How to schedule a USCG REC exam appointment#
After the NMC evaluates your application and issues an Approval to Test letter, schedule the exam at an active REC or MU. The current NMC REC/MU FAQ says examination appointments must be scheduled at least 2 business days in advance; it also says candidates should schedule as far ahead as possible, while still allowing appointments for any available opening.
You can schedule through the NMC Contact Center at 1-888-I-ASK-NMC (427-5662) or by contacting the REC directly. Do not plan on a walk-in exam: the FAQ says only mariners with scheduled appointments are permitted to test.
REC and Monitoring Unit roster#
The NMC's current REC page lists Anchorage, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Honolulu, Houston, Juneau, Ketchikan (MU), Long Beach, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Portland, Seattle, St. Louis, San Juan (MU), and Toledo.
You may test at any active center, regardless of where you live. Use geography only as a planning shortcut: Alaska candidates usually compare Anchorage, Juneau, and Ketchikan; Gulf candidates often compare Houston, New Orleans, and Miami; West Coast candidates compare Long Beach, Oakland, Portland, and Seattle; Great Lakes candidates often start with Toledo or St. Louis.
Find your nearest REC by region#
Because you can test at any active center, "nearest" is just a travel-planning shortcut — match your home region to the closest REC or Monitoring Unit from the 2026 roster:
- New England & Northeast: Boston, New York - Mid-Atlantic (DC, MD, VA, DE, PA): Baltimore, New York - Southeast Atlantic (the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida): Charleston, Miami - Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, west Florida): Houston, New Orleans, Miami - Great Lakes (Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota): Toledo - Inland rivers & Midwest (Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, the Ohio/Mississippi river system): St. Louis, Memphis - West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington): Long Beach, Oakland, Portland, Seattle - Alaska: Anchorage, Juneau, Ketchikan (MU) - Hawaii & the Pacific: Honolulu - Puerto Rico & the Caribbean: San Juan (MU)
This grouping reflects driving distance to the exam room only; it does not restrict where you may test. The street address, phone number, and exam-room hours for every center are listed above, each transcribed from that center's own NMC page with the date it was checked — but confirm facility-access rules and appointment availability before you book travel, because a nearer center is not always the one with the soonest available slot.
What to bring on exam day#
Arrive 30 minutes before your appointment for registration. If you arrive after the exam session starts and the REC still allows you to test, the FAQ says you receive only the time remaining in that session, not a fresh 3.5-hour clock.
The REC FAQ's allowed-item list is narrow: #2 pencil, Star Finder 2102-D with instructions, plotting tools such as dividers, triangles, and nautical slide rule, and one non-programmable calculator. Electronic communication devices cannot be used for calculator functions, and other personal belongings are stored outside the exam room.
Before the appointment, run a final Rules of the Road practice set and Chart Plot practice set, then use the COLREGs exam directory and Inland Navigation Rules directory to review the controlling rules behind any miss. Your Approval to Test letter remains the authority for the modules you will actually sit.
What RECs do besides exams#
RECs pre-screen merchant mariner credential applications for completeness, administer examinations, oversee Coast Guard-approved courses, and provide mariner outreach. For most original OUPV and Master candidates, the REC becomes relevant after the NMC has accepted the application package and issued the Approval to Test.
Medical-only applications do not go to the REC. The REC/MU FAQ says medical certificate applications and supplemental medical documentation should be submitted through the online application portal instead.
REC vs Monitoring Unit#
A Monitoring Unit is smaller than a full REC and may offer a narrower set of services, but it can still be the nearest exam-facing NMC location for some candidates. The current NMC page marks Ketchikan and San Juan as MUs. Because local hours, access rules, and service availability can change, treat the NMC location page as the final authority before booking travel.