- What "Requirements" Means for National Master 200 GL and Inland (NM2GI)
- The Issuing Authority and the GLI05 Scope
- Which Modules You Are Actually Assigned
- The Five Preparation Groups, Explained
- The Q100/Q300 Trap and Other Counting Mistakes
- Raise-of-Grade and Route-Extension Modules
- Your Approval to Test Is the Real Checklist
- Fees, Dates and Pass Rates: What Not to Assume
- Sequencing Your Preparation Around the Modules
- Who Needs This Endorsement
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NM2GI here means National Master 200 GL and Inland, issued through the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center under scope GLI05.
- A full-route Great Lakes and Inland candidate prepares Q100, Q340, Q341, Q342 and Q343, five modules in total.
- Q100 and Q300 are alternatives for the Rules of the Road module; never count them as two separate requirements.
- Q345 and Q346 belong to raise-of-grade and OUPV-to-Mate routes, not the Master-original path.
What "Requirements" Means for National Master 200 GL and Inland (NM2GI)
When candidates search for NM2GI requirements, they usually expect a single tidy checklist: age, sea time, a medical certificate, an exam. The reality for National Master 200 GL and Inland is more nuanced, and the nuance matters for how you prepare. The examination side of the credential is built from published modules, and which of those modules you sit depends on the route the National Maritime Center (NMC) assigns to you.
This article focuses on the part of the requirements that candidates most often get wrong: the examination structure. It explains how the five module groups fit together, which ones are alternatives, which ones belong to entirely different upgrade routes, and why your individual approval to test is the document that governs your exam plan. If you want a broader orientation first, the guides on what NM2GI is and what NM2GI stands for cover the basics.
The Issuing Authority and the GLI05 Scope
The governing body for this credential is the United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center. The NMC publishes its examination information for Great Lakes and Inland endorsements, and the relevant scope code is GLI05. GLI05 covers Master or Mate less than 200 GRT, which is the vessel-size category behind the "200" in National Master 200 GL and Inland.
Two points deserve emphasis:
- The modules and topic matrices are public. The NMC openly publishes the examination modules and the topics each one covers. Candidates should not treat the scope as secret or "unpublished." Studying from the published matrix is the correct starting point.
- The published guide is older than 2026. The deck and engineering examination guide referenced in this preparation work reflects regulations effective March 24, 2014. It is not a newly issued 2026 blueprint. However, the currently indexed NMC module matrices corroborate the same module headings used here.
That second point is worth internalizing. Prep material that claims a brand-new 2026 exam blueprint is overstating what exists. The module headings are stable, and your approval to test remains the authority on what you are examined on.
Which Modules You Are Actually Assigned
The single most important sentence for any applicant is this: the number of module groups is not a universal count of examinations for every applicant. The NMC determines the individual's assigned modules. Two candidates pursuing credentials in the same family can be told to sit different sets of modules depending on route, existing endorsements and the type of application.
For a full-route (original) candidate, the published module sets are:
| Route | Module Set | Total Modules |
|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes and Inland | Q100, Q340, Q341, Q342, Q343 | 5 |
| Inland | Q100 or Q300, Q340, Q341, Q342, Q343 | 5 |
Notice that both rows total five modules. The Inland row does not add a sixth; it substitutes one Rules of the Road module for another. We unpack this below because it is the most common point of confusion.
The Five Preparation Groups, Explained
The five groups below map directly to the full-route module sets. They are organized here as unweighted, route-aware preparation groups. This article does not assign percentage weights to them, because no weighting is established in the published material reviewed. For an extended look at each content area, see the NM2GI exam domains guide.
Group 1: Rules of the Road, Inland and International (Q100)
The navigation rules module. Great Lakes and Inland candidates use Q100. The Inland-only alternative, Q300, applies to the restricted route where the applicable COLREGS limitation is accepted.
- Know the rules as a working mariner, not as trivia: steering and sailing responsibilities, lights, shapes and signals
- Be ready to distinguish inland rules from international rules where they differ
- Expect scenario-style thinking about vessel encounters rather than pure memorization
Group 2: Deck General (Q340)
The general deck knowledge module, the broad seamanship and vessel-operations foundation for a master or mate of a vessel under 200 GRT.
- Review the published Q340 topic matrix line by line
- Treat it as a foundation that other modules lean on
Group 3: Deck Safety (Q341)
The safety module, covering the safety-related knowledge a licensed deck officer is expected to hold.
- Study safety topics as procedures you could explain to a crew
- Cross-reference the NMC matrix to confirm nothing is skipped
Group 4: Navigation General, Great Lakes and Inland (Q342)
The navigation knowledge module tailored to Great Lakes and Inland waters. The NMC's GLI05 page is titled around the Q342 through Q346 family, which signals how central this module is to the scope.
- Concentrate on the waterway-specific navigation concepts the matrix lists
- Do not confuse this with the chart-plotting module, which is separate
Group 5: Navigation Problems, Chart Plot (Q343)
The hands-on chart-plotting module. Q343 is required in the full-exam structure and must not be omitted. Candidates who skim past it because it feels like "just plotting" are making a planning error.
- Practice working chart problems with proper tools, not only reading about them
- Build speed and accuracy, since plotting skill develops through repetition
The Q100/Q300 Trap and Other Counting Mistakes
Online summaries frequently inflate the requirement list by treating alternatives as additions. For this credential, the rule is simple:
If you find a source telling you that you must pass "six" or "seven" modules for a full-route NM2GI, check whether it is double-counting Q100 and Q300, or folding in upgrade modules that belong to a different path. For the Great Lakes and Inland full route and the Inland full route alike, the published count is five.
