Boat Theory Exam day! (we passed!)

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We're taking the theory exam for the boat driving license this morning.



I have to admit I was feeling a bit anxious. Nico was reviewing the lessons right up until the last minute.

You just need to book an exam center close to you. For this session, there were only three of us: the two of us for the boat test and one person for the road test.


How does it work?

There are 40 questions, and you can only make up to 5 mistakes.

Unlike the road theory test, they don't inform you if there are multiple correct answers (a maximum of 2). It also lasts longer than the road exam.

You sit in front of an iPad with headphones. Then you get started.
You'll have about 2 questions to test the sound and the answering process.

You find out if you've passed or not 40 minutes after finishing.

You'll receive an email detailing the number of mistakes you made.

And yes, I passed! I only made 1 mistake. I expected to make more, but I nailed it. Nico made 3 mistakes.



After receiving the results, we forwarded them to our boat school to proceed with the final boat license. We should receive it within 4 to 6 weeks!

Any tips?

  • Now that I’ve been through it, I can say that the online training tests fromLoisirs-Nautic  are excellent. They really helped me learn quickly.

  • If you're feeling nervous, my advice is to ask for a pen and paper at the exam center.
    You can write during the exam (or even before). Jotting down the compass rose with the degrees and other information can relieve some additional stress.

How much does it cost?

You pay 30 euros per pax for the exam center. And you pay as many times as you need if you don't pass it the first time.

The one-day theory class +online preparation courses/online test access + half day practical class did cost around 365 euros per pax. 

Plus you have to pay for a Fiscal stamp 38 euros per pax.

The total cost per pax for a Boat driving license in France is 433 euros.

Do we really need to get a boat driving license in France?

In France, it’s not mandatory to have a boat license to navigate on a sailboat.
However, we still wanted to do it the right way, and it might help with insurance quotes.
Most importantly, we plan to sail outside of France, so it's best to get as much training as possible.

What's next?

Next, we’ll be taking the VHF exam! This is mandatory abroad. This time, we won’t take any classes; we’ll just register for the exam and cram using Loisir-Nautic.fr


Stay tuned for this next test!
Curiously, I'm less stressed out about it.






Location: Paris, France

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