Merchant navy syllabus and exam pattern for every entry route

Which test you take depends on the route

DG Shipping lists three approved paths to become a deck officer, and marine engineering adds a fourth:

• BSc Nautical Science: three years ashore, then sea time as a cadet. Needs class 12 PCM with 60 percent and 50 percent in English, age 17 to 25, plus IMU CET.
• DNS: one year of pre-sea training, then 18 months at sea as a deck cadet. Same marks rule, age 17 to 21, IMU CET and a compulsory company sponsorship.
• BTech Marine Engineering: a four year engineering degree through IMU CET.
• GP Rating: six months of pre-sea training after class 10 or 12 with 40 percent marks and 40 percent in English, age limits around 17 or 18 to 25, depending on the institute.

For relaxations and the finer print on marks and age, open the merchant navy eligibility guide.

Merchant navy exam pattern for officer courses

The test is computer based, lasts 3 hours and is in English. A correct answer earns 1 mark and a wrong answer loses 0.25. Half of all questions come from physics and maths combined. The section split above comes from reports of recent cycles; the university's prospectus is the final word.

Topics in the officer entrance

Physics

Class 12 charges and fields, circuits, magnetic effects, alternating current, light, modern physics and semiconductors, with class 11 mechanics in the background.

Mathematics

Functions, matrices and determinants, derivatives, integrals and differential equations, three dimensional lines and planes with vectors, linear programming and probability.

Chemistry

Solutions, electrochemistry, kinetics, metallurgy, groups 16 to 18, transition metals and complexes, and organic families from halides to amines and polymers.

English, general knowledge and aptitude

Grammar, vocabulary and comprehension; current affairs and static facts; and number series, logical puzzles, ratios, work, clocks and mechanical reasoning.

Company sponsorship tests

Many shipping companies pick cadets before or alongside IMU CET, and DNS cannot start without sponsorship. Each company sets its own process, but most combine an online aptitude test with an interview and often a psychometric assessment. The aptitude part usually checks:

• Class 12 level physics and maths, with an emphasis on mechanics
• English usage and reading
• Logical and numerical reasoning
• Basic awareness of ships and the sea

There is no published common syllabus for these tests, so prepare from the same PCM base and practise speaking clearly about why you want a life at sea.

The GP rating test

Ratings are the crew who work under officers on deck and in the engine room. Admission to GP Rating courses runs through DG Shipping approved institutes. A recent advertisement from a government training institute set a two hour bilingual online test with four parts: professional knowledge, English language, quantitative aptitude and reasoning, followed by an interview and medical.

The level is roughly class 10. Revise arithmetic, basic science, simple English grammar and general reasoning. Rules, marks and age differ by institute, so go by the admission notice of your chosen institute.

Medical and eyesight rules

Passing a test is not enough without fitness. A DG Shipping approved doctor must certify you, and eyesight standards are strict: DG Shipping's career page asks for 6/6 unaided vision and no colour blindness for deck officers. Ratings notices have used slightly different limits. An eye test should come before any spending on forms or classes.

A plan alongside class 12

1. Class 11 and 12: NCERT physics and maths come first, since they form half of IMU CET. Keep chemistry at board level.
2. After boards: six weeks of mixed practice: 50 physics and 50 maths questions a day, plus 30 minutes of English and reasoning.
3. Final fortnight: full 200 question tests, watching the quarter mark penalty.

Overlap with JEE Main is large for PCM, and if you are weighing a uniformed career at sea instead, see the Navy SSR syllabus.

Merchant navy syllabus in Hindi

मर्चेंट नेवी में जाने के कई रास्ते हैं। अधिकारी बनने वाले कोर्स, जैसे बीएससी नॉटिकल साइंस, डीएनएस और बीटेक मरीन इंजीनियरिंग, के लिए आईएमयू सीईटी देना होता है। इसमें 200 वस्तुनिष्ठ प्रश्न तीन घंटे में आते हैं, जिनमें भौतिकी और गणित सबसे भारी हैं, साथ में रसायन, अंग्रेज़ी, सामान्य ज्ञान और योग्यता के प्रश्न भी रहते हैं। हर गलत उत्तर पर चौथाई अंक कटता है। जीपी रेटिंग के लिए दसवीं स्तर की अंग्रेज़ी, गणित, तर्क और सामान्य विज्ञान की परीक्षा होती है। मेडिकल और आँखों की जाँच भी ज़रूरी है।