, Chart Plot (Q414 / Q421 / Q426)
Q414 for Oceans and Near Coastal, Q421 for Great Lakes and Inland, Q426 for Western Rivers.
- Hands-on plotting skills, practiced with the real tools
- Each route's chart plot is its own module with its own code
Group 6: Navigation Problems, Near Coastal (Q415)
Applies to the TV01 Oceans and Near Coastal routes.
- Appears in both the six-module and seven-module TV01 sets
Group 7: Navigation Problems, Oceans (Q416)
Applies to the TV01 Oceans route only.
- This is the module that separates the seven-module Oceans set from the six-module Near Coastal set (along with the Q412/Q413 swap)
Western Rivers: What Makes TV03 Different
Western Rivers applicants are the most likely to be misled by generic study material, so this route gets its own section. The TV03 set is Q300, Q423, Q424, Q425, and Q426, five modules in all, and every one of them is a distinct Western Rivers version.
- Q300: Inland rules, in place of Q100.
- Q423: barge operations and hazardous cargo.
- Q424: stability, construction, and damage control.
- Q425: Western Rivers navigation.
- Q426: Western Rivers chart plot.
The Alternatives Trap: Q412 vs Q413
The single most common counting mistake is adding both navigation general modules together. Q412 is the Near Coastal version and Q413 is the Oceans version. They are alternatives. An applicant on the Near Coastal route sits Q412; an applicant on the Oceans route sits Q413. Nobody on a full-route set sits both as simultaneous requirements.
This is exactly why the Near Coastal set has six modules and the Oceans set has seven: Oceans swaps Q412 for Q413 and also adds Q416. If you ever tally a total above seven for a single TV01 applicant, you have double-counted an alternative.
Scope Extensions and Upgrade Sets
If you already hold an endorsement and want to extend its scope, the NMC publishes separate, smaller module sets. These are not additional domains layered on top of a full original exam, so never sum them into the full-route counts above.
| Extension Path | Modules |
|---|---|
| Near Coastal to Oceans | Q413 + Q416 |
| Great Lakes/Inland to Near Coastal | Q412 + Q415 |
| Great Lakes/Inland to Oceans | Q413 + Q415 + Q416 |
| Western Rivers to Great Lakes/Inland | Q100 + Q420 + Q421 |
| Adding Western Rivers to OC/NC/GL-IN | Q425 + Q426 |
| Western Rivers to OC/NC | Full exam required |
The last row catches people off guard: moving from Western Rivers to Oceans or Near Coastal does not have a shortcut extension set. It requires the full exam for that route.
Key Takeaway
Extension sets and raise-of-grade modules are their own category. Keep three buckets in your head: full original routes, scope extensions, and alternatives within a route. Mixing buckets is how candidates talk themselves into the wrong study plan. Check USCG-MOT Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify to see how eligibility connects to your route.
What the Published Sources Do Not Tell You
Honest preparation means knowing the gaps. From the NMC sources reviewed, the following are not established in the published material this cheat sheet relies on:
- Percentage weightings for each content area
- A single overall question count or time limit that applies to every applicant
- Current fee figures
- A population-wide pass rate
Be skeptical of any source that gives you precise numbers for these without citing the NMC. The module headings and topic matrices are public, but that is different from a published blueprint with weights. The reference guide is the published regulations-effective March 24, 2014 document (see the guide's section 2.1.5.1 through 2.1.5.3, printed pages 33 and 34), not a newly issued 2026 blueprint, though current indexed NMC matrices corroborate the module headings.
For the cost and scoring side, our articles take the same careful stance: USCG-MOT Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, USCG-MOT Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass, and USCG-MOT Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Topics to Master in Each Group
Rules of the Road
Whichever rule set your route calls for, practice recognizing vessel configurations by lights and shapes, and apply right-of-way logic quickly. Towing arrangements, where a tow and tug present a distinctive light pattern, deserve extra attention because they define the work you intend to do. Do not blur Inland and International distinctions on TV01 and TV02, since Q100 covers both.
Deck General and Deck Safety
For Western Rivers applicants, this is where Q423 and Q424 diverge sharply from the other routes: barge operations, hazardous cargo handling, stability, construction, and damage control. Think in terms of what actually happens when a loaded tow loses stability or takes damage.
Navigation General
Study the version that matches your route and ignore the rest. A Near Coastal candidate should not spend hours on Oceans-only navigation concepts, and a Western Rivers candidate should resist the pull of generic navigation resources entirely in favor of Q425 material.
Chart Plot and Navigation Problems
These modules reward repetition on the real instruments. Work plotting problems until the mechanics are automatic, and then work them again under time pressure. Q415 and Q416 add route-specific problem sets, with Q416 reserved for the Oceans route.
Sequencing Your Review
Generic study methods matter less than doing the right modules in a sensible order. Here is one way to sequence a route-aware plan, using TV01 Near Coastal as the example. Adjust the module codes to your own route.
Rules of the Road (Q100)
- Memorize lights, shapes, and signals first, since they underpin later navigation reasoning
Deck General and Safety (Q410, Q411)
- Cover vessel handling, stability, and damage control concepts
Navigation General (Q412)
- Study only the version for your route; do not add Q413
Chart Plot and Problems (Q414, Q415)
- Drill plotting repeatedly; plotting rewards hands-on repetition more than reading
Why this order? Rules of the Road knowledge feeds directly into navigation judgment, and plotting skills need the longest runway of repetition, so they come last but get the most practice. For a fuller methodology, see USCG-MOT Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a realistic read on effort, How Hard Is the USCG-MOT Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
When you are ready to test your recall, run timed sessions on our USCG-MOT practice tests, and revisit weak modules through the main practice test site. Keep in mind that practice material is independent preparation and does not reproduce or imply endorsement from the NMC.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the route. TV01 Near Coastal uses six modules, TV01 Oceans uses seven, and TV02 Great Lakes and Inland and TV03 Western Rivers each use five. There is no single number that applies to every applicant, and the NMC determines your individual assigned modules.
No. Q412 (Near Coastal) and Q413 (Oceans) are alternatives, not simultaneous requirements. Oceans applicants take Q413 and also Q416, which is Oceans-only. Counting both Q412 and Q413 for one applicant is a common mistake.
No. Western Rivers has its own distinct modules: Q300, Q423, Q424, Q425, and Q426. Q425 specifically covers Western Rivers navigation, and Q426 covers its chart plot. Substituting generic Oceans navigation leaves you underprepared.
No. Scope extensions such as Q413 plus Q416 for Near Coastal to Oceans, or Q425 plus Q426 for adding Western Rivers, are separate sets and are never summed into the full-route counts. Western Rivers to OC or NC requires the full exam.
The sources behind this cheat sheet do not establish percentages, a universal question count or duration, current fees, or a population pass rate, so we avoid quoting them. See our articles on passing score and certification cost, and confirm current details directly with the NMC. If you are weighing career value, read USCG-MOT Salary Guide 2026 and Is the USCG-MOT Certification Worth It?.