The Proper Usage of LAPWARE in Studying For Your Exams



LAPWARE requires two plug-ins and one program to be installed on your computer. On the main screen, , prior to logging in, scroll down to the bottom of the screen to find the plug-ins required or click on the links below. HOWEVER, the plug-ins should be installed BEFORE you login to LAPWARE. The new Mac Book Pro using Safari or Fire Fox runs fine.

1. Adobe Acrobat Reader – latest version – should be installed on your computer to view PDF files – solutions, reference materials and, soon, diagrams. This program is FREE from Adobe.



2. Macro Media Flash plug-in allows you to view the LAPWARE REVIEW QUESTIONS screen. This can be properly installed while you are on the Internet.



3. Copy Safe Pro plug-in allows you to view the solutions in PDF format which cannot be printed. However, to install this plug-in you must DOWNLOAD it and save it to your hard drive, EXIT Internet Explorer and then click on Start, Run and find the location where you saved the file. Launch the file to install the plug-in. You can then restart Internet Explorer and run LAPWARE.



It is strongly recommended that you use Internet Explorer as your Internet browser. We know that version 7 works. Version 8.0 has been reported to have their bugs fixed but we have yet to try it out. A report from one user stated that version 8.0 works fine. Other browsers, such as Fire Fox, have been reported to cause problems although some users have reported they got it to work.

After logging into LAPWARE, PLEASE download the “Student’s Two Page Instruction Flyer” from the DOWNLOAD menu option in LAPWARE. While on this DOWNLOAD screen get any other files you deem appropriate.

Normally, the INFORMATION menu option contains, at the top, a list of the most recent changes made to LAPWARE. PLEASE read this section or review it weekly for the most up to date information about LAPWARE. If the date has changed, a posting has usually been made.

LAPWARE is a TEST STUDY PROGRAM. It is NOT a TRAINING program. You should have been trained for the level of license you will be sitting for, hopefully to a higher level, IF YOUR INSTRUCTOR(S) did their job properly. LAPWARE is designed to do one thing and one thing only, PREPARE YOU FOR THE TEST the USCG-NMC will give you. NOTHING MORE!

LAPWARE is a very powerful study tool IF used properly. Purchasing of LAPWARE well in advance of your sitting for your license exams is highly recommended as the NMC database does contain over 15,500 questions, not all of which might apply to your license exams.

Recommended Study Procedures:

1) Review the books and questions for your license exam IF we have that code listed, otherwise,

2) You will have to review ALL of the questions if you do not know which subjects are applicable to your exam (the CFR or Excel spread sheet we have reviewed under the DOWNLOAD menu to get a better guide you need to study for your license).

3) When we say review the books – we mean ALL of the books applicable to your license exam and their questions and solutions. Questions are updated every so often by NMC and LAPWARE is the only program attempting to keep abreast of NMC changes.

4) FINALLY, after reviewing the questions thoroughly, start generating and taking tests.

REVIEW QUESTIONS:

Let’s assume you are studying for Exam Code 19DR – Mate – OICNW – NMT 1600 T - Oceans

From the NMC Deck Guide Book you can see the Exam Code and Test Templates required for this license exam. You can download the Deck Guide Book from LAPWARE or from the NMC website.

Upon going into the REVIEW QUESTIONS screen REMEMBER to read the DISCLAIMER. Select the Book/Section desired using the list box (or down arrow) on the left. Using the right list box select, for example, the Exam Code 19DR by scrolling down the list to find it. Select your Exam Code and click OK. If your Exam Code is NOT listed it is because we have not received enough information/feedback to generate ALL of the Test Templates, and thus the Exam Code. After clicking on OK you will see the REVIEW QUESTIONS screen for the book selected. On top will be displayed the license you are studying for and the total number of questions listed, which as the disclaimer states, is an educated guess. NMC-USCG has the right to add or subtract categories to the test templates as they deem necessary.

One would think that NMC would at least notify the mariners and schools of any such changes to the license exam requirements, but that cannot always be guaranteed. The 49 CFR Table 11.910-2 – Endorsement Codes link is below. We have loaded an EXCEL spread sheet in the DOWNLOAD menu that let’s you enter a number referencing the license exam you are studying for. All study categories will be highlighted for your benefit, OR you can go to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (link is below) and look up your study categories.



