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Marine surveyors · Last updated November 2026

SAMS Accredited Marine Surveyor (AMS): free practice test

The accreditation exam for experienced members of the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors. Candidates need 5 years of surveying in the past 10, must follow the SAMS Code of Ethics and Standards, and pass a written exam in their field. AMS members can add specialization designations by passing separate exams, such as Hull and Machinery, Cargo, Engines, Fishing Vessel or Tug and Barge.

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About the SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam

The accreditation exam for experienced members of the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors. Candidates need 5 years of surveying in the past 10, must follow the SAMS Code of Ethics and Standards, and pass a written exam in their field. AMS members can add specialization designations by passing separate exams, such as Hull and Machinery, Cargo, Engines, Fishing Vessel or Tug and Barge.

What's on the exam

SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor
Survey Types, Valuation and Professional Practice
7 key facts
Hull Structure, Laminates and Moisture Assessment
7 key facts
Boat Electrical Systems
7 key facts
Fuel, Propane and Ventilation
6 key facts
Gasoline and Diesel Engines
7 key facts
Through-Hulls, Safety Equipment and Navigation Lights
6 key facts
Corrosion and Cathodic Protection
7 key facts
Commercial Vessels: Hull and Machinery, Fishing Vessels, Tug and Barge
6 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 SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam

  • SAMS publishes little about the exam itself, so call headquarters early and ask for the format, length, pass mark and any reference list for your field.
  • Most AMS candidates sit the yachts and small craft field. Know the ABYC standards a surveyor cites most: E-11, H-24, A-1, H-27, E-2 and P-1.
  • Answer as a surveyor: identify what you see, the standard it fails, how serious it is, and what you would recommend.
  • Valuation and ethics questions are about reasoning, not numbers. Learn the fair market value definition and where conflicts of interest arise.

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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 SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor prep

