Free Practice Questions for Fartygsbefäl klass VIII

Exam-style questions and explanations by OpenExamPrep.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card

100+ Questions

100% Free

Loading practice questions...

Same family resources

Explore More Swedish Maritime Certificates of Competency (Transportstyrelsen)

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

Swedish Chief Engineer Officer — Sjöingenjör (STCW III/2, Transportstyrelsen)

Practice Questions100 questions

Swedish Engineer Officer Class VIII — Maskinbefälsexamen klass VIII (Transportstyrelsen)

Practice Questions100 questions

Swedish Master Mariner — Sjökapten (STCW II/2, Transportstyrelsen)

Practice Questions100 questions

Swedish Ship's Officer Class VII — Fartygsbefäl klass VII (Transportstyrelsen)

Practice Questions100 questions

Sample Fartygsbefäl klass VIII Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Fartygsbefäl klass VIII exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1The compass rose on a Swedish chart shows variation (missvisning) 5°00'E for 2020 with an annual change of 6'E. What variation should you apply in 2026?

A.4°24'E

B.5°06'E

C.5°36'E

D.6°12'E

Explanation: Six years have passed since 2020, so the change is 6 × 6' = 36' in the stated easterly direction. Adding it to 5°00'E gives 5°36'E. Always update the charted variation to the year of the passage before converting between true and magnetic courses.

2You steer compass course (Kk) 075°. Deviation on this heading is 3°E and variation is 4°E. What is the true course (Rv)?

A.068°

B.074°

C.076°

D.082°

Explanation: Going from compass to true, easterly errors are added: 075° + 3° + 4° = 082°. A simple check is that both errors are easterly, so the true course must be larger than the compass course.

3Crossing a charted leading line (enslinje) with a true direction of 149°, you read 142° on the steering compass. Variation is 4°E. What is the deviation on this heading?

A.3°E

B.3°W

C.7°E

D.7°W

Explanation: First remove variation: magnetic bearing = 149° − 4°E = 145°. The compass shows 142°, so the compass reads 3° low; deviation is therefore 3°E (magnetic = compass + deviation). Leading lines are the classic way to check deviation in pilotage waters.

4Your vessel makes 12 knots over the ground. How long will it take to cover 4.6 nautical miles between two fairway marks?

A.23 minutes

B.18 minutes

C.27 minutes

D.32 minutes

Explanation: Time = distance ÷ speed = 4.6 ÷ 12 = 0.383 h, and 0.383 × 60 ≈ 23 minutes. A useful check is that 12 knots is 1 nautical mile every 5 minutes, so 4.6 NM takes about 23 minutes.

5You want to make good a course of 270°. A southerly wind gives an estimated leeway (avdrift) of 5°, pushing the vessel to the north. Which true course should you steer?

A.260°

B.265°

C.270°

D.275°

Explanation: Heading west, a wind from the south pushes the vessel to starboard (north). To make good 270° you must steer into the wind by the leeway angle: 270° − 5° = 265°.

6Your chart and the water-level forecast both refer to RH 2000 (Baltic Sea Chart Datum 2000). A shoal is charted at 2.7 m and the current water level is −20 cm. What depth should you assume over the shoal?

A.2.5 m

B.2.9 m

C.2.7 m

D.2.3 m

Explanation: When the chart and the water level share the same reference level, actual depth = charted depth + water level = 2.7 m + (−0.20 m) = 2.5 m. Sjöfartsverket uses this exact example to explain the move to RH 2000 / BSCD2000 in Swedish charts.

7In IALA Region A, which applies in Swedish waters, what does a red lateral mark with one broad green horizontal band indicate?

A.The preferred channel is to port

B.An isolated danger with navigable water all round

C.The preferred channel is to starboard

D.Safe water at the fairway centre

Explanation: A modified port-hand mark (red with a green band) shows where a channel divides. Treat it as a port-hand mark for the preferred channel, so the preferred channel lies to starboard.

8Which topmark and light rhythm identify an east cardinal mark?

A.Cones point up; continuous Q or VQ

B.Cones base to base; Q(3) 10 s or VQ(3) 5 s

C.Cones point down; Q(6)+LFl 15 s or VQ(6)+LFl 10 s

D.Cones point to point; Q(9) 15 s or VQ(9) 10 s

Explanation: An east cardinal mark has two black cones base to base and shows three flashes, like 3 o'clock on a clock face: Q(3) every 10 s or VQ(3) every 5 s. Pass it on its east side.

9Heading toward a sector light at night, you leave the white sector and enter the green sector. What does this normally mean in Swedish waters?

A.You are off the lit fairway to starboard; alter to port

B.You are off the lit fairway to port; alter to starboard

C.You are on the fairway centre line; hold your course

D.You are in the obscured sector; the light is unreliable

Explanation: In Swedish sector lights the white sector marks the fairway. Approaching the light, the red sector lies to port and the green sector to starboard, so entering green means you have drifted to starboard and should come back to port into the white.

10You steer 090° (true) at 6.0 knots through the water. The current sets 180° at 1.5 knots. What is your approximate course over ground?

