The Sail Canada Exam

Once you've finished the course, you may chose to write the Sail Canada Basic Coastal Navigation exam. Students who receive a passing grade are awarded the Sail Canada Basic Coastal Navigation Standard.

How to Write the Exam

There are two ways to write the Sail Canada Exam:

• you can write the exam by mail (the choice of most students); or
• you can contact a Sail Canada-certified school to make arrangements to write the exam at its facility.

See more information below...

Writing the Exam Through a School

If you choose to write the exam at a school there are certain costs involved. Exam costs are not covered by your coastalnavigation.com registration fee. If you decide to write the exam at a school, the fees will be payable to the school.

Here's a list to give you a general idea of the costs. Amounts may vary.

• Sail Canada registration fee: $28.00
• Exam Chart: $8.00
• Copy of the exam: $4.00
• Fee for grading the exam: $15.00
• School-assigned invigilator: $30.00

Your instructor can help you find an accredited school near you.

Writing the exam by Mail

Most students write the exam by mail. To write the exam by mail, the fee is $85.00 including tax. This includes the exam materials, grading, postage, and Sail Canada's $28.00 registration fee.

Send an email to your instructor with the postal address of your invigilator (see below) as this is where we'll send your exam kit. Allow 7 to 10 delivery days for your exam kit to arrive.

Once you've completed the exam you'll return it to your instructor for grading. Allow 2 weeks for shipping and grading.

The Invigilator

Due to Covid-19, we’ve broadened the criteria of who can serve as an invigilator. It now includes close family members. You can also connect to your invigilator remotely using video applications such as zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, etc.

An invigilator must be present when you write the exam to guarantee that you follow the Exam Requirements (see below).

If you're writing the exam at a sailing school, the school might provide the invigilator. There may be a fee for this.

If you're writing the exam by mail, it's up to you to find an invigilator. Usually this is a friend, co-worker, or acquaintance. The invigilator must be impartial, responsible, and willing to be present while you write the exam. They must then complete and sign the Letter to Invigilator and return it with the exam.

The Exam Location

If you're writing the exam by mail, you may do so anywhere convenient to you and your invigilator. The location should be well lit, without distractions, and have a work surface large enough to accommodate the chart.

You must follow the Exam Requirements. This includes completing the exam within the time limit.

Exam Requirements

The exam must be completed in one sitting within a time limit of three hours.

This is a OPEN-BOOK examination. This may sound helpful, but research shows that "open-book" exams take students longer to complete. So, if you're not well acquainted with the material, there's a risk you'll run out of time.

Plotting must be neat and correctly labeled.

Note: coastalnavigation.com allows you the choice of using classic plotting or Sail Canada plotting. But don't mix the two together.

When you finish the exam, or at the end of the time limit, the exam paper, the chart, and all calculations and work must be given to the invigilator.

Plotting Instructions

1)	Show all steps of your work clearly. Use neat, correct labeling for all lines drawn on the chart.
2)	Submit all calculations.
3)	Express all positions in terms of latitude and longitude.

Standard of Accuracy

Latitude and longitude	nearest 0.2 minute
Time	nearest minute, 4 digits 24-hour clock
Speed and drift	nearest 0.2 kt
Distance	nearest 0.2 nm
Course and bearings	nearest degree +/-1°, 3 digits plus T, M or C
Variation, Deviation	nearest degree plus W or E
Height of tide	nearest 0.1 feet or metres

Marking System and Passing Grade

Part A, non-plotting knowledge	65%
Part B, plotting	35%
Passing Grade (Minimum 60% required on Part A and Part B)	70%

Receiving Your Grade

You will be notified of your grade by e-mail. You should receive an invitation to contact the person who graded your exam to find out where you lost marks and address any questions or comments you might have.

If you don't receive a passing grade, the exam can be rewritten no sooner than 14 days after the exam is marked. There may be a fee for rewriting the exam.

Receiving Your Sail Canada Certification

If you achieve a passing grade, and you've completed the student information section at the bottom of the exam cover page, your Sail Canada Logbook sticker for Basic Coastal Navigation will be mailed to you. If you don't have a logbook, you can purchase it through Advantage Boating.