Premium SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor 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
    Survey Types, Valuation and Professional Practice8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Hull Structure, Laminates and Moisture Assessment8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  3. 3
    Boat Electrical Systems8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Fuel, Propane and Ventilation8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Gasoline and Diesel Engines7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  6. 6
    Through-Hulls, Safety Equipment and Navigation Lights7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  7. 7
    Corrosion and Cathodic Protection7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. 8
    Commercial Vessels: Hull and Machinery, Fishing Vessels, Tug and Barge7 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.
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Read the complete SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor study notes for “Survey Types, Valuation and Professional Practice”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 14 minutes of reading: Types of survey · Valuation · The survey report · Ethics and independence, 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 buyer orders a condition and valuation survey on a 10-year-old 38-ft sportfisherman. What should the fair market value be based on primarily?
Answer: Recent sale prices of comparable boats, adjusted for condition and equipment. Fair market value is the most probable price between a willing buyer and a willing seller, so the main evidence is what comparable boats actually sold for, adjusted for condition, equipment and location. Asking prices are not sales, and replacement cost new is an insurance figure, not market value. State the sources and adjustments in the report.
2. You are surveying a boat for a buyer. The seller's broker, who regularly sends you work, offers you a fee for each survey you do on boats they list. What should you do?
Answer: Decline the fee, because it conflicts with your duty to your client. A payment from the other side of the transaction gives you an interest in the sale, which undermines the independence your client is paying for. Marine surveyor codes of ethics, including SAMS's, require surveyors to avoid conflicts of interest. Timing or sharing the fee doesn't remove the conflict.
3. Below the waterline of a 20-year-old fiberglass cruiser you find many small blisters. When opened, they release an acidic, vinegar-smelling liquid. What is the mechanism?
Answer: Water passing through the gelcoat forms a solution that draws in more water by osmosis. Water diffuses through the gelcoat and dissolves water-soluble substances in the laminate, forming a solution with higher osmotic pressure that pulls in more water and lifts the gelcoat. Report the size, density and depth of blisters (gelcoat only or into the laminate) and moisture readings after the hull has drained. Laminate is not a metal, so galvanic corrosion doesn't apply.
4. On an 18-ft outboard boat, the transom flexes visibly when you push the lower unit up and down, and moisture readings are high around the engine bracket bolts. What is the most likely condition?
Answer: A wet or rotted transom core from water entering at the bolt holes. Plywood transom cores rot when water enters at unsealed bolt holes, and the transom loses stiffness, which shows as visible flex under engine load. A sound transom shouldn't move noticeably. Report it as a structural deficiency and recommend an invasive check or core sample, with the owner's permission, before the engine is run hard.
5. A 12 V navigation light circuit draws 5 A. The lights are 40 ft of wire run from the panel (80 ft out and back). Using the ABYC formula CM = 10.75 × I × L ÷ E and the 3% voltage drop allowed for navigation lights, what is the smallest conductor that meets the limit? (12 AWG = 6,530 CM; 10 AWG = 10,380 CM; 8 AWG = 16,510 CM.)
Answer: 8 AWG. Allowed drop E = 3% of 12 V = 0.36 V, so CM = 10.75 × 5 × 80 ÷ 0.36 = 11,944 circular mils. 10 AWG (10,380 CM) is too small, so 8 AWG is needed. Using the one-way length or the 10% drop allowed for non-critical loads would give a smaller, noncompliant wire.
6. On a 2016 yacht, the ELCI on the shore power feeder trips whenever the electric water heater is switched on, but not with other loads. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: Leakage current from the heater element or its wiring to ground. An ELCI compares current in the hot and neutral conductors and trips when the imbalance reaches 30 mA, meaning current is leaking to ground. A failing heater element or a neutral-to-ground fault in its wiring is the usual cause. The ELCI is protecting people from electric shock drowning and must never be bypassed; low voltage doesn't create a ground leak.
7. A gasoline feed line runs from the tank to the engine through an enclosed inboard engine compartment. What type of fuel hose is required?
Answer: USCG Type A1 fuel hose. Type A hose is fire resistant, which is required in gasoline engine compartments, and the 1 means it is rated to carry liquid fuel continuously. A2 is fire resistant but meant for vapor service such as vents. B1 isn't fire resistant, and automotive hose isn't USCG-rated marine hose. Report the hose marking along with its condition.
8. A leaking aluminum fuel tank is removed. Its bottom had been set in foam with no drainage, and it is deeply pitted where water was held against it. What caused the failure?
Answer: Poultice corrosion from water trapped against the aluminum. Aluminum relies on an oxide film that needs oxygen. Wet foam or debris held against the tank starves that film of oxygen, and pitting corrosion eats through from the outside. ABYC H-24 calls for tank installations that don't trap water against the tank and allow air circulation. Fatigue cracks start at welds and supports, not as broad pitting.
9. An oil analysis on a marine diesel shows sodium and potassium rising together, with oil viscosity increasing. What is the most likely problem?
Answer: Coolant leaking into the oil from a gasket, liner seal or oil cooler. Sodium and potassium are typical markers of coolant additives, and glycol in oil thickens it and forms sludge. Dirt shows as silicon, fuel dilution lowers viscosity, and wear shows as iron, chromium and aluminum. Recommend finding the leak, often a head gasket, liner seal or oil cooler, before the bearings are damaged.
10. A dry compression test on a gasoline inboard reads 150, 148, 152 and 110 psi. After a little oil is added to the low cylinder, it reads 140 psi. What does this indicate?
Answer: Worn or stuck piston rings in that cylinder. Oil temporarily seals the gap between rings and cylinder wall, so a large rise on the wet test points to the rings. If the reading hadn't risen, a valve or head gasket would be more likely; a head gasket leak usually shows as two adjacent low cylinders. A 110 psi cylinder against about 150 psi for the others is far outside normal variation.
11. A 20-ft recreational runabout is underway with four adults aboard. What federal PFD carriage meets the minimum requirement?
Answer: Four wearable PFDs plus one throwable device. 33 CFR 175 requires a USCG-approved wearable PFD of suitable size for each person aboard, and boats 16 ft or longer (except canoes and kayaks) must also carry one throwable device. Throwables never replace wearables. Where a state has no rule of its own, the federal rule requires children under 13 to wear a PFD while underway unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin.
12. A 34-ft (10.4 m) power-driven yacht underway at night shows red and green sidelights and a single all-round white light. Is this acceptable under the COLREGS and Inland Rules?
Answer: Yes: a power-driven vessel under 12 m may show sidelights and one all-round white. Rule 23 lets a power-driven vessel of less than 12 m show an all-round white light and sidelights instead of separate masthead and stern lights. The under-7 m allowance is a different exemption for very small, slow vessels that may show only an all-round white. A vessel under sail alone shows sidelights and a sternlight, not a masthead light.
13. A below-waterline through-hull is marked as bronze, but the exposed metal is pink, porous and crumbles when scraped. What is the likely cause?
Answer: Dezincification of a high-zinc alloy such as manganese bronze. Manganese bronze is really a high-zinc brass. In seawater the zinc leaches out and leaves weak, porous copper that looks pink, and the fitting can fail without warning. Report it as a safety deficiency and recommend replacement with silicon bronze or another seawater-resistant fitting. Sound silicon bronze stays hard and turns brown or green, not pink.
14. A boat kept in salt water has magnesium anodes. Readings with a silver/silver chloride electrode are much more negative than normal, and the paint on the aluminum outdrive is blistering. What should be recommended?
Answer: Change to zinc or aluminum alloy anodes, which suit salt water. Magnesium is too active for salt water: it overprotects, driving potentials far negative, which creates alkaline conditions that lift paint and can corrode aluminum. Magnesium is for fresh water; zinc suits salt water and aluminum alloy suits salt or brackish water. A galvanic isolator works on the shore power grounding path, not on the boat's own anodes.
15. On a fishing vessel survey, the fish hold is partly filled with loose water that moves freely as the vessel rolls. Why is this a serious stability finding?
Answer: The free surface reduces effective GM and can lead to capsize in a seaway. A free liquid surface shifts toward the low side as the vessel heels, which acts like a rise in G and cuts effective GM; the effect grows with the cube of the surface's breadth. Wide fish holds are a known cause of fishing vessel capsizes. Recommend pumping out, checking the bilge alarms and pumps, and keeping holds and tanks either full or empty.