A.090°

B.076°

C.118°

D.104°

Explanation: The current pushes the vessel south at 1.5 knots while it moves east at 6.0 knots. The drift angle is arctan(1.5 ÷ 6.0) ≈ 14°, and because the set is to starboard of the heading the course over ground is about 090° + 14° = 104°.

About the Fartygsbefäl klass VIII Exam

Fartygsbefälsexamen klass VIII is Sweden's entry-level commercial skipper qualification. With a valid seafarer medical certificate it allows you to command a vessel of 6 m or more and under 20 GT carrying up to 12 passengers in inshore waters (inre fart); with qualifying deck service it leads to the Fartygsbefäl klass VIII certificate for larger inshore vessels. The training follows TSFS 2011:116 Bilaga 3 and ends in a written exam in Swedish. This independent bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation, not an official translation or exam simulation.

Exam sponsor: Transportstyrelsen (rules and certificates); exams by approved providers and sjöfartshögskola examiners. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Approved course of at least 100 lessons (40 minutes each) under TSFS 2011:116 Bilaga 3: A1 navigation 24, A2 radar 10, B environment and ship technology 22, C1–C4 safety 32, D emergency procedures 8 (including the VHF certificate test) and E maritime law 4, followed by a written theoretical exam.

Time Limit

Not set nationally (one approved provider: under 4 hours)

Passing Score

Not published

Exam / Certification Fees

Set by the provider or examiner (about SEK 1,375–1,600 in 2026); SEK 1,000 to apply for the certificate

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

24%

Bridge duties — navigation (Del A1)

Charts and publications, compass correction, position fixing, electronic aids, meteorology, collision regulations, watchkeeping and passage planning.

10%

Bridge duties — radar (Del A2)

Radar principles and performance, radar navigation in fairways, and determining other vessels' course, speed and CPA.

22%

Environment and ship technology (Del B)

Stability basics, passenger and cargo placement, manoeuvring in inshore waters, marine environment, partial loss of buoyancy and machinery systems.

Safety — fire protection (Del C1)

Fire triangle, fire types, fire organisation, spread of fire and extinguishing agents and methods.

Safety — health care (Del C2)

Anatomy basics, circulation and respiration, ABC first aid, transport of injured persons and hypothermia.

Safety — personal safety (Del C3)

Emergencies, personal life-saving equipment, liferafts, pyrotechnics, evacuation and drills.

Passenger safety (Del C4)

Guiding passengers, preventing panic, lifejackets, passenger lists, clear orders, searching the vessel and assisting persons with disabilities.

Emergency procedures (Del D)

Distress signals and VHF traffic, action after collision or grounding, GMDSS and SAR, SART and EPIRB.

Maritime law (Del E)

Seafarer, safety and environmental legislation and chapters 1, 6, 18 and 20 of Sjölagen.

Preparing for the Fartygsbefäl klass VIII Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Not published
Assessment: Approved course of at least 100 lessons (40 minutes each) under TSFS 2011:116 Bilaga 3: A1 navigation 24, A2 radar 10, B environment and ship technology 22, C1–C4 safety 32, D emergency procedures 8 (including the VHF certificate test) and E maritime law 4, followed by a written theoretical exam.
Time limit: Not set nationally (one approved provider: under 4 hours)
Exam / certification fees: Set by the provider or examiner (about SEK 1,375–1,600 in 2026); SEK 1,000 to apply for the certificate Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

Work through all 100 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Fartygsbefäl klass VIII: Suggested Study Strategy

1Practise compass conversions both ways and check deviation on leading lines (enslinjer), always updating chart variation to the current year.

2Learn the Swedish sector-light convention: approaching the light, red is to port, white marks the fairway and green is to starboard.

3Work through stability basics: how passengers on the upper deck, slack tanks, ice and water on deck reduce GM, and how to estimate GM from the roll period.

4Rehearse the MAYDAY message order and the DSC distress alert, since Del D includes the VHF certificate test.

5Read Sjölagen 6 kap. 1 and 6 §§ and 20 kap. 4 § yourself: seaworthiness, the duty to assist and the 0.2 per mille sjöfylleri limit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Fartygsbefälsexamen klass VIII allow you to do?

Transportstyrelsen states that operating a vessel of 6 m or more and under 20 GT with at most 12 passengers in inshore waters (inre fart) requires at least Fartygsbefälsexamen klass VIII (or the older skepparexamen) and a valid seafarer medical certificate. With qualifying deck service you can apply for the Fartygsbefäl klass VIII certificate, which covers larger vessels in inre fart.

Which regulation sets the course content?

TSFS 2011:116 Bilaga 3 sets the minimum content: navigation, radar, environment and ship technology, fire protection, health care, personal and passenger safety, emergency procedures and maritime law, about 100 lessons of 40 minutes. TSFS 2026:17, in force from 15 March 2026, removed the medical-certificate entry requirement but kept the content.

How is the exam taken, and is the pass mark published?

After the course you take a written theoretical exam on site, either with the approved provider or with an external examiner at a sjöfartshögskola. Transportstyrelsen does not publish a national item count, time limit or pass mark; providers set these, and one states the exam takes under 4 hours.

Is this practice bank an official Swedish exam?

No. It is independent practice by OpenExamPrep. The official exam is in Swedish and may use open answers and chartwork; this bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation of the Bilaga 3 topics, not an official translation or format simulation.