Try the full study dashboard free, no signup: practice, flashcards and your Exam Readiness Score. Open it →
ABYCExamPrep
Start free
Home / Practice tests / NMEA NMET
NMEA · Last updated November 2026

National Marine Electronics Technician (NMET): free practice test

The NMET exam is identical to the CMET exam: the same experience-based questions on installing, troubleshooting and repairing marine electronics, drawn from one pool. The difference is that NMET does not require the FCC Element 1, 3 and 8 licenses, so NMETs may not repair VHF, SSB or radar transmitters. Topics include the NMEA 0400 standard, radar, satcom, GPS, autopilots, AIS, VHF and DSC, SSB, NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000, Ethernet, transducers and power distribution.

Start the free 15-question testRead the study guide

Watch the free 4:19 video lesson: the key NMEA NMET concepts →

Premium: 3,000 practice questions, 6 full mock exams, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes, topic by topic. See the study path ·

Or open the free NMEA NMET study dashboard: flashcards, notes and your Readiness Score, no signup →

About the NMEA NMET exam

The NMET exam is identical to the CMET exam: the same experience-based questions on installing, troubleshooting and repairing marine electronics, drawn from one pool. The difference is that NMET does not require the FCC Element 1, 3 and 8 licenses, so NMETs may not repair VHF, SSB or radar transmitters. Topics include the NMEA 0400 standard, radar, satcom, GPS, autopilots, AIS, VHF and DSC, SSB, NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000, Ethernet, transducers and power distribution.

What's on the exam

NMEA NMET
NMEA 0400 Installation Practice
7 key facts
Power Distribution and Electrical Principles
7 key facts
Marine Networks: NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000 and Ethernet
7 key facts
Radar and RF Principles
7 key facts
Navigation Sensors and Autopilots
7 key facts
Communications: VHF, DSC, AIS, SSB and Satcom
7 key facts
Displays, Wi-Fi, Computers and Sat TV
7 key facts
Transducers and Hydroacoustics
7 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 NMEA NMET exam

  • You get 48 seconds a question. Read the last line of a troubleshooting stem first so you know whether it asks for a cause, a first step or a fix.
  • Because the pool is shared with CMET, FCC-style radio and radar theory still appears even though NMET doesn't require the licenses. Don't skip RF principles.
  • The NMEA 0400 Installation Standard is the only text NMEA names. Know its wiring, routing, sealing and documentation practices well enough to apply them to any device.
  • Your retake must be within 60 days and is included in the fee; after a failed retake you wait 12 months from the first attempt and pay again, so sit when ready.

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.

Take the test first

What's in the premium NMEA NMET prep

Premium NMEA NMET 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, 150 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 8 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    NMEA 0400 Installation Practice8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Power Distribution and Electrical Principles8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Marine Networks: NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000 and Ethernet8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Radar and RF Principles8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Navigation Sensors and Autopilots7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Communications: VHF, DSC, AIS, SSB and Satcom7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Displays, Wi-Fi, Computers and Sat TV7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. 8
    Transducers and Hydroacoustics7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  9. Final step: 6 full mock exams150 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
    Premium
Free with an account

Read the complete NMEA NMET study notes for “NMEA 0400 Installation Practice”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 13 minutes of reading: Planning the installation · Penetrations and sealing · Cable support and protection · Commissioning and documentation, 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.

