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Yacht brokers · Last updated November 2026

Certified Professional Yacht Broker (CPYB): free practice test

The professional credential for yacht brokers in North America, run by YBAA. Candidates pass five assessments at 80% or higher: Laws and Regulations (20%), Technical Knowledge (30%), Yacht Broker's Responsibility (20%), Transactions (20%) and Ethics (10%). Certification is kept by completing 21 hours of continuing education every three years.

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About the CPYB Yacht Broker exam

The professional credential for yacht brokers in North America, run by YBAA. Candidates pass five assessments at 80% or higher: Laws and Regulations (20%), Technical Knowledge (30%), Yacht Broker's Responsibility (20%), Transactions (20%) and Ethics (10%). Certification is kept by completing 21 hours of continuing education every three years.

What's on the exam

CPYB Yacht Broker
US, State and Local Laws
8 key facts
International Law and US Federal Regulations
8 key facts
Yacht Design and Construction Materials
8 key facts
Marine Systems, Standards and Classifications
8 key facts
Marine Navigation and Terminology
7 key facts
Listing, Selling and Fiduciary Responsibilities
8 key facts
Contracts, Documents and Closing
8 key facts
Ethics
8 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the CPYB Yacht Broker exam

  • Each of the five assessments must reach 80% on its own, so a strong technical score cannot rescue a weak ethics score. Ethics is only 10% of the blueprint but it is a separate pass.
  • Technical Knowledge is the largest category at 30%. Brokers who came up through sales often need the most review on hull construction, marine systems and classification.
  • Read the CPYB Code of Ethics article by article. Multiple offers, protecting another broker's negotiation and trust account handling are all covered specifically.
  • Your 30-day window starts when you receive your credentials, so finish The Guide or a YBAA study session before you ask to schedule.

Save your results and get your Readiness Score

Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the ABYC Numbers & Formulas Sheet.

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What's in the premium CPYB Yacht Broker prep

Premium CPYB Yacht Broker prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 50 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 8 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    US, State and Local Laws8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    International Law and US Federal Regulations8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Yacht Design and Construction Materials8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Marine Systems, Standards and Classifications8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Marine Navigation and Terminology7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Listing, Selling and Fiduciary Responsibilities7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Contracts, Documents and Closing7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. 8
    Ethics7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  9. Final step: 6 full mock exams50 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
    Premium
Free with an account

