Get Your Captain's License: The Complete Study Guide [With CDROM]

I have looked at a lot of materials on obtaining a Captain's License, and this book is, by far, the best. The material is well-organized, complete and easy to understand and master. Before getting the book, I looked at some reviews, but at least some of them appear to refer to an earlier edition ("just quesetions for the test") -- the Third Edition (at least) has exceedingly helpful and worthwhile explanatory text, that works though the topics on the Coast Guard test and provides both useable information and aswers to the questions, which also are included in this impressive volume. For anyone who wants to take the Coast Guard test or who just wants to greatly expand his or her knowledge of all things nautical, I strongly recommend "Get Your Captain's License (Third Edition)".

I'm still reading this book, but so far it's written really well. It's a text book, so it reads like a text book. I have every bit of confidence that'll pass my test after completing this course. The software is really good too. Good Luck! Ken Vadnais

This text is great and the CD-ROM which lets u take and review practice tests may even better. I was surprised at the effectiveness of the text. All the material was presented in sufficient detail to answer your questions, but no not so detailed as to be burdensome as a college degree. The end result for me was a perfect score on all four sections of the test, but I took a LOT of practice tests. YOU NEED THIS BOOK & CD!

I received this volume in the mail about two weeks ago and have been hard at work using it to prepare for my exam. While not yet licensed, I have boated and sailed much of my life and am familiar with most of the material in it already. The new edition is quite thorough. It not only presents all the questions, but has substantial guides preceding each section to help you understand the principles, which I find to be the most helpful feature of all. The volume's only weakness is it is written in a very dry, technical manner making it somewhat laborious to read. Also, if you are not already familiar with some of the concepts, you need to read more basic, outside resources to prepare you to study them in this book, otherwise it will leave you behind. However, if you are not familiar with the material in this text, you probably should not be applying for licensure yet either. Finally, the new version of the software is very good. It still does not offer to test on the navigation problems. The author correctly states it cannot do this because one cannot plot with compass and parallel ruler from charts on a computer screen. However, I wish the software offered the tests anyway so that I could at least put my answers down and have it confirm them. It would just be more convenient for practicing. Cliff

I recently used this book to help me pass my Unlimited Master's Exam. I wholeheartedly recommend it as a study guide and as a drilling tool. I did not have access to the CD-ROM and only used the Questions and Answers Sections. I agree with other reviewers in that you must already have advanced knowledge in the subject areas to get the maximum out of this book. I like the fact that all the questions and answers are in one book and that the price is quite cheap compared to "Murphy's" 6 volumes and ... price tag. I would also recommend "Formulae for the Mariner" and getting a 1981 Nautical Almanac from the start to study with.