Open the free dashboard

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 new radar cable enters the cabin through the top of a hardtop. Which installation best prevents water from following the cable inside?
Answer: A sealed cable gland with a drip loop below it. A rated deck gland seals the penetration and a drip loop below it makes water running down the cable drip off before the entry. Silicone in a loose hole fails as the cable moves, and grommets or vented covers aren't watertight. Seal every exterior penetration and protect the hull core around it.
2. An NMEA 2000 drop cable must pass through a sharp-edged hole in a fiberglass bulkhead behind the helm. What does good installation practice require?
Answer: Protect it with a grommet or chafe guard. Cables passing through bulkheads or over edges need chafe protection, such as a grommet, split loom or edge guard, plus support so they can't vibrate against the edge. Tape wears through quickly, and tying a cable against an edge concentrates wear. Length has nothing to do with chafe risk.
3. With the MFD running, battery voltage is 12.6 V but only 11.4 V reaches the MFD terminals. What should the technician do next?
Answer: Voltage-drop test each connection under load. A 1.2 V loss is about 9.5%, far over the 3% target, and the usual cause is one high-resistance connection, fuse holder or switch. Measuring the drop across each part of the positive and negative paths under load finds it. Upsizing wire hides a bad crimp, and fuse rating doesn't change voltage drop.
4. A transducer gateway is 8 m from the nearest NMEA 2000 backbone tee. How should it be connected?
Answer: Extend the backbone and use a short drop. NMEA 2000 limits any single drop to 6 m, so the backbone should be extended (moving the terminator to the new end) and the device connected with a short drop. Joining drops still makes one 8 m drop. Every drop also counts toward the 78 m cumulative limit.
5. Where should the shield (drain wire) of an NMEA 2000 network be connected to the vessel's ground?
Answer: At the power insertion point only. The shield is continuous through the backbone and grounded at one point, normally where network power is inserted. Grounding it at several points creates ground loops that carry current along the shield and inject noise. A shield left completely floating gives no protection.
6. A GPS and a depth sounder are both wired as NMEA 0183 talkers into the single input of an older autopilot. Neither data stream works reliably. What is the correct fix?
Answer: Combine them through an NMEA 0183 multiplexer. NMEA 0183 allows one talker to several listeners, never two talkers on one input; their outputs collide and corrupt each other. A multiplexer (or a gateway from NMEA 2000) merges the sentences into one stream. Terminators belong to NMEA 2000, and matching baud rates doesn't stop the collision.
7. An owner complains the radar shows two buoys at the same range, 50 m apart, as one echo. Which change would most improve this?
Answer: Fit a longer open-array antenna. Targets at the same range but different bearings are separated by bearing discrimination, set by horizontal beamwidth, and a longer antenna gives a narrower beam. Longer pulses worsen range resolution, more gain enlarges echoes, and height only extends the horizon.
8. During sea trials, a buoy dead ahead visually appears 5 degrees to starboard of the radar's heading line. The heading sensor is accurate. What should be adjusted?
Answer: The radar's bearing alignment. A fixed bearing offset between the visual and radar picture with an accurate heading source is corrected with bearing (heading-line) alignment in installation setup. Timing adjustment affects range, not bearing. Changing deviation would make the compass wrong to hide a radar alignment problem.
9. In calm water, a newly commissioned hydraulic autopilot holds course but weaves in a steady S-pattern, overshooting each correction. What is the most likely adjustment?
Answer: Reduce the rudder gain. Weaving with overshoot means each heading error is getting too much rudder: rudder gain is too high. Reducing it (and checking counter rudder) steadies the boat. Too little gain gives slow, lazy corrections instead. Alarms and GPS offsets don't affect the steering loop.
10. On a steel trawler, the magnetic heading sensor gives erratic readings that calibration can't fix. Which heading source is best for the autopilot and radar overlay?
Answer: A satellite compass with two GNSS antennas. A satellite compass derives true heading from the phase difference between two GNSS antennas, so the steel hull doesn't affect it, and it outputs at autopilot rates. COG is not heading and fails at low speed or in current. A rate gyro alone drifts without a heading reference.
11. A newly installed SSB's automatic antenna tuner cannot find a match on most bands, and transmit range is poor. The backstay antenna checks out. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: A poor or missing RF ground plane connection. An MF/HF whip or backstay antenna works against an RF ground, the counterpoise, connected to the tuner by wide copper strap. Without a good ground plane the tuner cannot match and efficiency collapses. Coax length between radio and tuner matters little because the tuner sits at the antenna base.
12. A Class B AIS transponder receives targets, but other vessels can't see the boat. The unit reports no position fix, although the MFD shows a good GPS position over NMEA 2000. What is the fix?
Answer: Connect the transponder's own GNSS antenna. Class B transponders must use their internal GNSS receiver for the position they transmit; an external position doesn't count. Without its own antenna the unit won't transmit position reports. A splitter or MMSI change won't help because reception already works and the fault is the fix.
13. A yacht owner can barely hold the marina's Wi-Fi from inside the saloon. Which installation gives the biggest improvement?
Answer: An external antenna mounted high, with short cable. Range depends on the antenna's height and line of sight, and RF is lost in cable, so a high external antenna with a short run (often an all-in-one unit with Ethernet down to the router) works best. 5 GHz has shorter range than 2.4 GHz, and an internal router can't see through the cabin any better.
14. A customer wants a through-hull depth and temperature transducer fitted to an aluminum workboat. Which housing is appropriate?
Answer: Plastic or stainless steel, isolated from the hull. Bronze in an aluminum hull sets up severe galvanic corrosion of the hull, so use plastic or stainless steel housings isolated from the aluminum. Anodes or bonding don't make the mismatch safe. The opposite rule applies to wooden hulls: avoid plastic, because swelling wood can crack it.
15. A paddlewheel speed log reads about 10% low against GPS speed over ground. How should it be calibrated?
Answer: Compare against SOG on reciprocal runs in slack water. Speed through water should be calibrated against SOG only when current is negligible, using runs in both directions and averaging to cancel any current or wind. Then set the calibration factor. Check the paddlewheel is clean and free first, but replacement isn't the first step for a consistent offset.