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SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam FAQ

How many questions are on the SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam?

Not published by SAMS; confirm with SAMS, with a time limit of not published by sams; confirm with sams. Format: a written exam on your selected field of accreditation (sams classifications page). specialization designations (yachts and small craft; hull and machinery; cargo; engines, gasoline or diesel; fishing vessel; tug and barge) each have their own exam. sams doesn't publish the item format; this prep uses 4-option single-best-answer items centered on yachts and small craft, with engine and commercial vessel material. it covers the written knowledge only, not the application, report review or experience requirements.

What is the passing score for SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor?

Not published by SAMS; confirm with SAMS.

How much does the SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam cost?

Not published on SAMS's public pages; confirm application, exam and dues fees with SAMS headquarters (904-384-1494, samshq@marinesurvey.org). ABYC charges members less than nonmembers, so confirm current fees with ABYC before you book.

Which languages is the SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam offered in?

English.

Where do I take the SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam?

Set by SAMS for applicants accepted by its membership process; delivery method, dates and locations are not published on SAMS's public pages. Confirm with SAMS headquarters.

Is this SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor 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 SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Survey Types, Valuation and Professional Practice: 375; Hull Structure, Laminates and Moisture Assessment: 375; Boat Electrical Systems: 375; Fuel, Propane and Ventilation: 375; Gasoline and Diesel Engines: 375; Through-Hulls, Safety Equipment and Navigation Lights: 375; Corrosion and Cathodic Protection: 375; Commercial Vessels: Hull and Machinery, Fishing Vessels, Tug and Barge: 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.

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Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. ABYC changes formats and fees, so confirm with Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS), Jacksonville, Florida before you book. ABYCExamPrep is not affiliated with the American Boat & Yacht Council.

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