Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. All MarCert Global certificates are aligned with STCW conventions and IMO standards. They are accepted by shipping companies, cruise lines, and maritime employers in 180+ countries, including all partner employers on Ocean Bridge Manpower.

Difficulty depends on level. Foundation exams require 65% to pass. Professional requires 70%. Expert-level exams are genuinely hard — they require 80% and are designed with a ~30% pass rate to reflect real professional standards. Each exam uses scenario-based questions built with AI to match current maritime operations.

Yes. All plans include unlimited exam retakes. You must wait 24 hours between attempts. Our AI Study Assistant will analyse your weak areas after each attempt to help you prepare.

Foundation exams: 45 minutes. Professional exams: 60 minutes. Expert exams: 90 minutes. The timer starts when you click "Begin Exam" and cannot be paused.

Your answers are auto-saved every time you select an option. If you lose connection, re-open the exam page — you will resume exactly where you left off within the same attempt session.

Professional and Expert exams use our in-house webcam proctoring system to ensure exam integrity. Your webcam and microphone are required. The system monitors for face absence, multiple faces, background noise, phone detection, and tab switching. Recordings are reviewed by our proctor team and deleted after 90 days.

Each certificate has a unique verification hash (SHA-256). Anyone — including employers — can verify it instantly at https://marcertglobal.com/verify without creating an account. There is no fee to verify.

Certificates are valid for 3 years from the date of issuance, in line with STCW renewal requirements. You will receive automated email reminders 90, 60, and 30 days before your certificate expires.

Yes. MarCert Global reserves the right to revoke certificates if evidence of exam fraud, misconduct, or misrepresentation is discovered. Revocation is immediate and reflected in the public verification system. Revoked certificates cannot be used on Ocean Bridge Manpower.

Each certificate has a permanent public URL. Copy it from your Certificates page in the portal. You can also download a PDF version. Employers can scan the QR code or enter the certificate number at our verification page.

Digital certificates are issued instantly on passing. Physical certificate printing and postal delivery is available as an add-on for $19. Request it from your Certificates page within 90 days of issuance.

We accept all major credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) and PayPal. All payments are processed securely via Stripe. We do not store your card details.

Yes. Upgrades take effect immediately and billing is prorated. Downgrades take effect at the next billing cycle — you retain your current plan benefits until then.

Monthly subscriptions: cancelled at any time, no partial-month refunds. Annual subscriptions: refundable within 14 days if no courses have been accessed. Pay-per-course: non-refundable once a course has been started. Contact support@marcertglobal.com for all refund requests.

We offer a free account tier with access to one Foundation-level demo course. No credit card required to sign up. Paid subscription starts when you choose to enrol in a full course.

Yes. Our Organisation Plan offers unlimited seats, a dedicated LMS dashboard, compliance reporting, and custom branding. Contact our sales team at https://marcertglobal.com/contact?subject=organisation for a custom quote.

Click "Forgot Password" on the sign-in page, enter your email address, and we will send a reset link within a few minutes. The link expires in 1 hour. Check your spam folder if it does not arrive.

Yes. The platform is fully responsive and works on all modern smartphones and tablets. However, for proctored exams, we recommend a desktop or laptop with a webcam for the best experience.

Google Chrome (recommended), Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer is not supported. Ensure your browser is up to date for the best experience, especially for proctored exams.

Check that you have granted camera and microphone permissions for the MarCert Global website in your browser settings. Disable any browser extensions that may block access. Restart your browser and try again. If issues persist, contact support@marcertglobal.com.

Submit an account deletion request to support@marcertglobal.com. We will process it within 14 days. Note that certificate records are anonymised rather than fully deleted to maintain verification integrity.

Ocean Bridge Manpower is our official employment partner — a leading maritime recruitment platform used by shipping companies, cruise lines, and offshore operators worldwide. MarCert Global certificates are directly recognised by employers on their platform.

No. With your consent, your MarCert certification status is visible directly to Ocean Bridge employers. You can also manually share your certificate verification link when applying for jobs.

Yes. MarCert certificates are cryptographically verifiable — employers can check authenticity instantly. Our certificates are aligned with STCW and IMO standards, which are the benchmarks most maritime employers require.

Yes. Each completed course earns Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits: 3 credits for Foundation, 5 for Professional, and 10 for Expert. CPE credits are tracked in your portal profile and visible to employers.