Q. What is the "Virginia Boating Safety Education Course Certificate"?
A. A Virginia Boating Safety Education Course Certificate (also referred to as the Virginia Boaters License or Virginia Boater Education Card) is proof of competency of the basic rules of the water that all boaters should know.
Q. Do I have to get the Boating Safety Education Course Certificate?
A. Currently, only Virginia boaters between the ages of 14 and 15 years old must get a Virginia boaters license to legally operate a personal watercraft (PWC).
However, beginning on July 1, 2009 the state of Virginia will be gradually phasing in a Mandatory Boater Education requirement. It will be phased in according to age, eventually requiring all vessel operators on boats with 10 horsepower or greater, to have a Virginia Boater Education Card.
By July 1, 2016, all boat operators meeting the requirements will need to have an education card. Mandatory boating safety education will be phased in as follows:
For Personal Watercraft:
- July 1, 2009 - Personal watercraft operators 20 years of age or younger
- July 1, 2010 - Personal watercraft operators 35 years old and younger
- July 1, 2011 - Personal watercraft operators 50 years of age or younger
- July 1, 2012 - All personal watercraft operators, regardless of age
For Motorboats:
- July 1, 2011 - Motorboat operators 20 years of age or younger
- July 1, 2012 - Motorboat operators 30 years of age or younger
- July 1, 2013 - Motorboat operators 40 years of age or younger
- July 1, 2014 - Motorboat operators 45 years of age or younger
- July 1, 2015 - Motorboat operators 50 years of age or younger
- July 1, 2016 - All motorboat operators, regardless of age
Q. How do I get my Virginia Boating Safety Education Course Certificate?
A. The steps required to get your Certificate
are as follows:
- Complete the Virginia Boating Safety Education Course (study all of the course material, complete the chapter review quizzes and satisfy the 6 hour minimum mandatory study time requirement).
- Purchase your Boating Safety Education Course Certificate.
- Print off your Temporary Certificate and go boating right away!
- Wait for your Permanent Certificate to arrive in the mail 3-5 weeks later.
For a complete overview of the Virginia Online Boating Safety Education Course process, please visit
our course Overview
page.
Q. What does the Boating Safety Course consist of?
A. The Boating Safety Education Course for Virginia is made up of 7 chapters which have been broken into relevant and related subject matter. Each chapter consists of a set number of pages all of which have been given a minimum study time. The total required study time for the course is 6 hours (including up to 1 hour for all of the Chapter Review Quizzes). Each of the pages within a chapter must subsequently be studied for the minimum required time before you can proceed to the next page. Once you have studied a chapter in its entirety you will be able to access the Practice Quiz (recommended) or the 10 question Chapter Review Quiz. All the questions are multiple choice and related to the material just covered in that particular chapter. A passing grade of 90% is required for the chapter review quizzes and a failing grade means the chapter will need to be repeated. Once the minimum study time for a chapter is completed and the review quiz has been passed you will be able to proceed to the following chapter. After all 7 chapters and review quizzes, as well as the 6 hour minimum study time have been completed you will be able to purchase your Boating Safety Education Course Certificate.
Q. How long is the Boating Safety Course?
A.The Boating Safety Education Course will take a total of roughly 6 hours to complete. This is a requirement of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Q. Does the course need to be completed all at once?
A. No. The course is convenient and allows you to complete it at your own pace. When you sign up to take your Boating Safety Education Course online with BoaterExam.com™ you will be issued a 'username' and 'password' which will allow you to log in and out of the course any time you please. Our customized Boater Exam Center keeps track of your progress within the course and each time you come back, simply log back in and continue right where you left off.
Q. What if I don't pass a Chapter Review Quiz?
A. No problem. In the event that you don't pass one of the Chapter Review Quizzes simply take note of the areas in which you experienced difficulties as shown in the Post-Quiz Review. You will then be required to return and review the chapter material again for the minimum required study time before you can attempt the quiz again (this WILL count towards your 6 hour minimum study time requirement). Make sure you're ready before attempting a Chapter Review Quiz; try a Practice Quiz first to see if you're ready!
Q. How much does the whole thing cost?
A. There is no cost for the course itself. Once you have completed the course and would like to receive your Virginia Boating Safety Education Course Certificate, the fee of $29.95 which gives you instant access to a Temporary Certificate (so you can go boating right away), as well as an official card that will arrive in the mail in 3-5 weeks.
Q. What payment methods are accepted?
A. We accept payments by VISA, Mastercard, and PayPal.
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Q. What is the "Temporary Certificate"?
A. The Temporary Certificate is proof of competency and shows that you have successfully completed a boating safety education course. This certificate is valid for 60 days from the date you take your exam and should be carried with you when you boat until your permanent certificate/card arrives in the mail.
Q. When will I receive my Boating Safety Education Course Certificate in the mail?
A. Your certificate will arrive in 3-5 weeks from the date you take your exam.
Q. Do I have a time limit for the course and/or quizzes?
A. No. You can take as long as you like. In fact, we strongly encourage that you take your time while studying the course material in order to give yourself the best chance of successfully completing the quizzes.
Q. Can I take the course at any time? Day or Night?
A. Yes. That's one of the many advantages of taking the course online; it is available to you at any time of the day, every day of the week.
Q. Is there a Final Exam?
A. No. The course does not consist of an exam. You are simply required to complete a 10 question Chapter Review Quiz for each of the 7 chapters.
Q. What is the passing grade?
A. The passing grade for each of the Chapter Review Quizzes is 90%, so be sure to study the material, pay attention to the Chapter Reviews and try the Practice Quizzes.
Q. What are the technical requirements for the online boating test?
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Minimum |
Recommended |
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Browser |
Internet Explorer 5.5+ or
Mozilla Firefox 1.0+ |
Internet Explorer 7 or
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 |
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Operating System |
Windows 98 or
Mac OS 9 |
Windows XP or
Mac OS X |
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Screen Resolution |
800x600 |
1024x768 |
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Internet Connection |
dial-up |
high-speed |