SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor Exam Study Guide (2026)
Everything the SAMS Accredited Marine Surveyor (AMS) tests, topic by topic: what each section covers, the facts that come up most, and how to study it. Pair it with the free 15-question practice test.
The exam at a glance
| Questions | Not published by SAMS; confirm with SAMS |
|---|---|
| Time | Not published by SAMS; confirm with SAMS |
| Passing score | 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 |
| Certifying body | Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS), Jacksonville, Florida |
| Test provider | 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 |
Mind map: the whole exam on one screen
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.
1. Survey Types, Valuation and Professional Practice
The surveyor's job itself: pre-purchase (condition and valuation), insurance, damage and appraisal surveys, fair market value and replacement cost, report writing, scope and limitations, and the ethics SAMS requires of every AMS. SAMS publishes no topic weights for its exams.
Key facts
- Pre-purchase surveys cover condition and value, usually with a haul-out and sea trial; insurance surveys focus on condition, safety and insurable value.
- Fair market value is the most probable price between a willing buyer and a willing seller, both informed and neither under pressure; it rests on comparable sales.
- Replacement cost new is an insurance figure for an equivalent new boat, not a market value.
- A damage survey records cause, extent and repair cost of a loss; facts and opinions are kept clearly separate.
- The report identifies the vessel (12-character HIN or documentation number), states the scope and limits of the inspection, and ranks findings by safety priority.
- Surveyors avoid conflicts of interest, such as fees from brokers or sellers when working for a buyer, and disclose any interest in writing.
- Destructive or invasive tests (core samples, removing fittings) need the owner's permission.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Ethics and valuation questions reward the surveyor's role: independent, factual, and working for the client who hired you. When unsure, pick the answer that protects that independence.
2. Hull Structure, Laminates and Moisture Assessment
Fiberglass, cored, wood, aluminum and steel hulls as a yacht surveyor sees them: percussion sounding, moisture meters, blisters, delamination, cored deck and transom failures, stress cracks and structural repairs.
Key facts
- Percussion sounding with a phenolic hammer finds delamination, voids and wet core by a dull tone.
- Moisture meters compare areas; read a known dry area first, and remember metal, wiring and some paints raise readings.
- Osmotic blisters: report size, density and depth, and whether they reach the laminate, with readings after the hull has drained.
- Plywood transoms and stringers rot where water enters through fastener holes; visible transom flex under engine load signals core failure.
- Gelcoat star cracks around fittings show flexing or impact; parallel cracks along a hull panel can show structural overstress.
- Hull-to-deck joints should be checked for leaks and movement, often from inside where accessible.
- Cored decks with fittings that weren't sealed through the core are the most common source of wet balsa.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Surveyors are tested on how sure they can be. Pair every meter reading with a second method before calling a structure wet or failed.
3. Boat Electrical Systems
ABYC E-11 AC and DC systems, E-10 batteries, A-31 chargers and inverters and A-28 galvanic isolators: conductor sizing, overcurrent protection, shore power, ELCIs and reverse polarity.
Key facts
- ABYC conductor sizing: CM = 10.75 × I × L ÷ E, where L is the round-trip length in feet and E the allowed drop in volts.
- 3% voltage drop for panel mains, navigation lights, bilge blowers and electronics; 10% for other loads.
- An ELCI trips at a 30 mA imbalance between hot and neutral and protects swimmers from electric shock drowning.
- The shore neutral is grounded only ashore; the green grounding wire connects to the boat's DC negative bus or engine negative terminal.
- A reverse polarity indicator is required on shore power systems where polarity matters; never use a system showing reverse polarity.
- Batteries need secure hold-downs, covered positive terminals, ventilation for vented types and protection from fuel system components.
- Use marine-grade stranded copper wire; look for heat damage, crimped connections without strain relief and household wire nuts.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Always use the round-trip length in wire sizing questions. Most wrong answers come from using the one-way distance.
Test yourself on these topics
Take the free 15-question SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor test, then save your results to unlock your Readiness Score and the mistakes bank.
4. Fuel, Propane and Ventilation
ABYC H-24 (gasoline), H-33 (diesel), H-2 (ventilation), A-1 (LPG) and 33 CFR 183 fuel and ventilation requirements: hoses, tanks, anti-siphon protection, grounding, blowers and gas lockers.
Key facts
- USCG Type A hoses are fire resistant and needed in gasoline engine compartments; A1 carries liquid, A2 vapor (vents and fills).