Get the full NMEA NMET prep

Most popular · cancel anytime

Premium Monthly

$147/month
per exam
About $4.83 a day · less than an hour of shop time, for the certification customers and insurers look for
  • One ABYC exam of your choice: any of the 10 certifications, from Marine Electrical to USCG Regulations
  • 3,000 practice questions + 6 full mock exams per exam
  • 800 flashcards + 60 key notes per exam, by topic, plus mind maps
  • Spaced repetition + mistakes bank
  • Readiness Score & detailed reports
  • Video lessons as they release
  • Content updates during your access
  • 5 bonuses: numbers and formulas sheet, standards map, study planner and more
  • Pass Guarantee: complete the prep, pass or 100% back

Renews monthly until you cancel. Cancel in two clicks from your account; you keep access until the end of the month you've paid for. No minimum term.

Best value · 3 months free

Premium Yearly

$1,323/year
per exam
Pay for 9 months, get 12. Save $441 against paying monthly.
  • One ABYC exam of your choice: any of the 10 certifications, from Marine Electrical to USCG Regulations
  • 3,000 practice questions + 6 full mock exams per exam
  • 800 flashcards + 60 key notes per exam, by topic, plus mind maps
  • Spaced repetition + mistakes bank
  • Readiness Score & detailed reports
  • Video lessons as they release
  • Content updates during your access
  • 5 bonuses: numbers and formulas sheet, standards map, study planner and more
  • Pass Guarantee: complete the prep, pass or 100% back

Renews once a year until you cancel. We email you before each renewal. Cancel any time from your account; you keep access until the end of the year you've paid for.

Pass Guarantee. Complete the full prep, sit your exam within 60 days, and if you don't pass we refund 100% of your subscription payments. See the requirements
Secure checkout by Stripe Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay Pass Guarantee

NMEA NMET exam FAQ

How many questions are on the NMEA NMET exam?

150 multiple-choice questions, drawn from the same pool of nearly 500 as the CMET exam, with a time limit of 2 hours. Format: closed book, proctored multiple choice; a standard calculator is allowed. prerequisites: current amei and advanced nmea 2000 certificates at the time of the exam. no fcc licenses are required.

What is the passing score for NMEA NMET?

80% (120 of 150).

How much does the NMEA NMET exam cost?

US$100 for NMEA members, US$300 for non-members, including one retake within 60 days. Renewal every 5 years: US$100 for a 50-question online test. ABYC charges members less than nonmembers, so confirm current fees with ABYC before you book.

Which languages is the NMEA NMET exam offered in?

English (NMEA does not publish other language options).

Where do I take the NMEA NMET exam?

Proctored by NMEA: online with NMEA staff, by mail to a library, learning center or college you nominate, at the NMEA Conference, or at the NMEA office in Severna Park, Maryland. Book at least 2 weeks ahead.

Is this NMEA NMET 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 NMEA NMET prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium NMEA NMET prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (NMEA 0400 Installation Practice: 375; Power Distribution and Electrical Principles: 375; Marine Networks: NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000 and Ethernet: 375; Radar and RF Principles: 375; Navigation Sensors and Autopilots: 375; Communications: VHF, DSC, AIS, SSB and Satcom: 375; Displays, Wi-Fi, Computers and Sat TV: 375; Transducers and Hydroacoustics: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 150 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 8 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

Related practice tests

NMEA

Certified Marine Electronics Technician (CMET)

NMEA's highest certification for marine electronics technicians.

15 free questions3,000 premium Qs · 6 mocks · 800 flashcards · 60 key notes
Start free test →
NMEA

Basic Marine Electronics Installer (BMEI)

NMEA's entry-level installer certificate, showing a working knowledge of the NMEA 0400 Installation Standard.

15 free questions3,000 premium Qs · 6 mocks · 800 flashcards · 60 key notes
Start free test →
NMEA

Basic NMEA 2000 Installer (BN2K)

NMEA's entry-level NMEA 2000 credential for installers, earned by passing the exam at the end of a one-day class.

15 free questions3,000 premium Qs · 6 mocks · 800 flashcards · 60 key notes
Start free test →

Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. ABYC changes formats and fees, so confirm with National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) before you book. ABYCExamPrep is not affiliated with the American Boat & Yacht Council.

Start the free test