Your monthly update from Onboard Maritime.
 

• What's new at Onboard Maritime
   
• Top tips for sitting your MCA orals online
   
• Free study resource - Rule of the Road Course
   
• Book a mock MCA Oral Exam today
   

What's New at Onboard Maritime
 

Celebrating passes

This month we celebrated the success of Sanket Mahajan who passed his Master Unlimited Orals exam at the beginning of the month. Sanket lives in Mumbai, India and works at Andromeda Shipping.

To leave his work and family to come to the UK and undertake an orals prep course before attending an MCA examination centre would have been a significant undertaking. The MCA online oral examination has given candidates studying overseas and in remote communities the opportunity to gain their next certificate of competency. 

 

Top tips for sitting your MCA orals online

1. Look the part
   Dress as you would for an in-person interview. First impressions are just as relevant in an online environment as they are in a physical space.
   
    
2. Background
   Consider your backdrop and the field of view of the camera. The focus of the examination should be on you and what you are saying. There should be no distractions for anybody viewing you. 
   
   A clean, white wall or backdrop is effective. Remove any pictures on the wall and ensure the area is clutter-free. We’ve been treated to many images of impressive looking bookcases on our TV over the last months, but how many times have you focussed on what the interviewee is reading rather than what they are saying? A virtual backdrop of a beach scene may give the wrong impression in a professional environment.
   
    
3. Lighting
   It's important that your face is illuminated and the examiner can see you properly. If the space you are using does not have adequate natural light, consider additional lighting in front of you and behind the camera. A good technique is to balance the light in a room by having a natural light source at 90 degrees to the front-facing lighting.
   
    
4. Seating Position
   Ideally you want to be eye-level with the camera. Practice and adjust your seat position or height of your device accordingly. Avoid the unflattering ‘up-nose’ camera angle.
   
   Don’t sit too close to the camera so that your face fills the screen, a distance that allows for your head and shoulders to be seen is generally acceptable.
   
    
5. Make Eye Contact
   This technique usually requires practice. Looking into a camera the same way we look at a person is not natural. In an online environment, we can tend to let our gaze wander or appear unfocused. Practising looking at the camera in a confident and relaxed manner is a skill which can be practised. 
   
    
6. Sound
   The sound quality in an online environment is essential. As a general recommendation, and if you can in an online examination, use a headset and microphone. This will ensure you can hear everything without distractions and can communicate clearly with the examiner.

 

• Definitions and responsibilities between vessels
• Crossing situations
• Head-on situations
• Overtaking situations
• Narrow channels and traffic separation schemes
• Restricted visibility
• Lights and shapes

Book a Mock MCA Oral Exam Today

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