About CaptainsGround
Captain’s-exam prep, built on the rules.
CaptainsGround is an independent USCG captain’s-exam prep tool. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Maritime Center, or any Regional Examination Center.
What we stand for
Understand the rules — don’t just memorize them.
Every fact is cited
Each drill question links to its rule in 33 CFR, COLREGs, or Bowditch, and every lesson cites its source inline — no mystery facts.
Built from primary sources
The corpus comes straight from public-domain federal material, then a validator model rejects any question whose citation doesn’t resolve.
Free to start
The five-question sampler needs no account, and a free account includes 20 practice questions a day. Paid plans only unlock volume — every answer stays cited.
Why we built it
USCG captain’s-exam prep has always been a choice between $600–900 in-person courses and generic question-bank apps that copy NMC questions without explanation or source. Neither serves a working captain who wants to understand the rules, not just memorise them. CaptainsGround is the alternative we wished existed — every drill question links to its rule in 33 CFR, COLREGs, or Bowditch, and every lesson cites its source inline.
Where the content comes from
The corpus is built from public-domain federal sources: 33 CFR (Navigation and Navigable Waters), 46 CFR (Shipping), the international COLREGs, the Inland Navigation Rules, NGA Bowditch’s American Practical Navigator, and the USCG Boatswain’s Mate / Coxswain’s Mate manuals. We ingest the official text, embed it for fast retrieval, then generate lessons and drill questions that cite back to the chunk they tested. A separate validator model rejects any question whose citation doesn’t resolve or whose stated answer contradicts the source.
See the sources page for live counts of every source we have indexed.
Start free. Pay only to go exam-ready.
The sampler needs no signup, and a free account includes 20 cited practice questions a day — no credit card. When you’re pushing for a test date, the 90-day Pass unlocks unlimited drills, full mock exams, and your study plan. Everyone who joined during early access keeps full free access — as promised.
Contact
Found a wrong answer? Want a missing topic? Email [email protected] — we re-run corrections through the same generator + validator pipeline that produced the original question.
Other professional licensing
Chasing a different ticket? If you’re looking at aviation instead of the water, our sister project GroundScholar runs the same citation-backed, drill-first prep for the FAA private-pilot written test, oral exam, and checkride.
Start drilling in 30 seconds. Free.
No signup, no credit card — answer 5 real, cited exam questions right now.