Mariner Exam Modernization Act

The Mariner Exam Modernization Act would overhaul how the Coast Guard reviews and updates the Merchant Mariner Credentialing Examination (the exam mariners take to earn or renew their credentials). Key changes include replacing the existing “exam review” process with an annual “working group,” extending review timelines, and requiring input from mariners who have recently passed the exam. The bill directs the Coast Guard to develop a plan to modernize the exam and testing procedures, including better data collection on pass/fail results and the relevance of exam topics, and to brief Congress within a year of enactment. It also ensures that new test questions cannot be used until the working group approves them and expands oversight and collaboration with testing best-practices experts. In short, the bill aims to make the MMC exam more current, relevant to industry standards, and transparent through more frequent, inclusive review and concrete modernization planning.