I've been compiling resources as I study for my AB - Able Seaman Exam certification and figured I'd share what I've found. All free unless noted.
Practice Tests:
- PracticeTestGeeks — most comprehensive collection I've found, good question explanations, covers AB - Able Seaman Exam, AWA - Analytical Writing Assessment, and CLEP - Biology. Free.
- Official practice materials from the certifying body — usually 1 free sample exam, worth doing even though it's short
Study Materials:
- The official AB exam handbook / candidate guide (PDF, free from the certifying body's website)
- YouTube — search for "AB exam prep" — there are surprisingly good free video reviews for most academic & school tests certifications
- Reddit r/certifications — people post their exam experiences and tips regularly
Paid (worth it if budget allows):
- Official study guides run $30-80 for most academic & school tests certifications — worth it if your exam has lots of specific factual content
- Some certifying bodies offer prep courses — check if your employer covers it (many do for required certifications)
What resources have others found useful for academic & school tests exams? I'll add them to this list.
The official candidate guide is something a lot of people skip but it literally tells you the topic weighting and domain breakdown. It's the roadmap for your study plan. Never skip it.
For AB - Able Seaman Exam specifically, I found the PracticeTestGeeks explanations were detailed enough that I didn't need to buy a separate study guide. The combination of doing the practice questions + reading every explanation (for both right and wrong answers) covered most of the content I needed.
Great list. I'd add: LinkedIn Learning has some academic & school tests-related courses that overlap with cert content, and if you have a library card many libraries give free access to it. Also check if your local library has access to O'Reilly or similar — tons of technical content there.
Just passed mine last week so wanted to jump in here. The meteorology section caught me off guard honestly — I didn't think it'd be as heavy as it was, but once I found the ab ab meteorology and weather observation 3 practice test on PTG it clicked way faster than reading through my study guide did.
Seriously if you're struggling with clouds and pressure systems and all that, just drill that test a few times. It's repetitive in a good way and the answer explanations actually tell you why, not just what. Good luck to everyone still grinding through it.
Just wanted to drop a quick update since I've been lurking this thread for weeks. Took the ab ab meteorology and weather observation 3 practice test yesterday and scored a 74, which honestly wasn't where I wanted to be but it's way better than my first attempt two weeks ago. Weather and navigation were always my weak spots so I've been hammering those sections pretty hard.
Planning to sit the real exam around the end of July if I can keep the momentum going. Thanks for putting this list together, it's genuinely been one of the most useful threads I've found. If you're in the same boat, just keep retaking the practice tests until the pattern clicks — it really does eventually.
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