Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work licencesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

Australia · Boat licence

Boat licence courses and free official practice tests

Each state keeps an official list of approved providers, so the quickest way to find a boat licence course near you is your own state’s list. Before you book, try the free official practice quizzes from NSW, Victoria, WA and Tasmania. Course prices on this page come from the providers’ own websites, checked in October 2026.

  • FreeOfficial quizzes in NSW, Vic, WA and Tas
  • $160 to $550Course prices compared here
  • 5State lists of approved providers
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Where do I find a boat licence course near me?

Start with your state’s list, because only an approved provider’s course counts towards a licence. Each list is run by the state agency:

  • NSW: Transport for NSW’s list of Authorised Training Providers (ATPs). It names each provider but not where it runs courses.
  • Queensland: TMR’s Find a BoatSafe training provider directory, which you can search by suburb or postcode.
  • Victoria: Safe Transport Victoria’s map and list of accredited training providers, with the areas each one covers.
  • WA: the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure’s RST assessment providers, listed by region.
  • Tasmania: MAST’s approved training providers, listed for the south and the north.
NSW providers and how the course fits in →Queensland BoatSafe providers by area →Victorian providers by area →WA assessment providers →Tasmanian providers →

Official quizzes and course providers compared

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
Boating knowledge practice quizzes (Service NSW)Official · webService NSW says the questions come from the pool used in the real NSW tests, but to treat each quiz as a guide only. It shows whether each answer is right as you go, and at the end points you to the handbook sections behind any you got wrong.
FreeA general boat quiz and a PWC quiz
Take the NSW quiz ↗
Marine licence practice tests (Safe Transport Victoria)Official · webEach marine licence practice test has 30 questions, the same length as the real test. Victoria’s handbook says they include sample questions from the actual test, but not necessarily the ones you’ll be asked.
Free3 marine licence tests and 3 PWC endorsement tests
Try the Victorian tests ↗
RST Workbook and quizzes (TransportWA)Official · PDF and webThe quizzes are taken from the current RST Workbook, which WA says has everything you need to pass the assessment. The workbook’s self-test questions are similar to the theory test, with answers at the back.
FreeThe July 2026 workbook and 6 practice quizzes
Get the workbook and quizzes ↗
Motor boat licence practice test (MAST)Official · webCovers safe navigation, safety equipment, collision rules, navigation marks and lights, emergencies, vessel handling and the skipper’s responsibilities. MAST suggests it for anyone about to start their licence training, and for licence holders brushing up.
Free25 questions drawn at random from a pool of 190
Try MAST’s practice test ↗
In person
Australian Boating CollegeCourse provider · NSW, Victoria, WA and QueenslandIt appears on the NSW list of Authorised Training Providers (accredited until 14 June 2028), Victoria’s list of accredited providers, WA’s RST assessment providers and TMR’s BoatSafe directory. Its Sydney fee covers a practical session, theory study and the knowledge test. Its Melbourne course includes an online training course and the multiple-choice test.
Sydney: $440 boat licence course, $550 with the PWC test, $220 PWC upgrade (from 1 November 2025). Melbourne: $160 per student for each licencePractice quizzes on its website
Sydney courses ↗Melbourne courses ↗
Australian Volunteer Coast Guard (Victoria)Volunteer course provider · VictoriaAn accredited provider on Safe Transport Victoria’s list, running boat and PWC licence courses across Victoria for people 12 and older, through flotillas such as St Kilda, Safety Beach, Queenscliff and Paynesville. It says you can resit a failed assessment on the same day, with no more than two attempts a day. You take its certificate to VicRoads within 12 months to get your licence.
Course fee not published on its pageNot listed
Coast Guard licence courses ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

Do you need a course at all?

Not in every state. In NSW you can get your practical experience with a logbook and an experienced skipper, then sit the test at a service centre. In Victoria you can skip the course and sit the computer-based test at VicRoads. In WA you can study alone with the RST Workbook and a supervising skipper, but an authorised provider still has to assess you.

In Queensland and Tasmania the course is the way in. Queensland needs a pass in a BoatSafe course, and Tasmania’s licence comes only through a BoatSafe Practical Tuition course with an approved provider.

What you can do online in each state →

How to choose a course

A few checks before you pay:

  • The provider is on your state’s list today. Accreditations have expiry dates, and NSW publishes them.
  • In NSW, the course has an on-water part. Without it, you still need a logbook of practical experience.
  • What the fee covers: training, the test, and in some courses the PWC test as well. The licence fee itself is separate.
  • The cancellation and refund policy. Safe Transport Victoria suggests checking it before you book, and says it doesn’t regulate course fees.

Fees for the licence and the government test are on the cost page.

Licence and test fees by state →

Is there a free boat licence practice test?

Yes, in NSW, Victoria, WA and Tasmania, and each one is run by the state. They’re the first four options compared on this page. Queensland’s marine licence page sends you to a BoatSafe course rather than a quiz. NSW and WA show you the answers: the NSW quiz marks each answer as you go, and WA’s RST Workbook has answers to its self-test questions at the back.

Each state’s handbook →
Sources: Transport for NSW · Queensland Government · Safe Transport Victoria and 10 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewCostOnline testAgeHandbooksRenewalJet ski licence

By state

NSWQueenslandTasmaniaVictoriaWA