- Tanks must be installed so water can't sit against them and air can circulate; aluminum tanks pit under wet foam or debris.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Read the hose marking on every fuel question. The letter tells you fire resistance and the number tells you liquid or vapor service.
5. Gasoline and Diesel Engines
The engine content behind the SAMS Gas and Diesel Engine designations and the engine portion of yacht surveys: compression and leak-down testing, oil analysis, cooling and exhaust systems, mounts and alignment, and sea trial observations.
Key facts
- A wet compression test separates rings (reading rises with oil) from valves or head gaskets (little change).
- Two adjacent low cylinders suggest a head gasket leak between them.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Engine questions often give two clues. Find the one that rules out the tempting answer, such as viscosity rising instead of falling.
6. Through-Hulls, Safety Equipment and Navigation Lights
ABYC H-27 seacocks and through-hulls, bilge pumping, and federal safety equipment: PFDs (33 CFR 175), fire extinguishers (46 CFR 25), visual distress signals, sound signals and the navigation light rules.
Key facts
- Underwater through-hulls need proper seacocks with a visible open or closed position; gate valves are not seacocks.
- Every person aboard needs a suitable USCG-approved wearable PFD; boats 16 ft and longer, except canoes and kayaks, also need a throwable.
Flashcards
Exam tip: For safety equipment, write the boat's length, type and waters from the stem first. The carriage rule follows from those three facts.
7. Corrosion and Cathodic Protection
ABYC E-2 cathodic protection, A-28 galvanic isolators and the surveyor's corrosion work: anode choice, potential surveys, overprotection, stray current, dezincification and stainless steel crevice corrosion.
Key facts
- Anode choice by water: magnesium in fresh water, aluminum alloy in salt or brackish water, zinc in salt water.
- Magnesium in salt water overprotects: very negative potentials, paint lifting and alkaline attack on aluminum.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Ask what changed: new anodes, new shore power, new wiring or a new berth. Corrosion questions usually hide the cause in that detail.
8. Commercial Vessels: Hull and Machinery, Fishing Vessels, Tug and Barge
The base knowledge behind the SAMS Hull and Machinery (commercial vessels over 200 GT or 500 ITC), Fishing Vessel and Tug and Barge designations: hull girder and plating, stability and free surface, watertight integrity, towing gear and machinery.
Key facts
- Hull and Machinery designation: surveys of commercial vessels over 200 gross domestic tons or 500 ITC for 5 of the last 10 years plus the H&M exam; unlimited Third Mate or Third Engineer licenses meet the exam requirement.
- Free surface in wide holds or slack tanks cuts effective GM; it grows with the cube of the liquid surface's breadth.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Commercial vessel questions often come back to stability and watertight integrity. When in doubt, choose the answer that keeps water out and G low.
How to pass
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I study for the SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam?
Most working candidates need 4 to 8 weeks at 45 to 60 minutes a day. Book your exam once your Readiness Score has stayed at 80 or higher for about a week.
Can I take the SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam online?
Yes. ABYC certification exams are taken with a proctor: online through a remote proctoring service, or for some certifications at the end of an ABYC class. 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. Ask the ABYC Education Department which reference materials are allowed.
What score do I need to pass the SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor exam?
Not published by SAMS; confirm with SAMS. The exam has not published by sams; confirm with sams and a time limit of not published by sams; confirm with sams.
What are the most tested topics?
The outline covers survey types, valuation and professional practice, hull structure, laminates and moisture assessment, boat electrical systems, fuel, propane and ventilation, gasoline and diesel engines, through-hulls, safety equipment and navigation lights, corrosion and cathodic protection, commercial vessels: hull and machinery, fishing vessels, tug and barge. Use the free practice test to see which ones you need most.
The premium SAMS AMS Marine Surveyor study path
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.
Your step-by-step study path
- 1Survey Types, Valuation and Professional Practice8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Notes free with an account
- 2Hull Structure, Laminates and Moisture Assessment8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 3Boat Electrical Systems8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 4Fuel, Propane and Ventilation8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 5Gasoline and Diesel Engines7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 6Through-Hulls, Safety Equipment and Navigation Lights7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 7Corrosion and Cathodic Protection7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 8Commercial Vessels: Hull and Machinery, Fishing Vessels, Tug and Barge7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- Final step: 6 full mock exams50 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.Premium
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- 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
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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.
Summarized from ABYC's official candidate information and the rules cited, checked November 2026. Confirm current requirements with Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS), Jacksonville, Florida.