Price
CaptainsGround
Free to start
USCGQ.com
Free
TL;DR
USCGQ: free Q-bank with thousands of USCG questions, no lessons or scheduling. CaptainsGround: free lessons + drills + FSRS flashcards + NMC-format mock + adaptive plan, every answer cited to 33/46 CFR or COLREGs.
Side by side
Format
CaptainsGround
Lessons + drills + flashcards + mock + plan
USCGQ.com
Practice-question bank
Citations on every answer
CaptainsGround
Yes — 33/46 CFR, COLREGs, Bowditch
USCGQ.com
No
Explanations beyond the answer key
CaptainsGround
Per-question rule explainer
USCGQ.com
Answer key only
NMC-format mock exam
CaptainsGround
70 Q × 90 min, weighted by module
USCGQ.com
Module quizzes
Spaced repetition
CaptainsGround
FSRS-4 flashcards
USCGQ.com
—
Adaptive study plan
CaptainsGround
Built from exam date + weekly hours
USCGQ.com
—
Source corpus you can audit
CaptainsGround
Public /sources page, live chunk counts
USCGQ.com
—
USCG exam authority
CaptainsGround
No (you test at a REC)
USCGQ.com
No (you test at a REC)
Which should you pick?
Pick CaptainsGround if…
- Price: Free to start
- Format: Lessons + drills + flashcards + mock + plan
- Citations on every answer: Yes — 33/46 CFR, COLREGs, Bowditch
- Explanations beyond the answer key: Per-question rule explainer
- NMC-format mock exam: 70 Q × 90 min, weighted by module
- Spaced repetition: FSRS-4 flashcards
- Adaptive study plan: Built from exam date + weekly hours
- Source corpus you can audit: Public /sources page, live chunk counts
- USCG exam authority: No (you test at a REC)
Pick USCGQ.com if…
- Price: Free
- Format: Practice-question bank
- Citations on every answer: No
- Explanations beyond the answer key: Answer key only
- NMC-format mock exam: Module quizzes
- Spaced repetition: —
- Adaptive study plan: —
- Source corpus you can audit: —
- USCG exam authority: No (you test at a REC)
Bottom line
USCGQ is a fine sharpener once you already know the rules — work the bank, see if the answers stick. CaptainsGround is the layer underneath: read the rule, drill it with the citation visible, and let FSRS bring back what's slipping. Many candidates use both — CaptainsGround for the learning, a Q-bank for last-week volume.
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