A related caution: understanding this structure also helps you read difficulty claims sensibly. The NM2GI difficulty guide discusses what makes the examination demanding, and much of it comes from breadth across five distinct modules rather than any single exotic topic.
Raise-of-Grade and Route-Extension Modules
Two further module codes appear in the same NMC page family, and they cause real confusion. They are not part of the Master-original path:
| Module | What It Is | Part of the Master-Original Route? |
|---|---|---|
| Q345 | Navigation and Deck General/Safety, a separate raise-of-grade module for Master less than 100 to Master/Mate less than 200 | No |
| Q346 | A separate route for OUPV-to-Mate less than 200 | No |
In other words, Q345 serves a mariner who already holds a smaller-tonnage master credential and is stepping up, while Q346 serves an OUPV holder moving toward a mate endorsement on vessels under 200 GRT. Neither is an extra domain stacked on top of the full-original five. Separate upgrade, raise-of-grade and route-extension modules are not additional full-original-exam domains.
Key Takeaway
Before you buy any prep resource, identify your route first: original Great Lakes and Inland, original Inland, a raise of grade, or an OUPV-to-Mate path. Then match modules to that route. Studying Q345 content for an original-route exam, or skipping Q343 on a full route, wastes time or leaves a gap.
Your Approval to Test Is the Real Checklist
The most reliable "requirements list" you will ever hold is the one the NMC issues to you. The approval to test identifies the modules assigned to your application. Treat it as the controlling document and treat everything else, including this article, as orientation.
Practical steps:
- Confirm your route with the NMC when you apply, including whether Q100 or Q300 applies to you.
- Read the approval to test carefully and list every assigned module code.
- Compare that list against the published GLI05 module page and topic matrices.
- Build your study plan from the assigned modules only, so nothing is missed and nothing is duplicated.
If anything in your approval looks inconsistent with what you expected, resolve it with the NMC before investing study hours. For a step-by-step approach to organizing preparation after that, see the NM2GI study guide.
Fees, Dates and Pass Rates: What Not to Assume
Several numbers that candidates love to ask about are simply not established in the material this article draws on, so none are stated here:
- Percentages and weights: No domain percentages are established. The five groups are treated as unweighted.
- A single overall question count or duration: Not established. Module-level details come from the NMC, and your approval to test governs what you sit.
- Current fees: Not established in this packet. Check the NMC's current fee information directly rather than trusting a figure in a third-party article. The certification cost guide discusses how to think about total expense.
- Population pass rates: Not established. Be skeptical of any precise pass-rate claim; the pass rate article explains what can and cannot be said responsibly.
- Passing score and scheduling: Confirm with the NMC and your testing arrangements. See the pages on the passing score and exam dates for how to approach those questions.
Resisting invented numbers is itself a requirement of sorts. A candidate who plans around a fabricated "40-question, two-hour exam" may arrive unprepared for the actual module format.
Sequencing Your Preparation Around the Modules
Rather than generic scheduling advice, here is a module-driven sequence for a full-route candidate. It is a suggestion, not a mandated order, and you should adjust it to your assigned modules.
Rules of the Road (Q100 or Q300)
- Start here because collision-avoidance concepts recur in navigation scenarios
- Confirm which Rules module your approval lists before studying
Deck General and Deck Safety (Q340, Q341)
- Build the seamanship and safety foundation
- Work through both topic matrices side by side
Navigation General (Q342)
- Layer waterway-specific navigation knowledge on top of the earlier foundation
Chart Plot (Q343) and Integration
- Schedule repeated plotting practice, since it is a skill rather than a reading task
- Finish with mixed review across all assigned modules
The logic: the Rules module comes first because it feeds scenario reasoning later, and the chart-plot module comes last because it benefits from everything before it while still needing dedicated hands-on repetition. The NM2GI cheat sheet is useful for a final-pass review once you have worked through each phase.
Who Needs This Endorsement
The scope, Master or Mate less than 200 GRT on Great Lakes and Inland waters, points to the kinds of operations where this credential matters: smaller commercial vessels operating on lakes, rivers, bays and other inland waters. Employers in that space look for mariners whose credential matches the vessel and the route. Beyond that general description, this article makes no specific claims about employers or earnings; for that discussion, the NM2GI jobs page, the salary guide and the ROI analysis take it further.
When you are ready to test your knowledge against exam-style material, the practice questions at the main practice test site are designed to help you identify weak modules early. Practice material is for self-assessment only; it is not issued or endorsed by the Coast Guard, and it does not replicate actual exam questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
The published full-route sets contain five modules: Q100, Q340, Q341, Q342 and Q343 for Great Lakes and Inland, with Q100 or Q300 as the Rules module for the Inland route. Your NMC approval to test determines your individual assignment, so use that as the final word.
No. They are alternatives. Great Lakes and Inland uses Q100, while the Inland route may use Q300 when the applicable COLREGS limitation is accepted. Counting both as requirements is a common mistake.
No. Q343 is required in the full-exam structure and must not be omitted from your preparation. It is a distinct module from Navigation General (Q342).
No. Q345 is a separate raise-of-grade module for moving from Master less than 100 to Master/Mate less than 200, and Q346 is a separate OUPV-to-Mate less than 200 route. Neither is an extra module for a Master-original applicant.
The published guide referenced here reflects regulations effective March 24, 2014, not a newly issued 2026 document. Currently indexed NMC matrices corroborate the same module headings, and the NMC publishes the modules and topic matrices openly. For the formal credential overview, see NM2GI certification and the current NM2GI requirements page.