TEST GENERATION AND TAKING OF EXAMS

Since test(s) can be generated by Instructors and Students, some feel that by repeatedly taking tests they will be prepared for the license exam. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Studying all of the questions necessary for your Exam Code is critical. Simply jumping in and taking tests on the required test templates, does not allow you to fully review all of the questions you may see on your exam. For example, if Rules of the Road contains 1272 questions and you generate 5 tests of 50 questions each and you get 100% on each of the exams that simply tells you that you know 250 out of the 1272 questions or 19.65% of the questions, if none of the questions were repeated in each exam. This is NOT satisfactory, especially for a 90% passing grade. If you miss more than 5 questions on the Rules exam you fail the test. Test taking should ONLY be done AFTER you have reviewed all of the questions in the database for each book for the level license you are studying for.

GENERATE TEMPLATE TEST

From the Coast Guard REC or NMC, who ever has your files and approved of your sitting for a license exam, you should have received a letter stating which test templates or exam code you will be taking. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you have this letter so you know what areas need to be studied. If you do not have this letter, please request one from the USCG. Once you have studied all books and applicable questions, you can now consider going to the Main Menu and select Generate Test Template. You can scroll down and see if LAPWARE contains the Test Template(s) you need to study. IF your Student license is under the authority of a school you will ONLY see those test templates the Instructor created for you. However, if you purchased LAPWARE on your own, you will see the license exam test templates created by the LAPWARE administrators. Select from the list provided the desired test template from which to generate your test and answer sheet. The Chart Plot is a unique test and therefore is listed under Generate Chart Plot on the main menu. Remember that some Chart Navigation sections could possibly include additional subject matter. LAPWARE will display these additional required chart plot questions under the Generate Test Template menu option for these templates.

The GENERATE TEMPLATE TEST creates test questions from templates within LAPWARE by randomly selecting a number of questions as desired from a pool of questions for that category as entered in the creation of the test template. There should NEVER be a duplicate question on a test BUT there might be similar questions – ones where the distracters are the same, but scrambled or slightly different. If you are so authorized by your instructor, an answer sheet will be generated for the test as well. PLEASE realize that ONLY ONE TEST (with an answer sheet) can be generated at a time by students. The next generated test/answer sheet will overwrite the previous one. However, you do have the capability of saving or printing the test and answer sheet as PDF files before generating the next test. A Study Test can be retaken but a (Real) Test can only be taken once. Finally, remember, based upon the design of the test template and the number of questions the NMC has in that category will determine whether additional exams created from the same test template will show the same questions. If a test template category has only 6 questions that require 4 questions from the 6, one can expect to see duplicates on each test created. This is just the nature of the NMC database. In some cases there is just ONE (1) question to a category. If that category is selected for a test template you will ALWAYS see that question on the test. If, however, you are creating a test from one of the license exam test templates that we generated, as administrators, and you see numerous duplicate questions please send us an email and specify the test template name/number so we can verify what you have found and report back to you on the situation or make corrections.

GENERATE CHART PLOT

The GENERATE CHART PLOT must be used to create chart plots since these are designed differently. You must first select whether you want a Management Level, Operational Level or Operational Level: Limited License chart plot. The Management Level is for Chief Mates and Masters and contains 9 chart plot questions plus one additional question, usually dealing with Geographic and/or Luminous Range. The Operational Level is for 3rd or 2nd Mates (AGT, 500T, or 1600T) and contains 15 chart plot questions plus five additions questions generated under a separate test template name using GENERATE TEMPLATE TEST. The Operational Level: Limited License covers the Mississippi River plots (Western Rivers) are still being posted and contain 10 questions per chart plot. Only 26 out of 54 Mississippi River plots presently exist in LAPWARE. This will be corrected as soon as possible. The 100T chart plot test is found under the GENERATE TEMPLATE TEST since these questions are randomly generated from 10 different categories.

