Marlins is the English test crewing agencies ask for most often. It does not check maritime knowledge — it checks whether you will understand the master, the pilot and the safety briefing. Here is what is in it and how to pass it calmly.
The format
According to Marlins, the English Language Test for Seafarers has 85 questions:
- Listening — 25 questions: short dialogues and instructions, often with an accent.
- Grammar — 30 questions: tenses, prepositions, word order.
- Vocabulary — 15 questions, including shipboard words.
- Pronunciation — 9 questions on telling sounds apart.
- Time and numbers — 5 questions: times, dates, quantities.
- Reading — 1 question.
There is no hard time limit; the recommended maximum is 60 minutes. The result is an overall percentage. There is no single pass mark — each company sets its own, so ask the crewing agency what they need for your rank.
How it is taken
The test is done on a computer, usually at the crewing office or a training centre, with headphones. A licence code starts it; if the connection drops, the same code resumes where you stopped.
How to prepare
- Listening is a third of the test. Listen every day to maritime English: VHF exchanges, safety briefings, English-language maritime videos.
- Grammar is the biggest block. Revise tenses (present perfect vs past simple), prepositions of time and place, and modal verbs.
- Learn numbers and times by ear — "fifteen" and "fifty" sound alike, and that is exactly what is tested.
- Shipboard vocabulary: parts of the ship, equipment, ranks, safety terms. Our guide on Maritime English and SMCP is a good start.
- Take a practice test in the same format before the real one — the second time is always calmer.
After the test
Ask for your result and keep it: agencies often accept a recent Marlins score instead of a new test. Add it to your profile — the maritime CV has a place for languages — and look through the vacancies that match your rank.
Format as published by Marlins; the test is revised from time to time, so check the current version with the agency.