The Marlin’s Test is the official english proficiency test for every cruise line in the world, and you will be require to take this test if you’re not from an English speaking country like United States, Australia or England. Before you start, make sure that you select the correct version of the test, the Marlins English Language Test for Cruise Ship Staff. Other versions are not the correct ones for cruise ships, neither yachts nor river cruises.

The test costs 20 US dollars and it’s non-reimbursed by any company. The candidate can pay by credit card or Paypal and after the confirmation, one access key will be sent to the registered email. Also, some manning agencies in India, Philippines and Brazil offer the test to be done at the agency by paying in the local currency.

If you’re not sure about what to expect,  you can click on this link to be redirected to a preview of the test, containing 15 questions. The normal test will have 50 questions and needs to be completed under thirty minutes. (On a side note, besides having a countdown, there’s not an actual time limit. Just to let you know that if you go over those 30 minutes, you score starts to drop.)

For entry-level crew positions, it’s necessary to achieve at least 65% on the score, while for staff positions the score should be higher than 85%. For Guest Services, Entertainment and Technical positions you should reach at least 95% (if not 100%).