A chart plot is based upon a specific navigation area (Block Island Sound, Eastern Long Island or Chesapeake Bay) which LAPWARE will select either randomly or you can select manually. The tests for that level and navigation area can then be selected randomly or manually. Once the first question is selected for the level and area desired ALL remaining questions MUST be associated with this first question since they are interrelated. This applies to all chart plots except the 100 Ton license exam which selects 10 random questions from 10 or more different categories. Again, the 100T chart plot is found under the GENERATE TEMPLATE TEST menu option.

CHART PLOT SOLUTION REVIEW:

All Operational and Management level chart plots are being solved and posted. LAPWARE is the ONLY software program that we know of that has taken on this challenge.

To see the solution for a chart plot (if posted), use either the INFORMATION menu option (item #4 which lists the first USCG ID question number for all chart plots) or the GENERATE CHART PLOT menu option to determine the chart plot’s USCG ID first question number desired. The full 15 or 9 questions solution is ONLY posted under the first question number in the plot. Each additional plot question will have its individual solution displayed if you just need to see that solution. Remember, solutions are cannot be printed or saved.

With the chart plot USCG ID question number, go to the REVIEW QUESTIONS screen. Select for Book Navigation Problems, All Questions and click GO. When all questions are displayed, click on QUESTION FILTERS and enter at the bottom of the pop-up box the Go To A Coast Guard Question Number and click on GO TO! After the desired question is displayed, in the lower left corner of the screen, below distracter D, will also be displayed the SOLUTION button, if a solution has been posted for that plot. Click on SOLUTION and it will be loaded and displayed. The first question has all 15 or 9 question solutions and can be up to 2 to 3 megabytes in size. Please be patient while it loads which will depend upon your internet access speed. All other chart plot questions just have their individual question solution and should load faster.

PLEASE NOTE that solutions to other book math problems can be displayed using the same principle above for that book or category. You can use the QUESTION FILTER box to filter to the area you need to review so you can concentrate your study efforts on areas of weakness.

SUMMARY:

LAPWARE was designed for merchant mariners to be able to study for, NOT BE TRAINED FOR, the USCG-NMC license exam, which has approximately 15,500 multiple choice questions. LAPWARE is the most powerful license preparation tool on the market that we know of containing ALL solutions for math problems and being the ONLY software attempting to solve and post all math and chart plot solutions. We continue our efforts to make it even better and more powerful. Numerous enhancements are being proposed and implemented and these will be posted on the INFORMATION screen after you log in. Please review this screen weekly for updates.

Training the mariner is the INSTRUCTOR’S responsibility, not ours! All instructors stating that LAPWARE should be forcing students to review ALL questions are misguided. THAT IS THEIR responsibility in teaching/training the mariner. LAPWARE is a license preparation tool for taking the USCG-NMC license exam – plain and simple! If users are using it otherwise, they are incorrect.

NOT ALL TEST TEMPLATES OR EXAM CODES ARE INCLUDED IN LAPWARE. Feedback from users is needed in these areas and will be so noted next to the test template name.

Soon, we will be adding the ENGINEERING database to LAPWARE. It is in the development stage and being BETA tested. A few changes need to be made to the program because of the difference between Deck and Engine exams (no chart plots, Engineering diagrams are so detailed they need to be displayed in PDF format, etc., and many really need to be redrawn). All of these are being looked at and, as soon as we can, all users and schools will be notified of the availability of the Engineering database in LAPWARE.

A reference CD is also being considered that will contain ALL reference materials used in the exam room as well as the charts, maneuvering boards, plotting sheets, formulas used on the exam, etc. This also is a major undertaking but will benefit the mariner who wishes to study while at sea. Remember, tests and answer sheets can be downloaded, saved and/or printed for future use while at sea or away from a computer or not having Internet access.

Any comments or recommendations, PRO or CON, are all read and reviewed. In the last eight years of operation only 3 to 4 recommendations for improvements have been submitted which we had not previously thought of, so please keep your ideas coming in as to how we can improve LAPWARE. As can be seen, quite a bit of thought, design, engineering and discussion has gone into creating LAPWARE. And the future holds an even more powerful program. We just have to wait to show you what our plans are once we fully develop them.

We wish you luck on your license exams and please spread the word about how useful LAPWARE is since we do NOT advertise. Thanks for your purchase and support of LAPWARE.

Richard Plant and Captain Joseph Murphy

OUR MOTTO

“NO ONE DOES IT BETTER!”

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