Read the complete CPYB Yacht Broker study notes for “US, State and Local Laws”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 15 minutes of reading: Who needs a license · Florida exemptions and qualifications · Bonds and trust accounts · Discipline and closing duties · Sale-of-goods law, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. A person in Florida negotiates the sale of a used 38-foot sportfish yacht for its owner and has no Florida yacht broker or salesperson license. Which circumstance would exempt that person from licensing under Florida's Yacht and Ship Brokers' Act?
Answer: The person is a receiver selling the yacht under a court order. Florida Statutes 326.004 exempts, among others, owners selling their own yachts, attorneys in their professional capacity, and receivers or trustees acting under court order. CPYB is a voluntary credential and never replaces a state license. Remember that the current Florida definition covers pleasure vessels over 32 feet, with no gross tonnage ceiling.
2. A buyer's US$95,000 deposit reaches a Florida brokerage on the day its trust account is being moved to a new bank. The principal proposes holding the money in the firm's operating account for two days. What is the correct course?
Answer: Deposit it in a qualifying trust account before any other step. Florida Statutes 326.005 requires a broker to place transaction funds in a trust account at a qualifying financial institution in Florida, and an intentional failure is a third-degree felony. Telling the parties or booking a liability does not cure commingling. CPYB eligibility also requires a dedicated trust account and client payments made to the firm, never to an individual broker.
3. A foreign-built, Marshall Islands-flagged motor yacht is in Fort Lauderdale on a valid CBP cruising license. The owner asks a US broker to advertise it to US residents and show it at the dock. What should the broker advise first?
Answer: The license does not cover this; customs entry must be resolved first. A cruising license relieves a qualifying foreign pleasure vessel of repeated entry and clearance formalities, and it assumes private use. CBP has ruled that offering such a yacht for sale or lease to a US resident requires a consumption entry and payment of duty. Bring in a customs broker early, because bond and foreign-trade-zone options exist and duty rates on boats have changed.
4. A buyer is comparing displacement cruising sailboats. One has a waterline length of 49 feet. Using the standard rule of thumb, what is its approximate theoretical hull speed?
Answer: 9.4 knots. Hull speed in knots is approximately 1.34 times the square root of waterline length in feet: 1.34 x 7 = 9.4 knots. Use waterline length, not length overall, which is the usual error. The rule applies to displacement hulls; planing hulls climb over their bow wave and are not limited this way.
5. A survey of a 1998 balsa-cored fiberglass hull finds high moisture readings and a dull sound on percussion around several below-waterline fittings. What does this most likely indicate for the buyer?
Answer: Water in the core, with possible rot and loss of panel stiffness. End-grain balsa soaks up water wherever a fitting penetrates the skin without being properly sealed, and a dull sound suggests the skin has separated from a wet core. Repair can mean cutting out the skin and replacing core, so it is a price and acceptance issue. A moisture meter alone only flags the area, so surveyors confirm with percussion and sometimes core samples.
6. A 28 m yacht is advertised as ready for commercial charter in the Mediterranean under the Cayman Islands flag. Which evidence should the broker obtain to support that claim?
Answer: Current certification under the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code. Red Ensign flags such as Cayman certify commercial yachts of 24 m load line length and over under the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code, the successor to the MCA Large Yacht Code. The EU Recreational Craft Directive and its CE categories cover recreational craft of 2.5 to 24 m hull length. A condition survey or ABYC letter says nothing about commercial certification.
7. A buyer asks how long a house bank will run an AC load. The bank is 800 Ah at 12 V, flooded lead-acid, and should be discharged no lower than 50%. The load is 1,200 W through an inverter. Ignoring inverter losses, about how long will it run?
Answer: 4 hours. Usable capacity at 50% depth of discharge is 400 Ah. A 1,200 W load at 12 V draws 100 A, so 400 / 100 = 4 hours. Answering 8 hours uses the full bank, which shortens lead-acid battery life. In practice inverter losses of around 10% or more reduce this further.
8. A motor yacht carries 500 gallons of usable fuel and burns 25 gallons per hour at 12 knots. The owner keeps a 10% fuel reserve. What is the cruising range at that speed?
Answer: 216 nautical miles. After the 10% reserve, 450 gallons are available. 450 / 25 = 18 hours, and 18 x 12 knots = 216 nautical miles. The figure of 240 ignores the reserve, and 248 is 216 converted to statute miles, which is wrong because knots are nautical miles per hour.
9. A Florida broker holds a listing, and a walk-in buyer with no broker asks the same broker to represent them on that yacht. What must happen before the broker may act for both sides?
Answer: Both the seller and the buyer must know and consent in writing. Under Florida Statutes 326.006, acting for both buyer and seller without the knowledge and written consent of both is grounds for suspension or revocation. A commission cut does not cure the conflict, and no one should give up a survey to make the deal work. Even with consent, the broker must still keep each side's negotiating position confidential.
10. A seller tells the listing broker that an exhaust riser cracked last season and was patched rather than replaced, and asks the broker not to mention it. A buyer then asks about the engine history. What should the broker do?
Answer: Tell the seller the known defect must be disclosed, or withdraw. Duty to the client does not extend to concealing a known material defect or lying to a buyer. CPYB ethics require disclosure of known defects affecting value or safety, and misrepresentation is grounds for discipline under state law. Refusing to comment after a direct question can itself mislead, so the broker should get the seller's agreement to disclose or end the listing.
11. A yacht is listed at US$1.25 million. The seller privately told the listing broker they would accept US$1.1 million. A buyer's broker calls asking for the lowest acceptable price. How should the listing broker respond?
Answer: Keep the figure confidential and invite a written offer to present. A seller's bottom line is confidential information covered by the fiduciary duties of loyalty and confidentiality, and it can only be released with the seller's authority. Saying the price is firm would be a false statement if the seller has said otherwise. The right move protects the position truthfully and gets an offer in writing for prompt presentation.
12. A yacht sells for US$1,450,000. The listing agreement sets a 10% commission, the listing and selling firms split it equally, and the selling firm pays its salesperson 60% of its side. How much does that salesperson earn?
Answer: $43,500. The total commission is US$145,000. The selling firm's half is US$72,500, and 60% of that is US$43,500. The figure of US$87,000 applies 60% to the whole commission before the co-brokerage split. Agree splits in writing before cooperating, since the CPYB Code expects them to be honored.
13. An abstract of title on a documented yacht shows no mortgage and no notice of claim of lien. Before a private sale closes, the listing broker learns a shipyard is owed US$48,000 for repairs done last month. What is the main risk?
Answer: The claim can be a maritime lien that follows the yacht after sale. Maritime liens for necessaries such as repairs arise without recording and stay with the vessel through a private sale. Only a court sale in an action in rem clears all claims, under 46 USC 31326. A clean abstract therefore does not prove the absence of liens, so get a payoff and release at closing, plus the seller's warranty against liens.
14. A purchase agreement lets the buyer accept or reject the yacht in writing by a set deadline after survey. The survey finds US$12,000 of defects, the buyer asks for a price reduction, and the seller has not answered by the day before the deadline. What should the buyer's broker do?
Answer: Secure a signed extension, or a written decision before the deadline. Contract dates run until changed in writing, and negotiation does not stop them. Missing the deadline can cost the buyer the rejection right or trigger the contract's default outcome. Get a signed amendment extending the date or a written acceptance or rejection in time. The CPYB Code expects commitments in yacht transactions to be in writing.
15. A buyer has submitted a signed offer and deposit through a selling broker. The buyer then calls the listing broker directly and asks to switch the negotiation to the listing firm. What does the CPYB Code of Ethics direct the listing broker to do?
Answer: Decline; the buyer may move to any firm except the listing firm. Once an offer has been transmitted with a deposit, negotiations have begun and the original broker's position is protected. The listing broker should not take over the negotiation, though the buyer may choose any firm other than the listing firm and can be given a list of other CPYB members. A later referral fee does not satisfy the Code.

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CPYB Yacht Broker exam FAQ

How many questions are on the CPYB Yacht Broker exam?

Five module assessments, one per Principal Knowledge Category; total question count not published by YBAA, confirm with YBAA, with a time limit of 3 hours in total per ybaa; all five assessments must be passed within 30 days of receiving exam credentials. Format: online and proctored. ybaa does not publish whether notes or the guide may be used, so confirm with ybaa. application also requires three references, two of them from cpyb holders.

What is the passing score for CPYB Yacht Broker?

80% or higher on each of the five assessments; pass or fail is shown immediately.

How much does the CPYB Yacht Broker exam cost?

US$325, non-refundable, including the exam and up to two retakes; The Guide is an optional extra. ABYC charges members less than nonmembers, so confirm current fees with ABYC before you book.

Which languages is the CPYB Yacht Broker exam offered in?

English (no other language published by YBAA).

Where do I take the CPYB Yacht Broker exam?

Online, proctored; candidates email YBAA to schedule after a two to three week application review.

Is this CPYB Yacht Broker practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full CPYB Yacht Broker prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium CPYB Yacht Broker prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (US, State and Local Laws: 375; International Law and US Federal Regulations: 375; Yacht Design and Construction Materials: 375; Marine Systems, Standards and Classifications: 375; Marine Navigation and Terminology: 375; Listing, Selling and Fiduciary Responsibilities: 375; Contracts, Documents and Closing: 375; Ethics: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 50 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 8 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

Related practice tests

Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. ABYC changes formats and fees, so confirm with Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA), which runs the CPYB program with partner associations before you book. ABYCExamPrep is not affiliated with the American Boat & Yacht Council.

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