Congratulations on your decision to obtain your American Sailing Association 103 certification. After completion, you will have both the experience as well as proper certification to safely skipper (and rent) sailboats up to 35 feet in length along coastal waters in moderate wind and sea conditions.
ASA 103 Exam Topics & Review Guides
Below is a list of topics you will need to learn about and commit to memory to pass your ASA 103 certification (as outlined on asa.com). Click on each link to access our review guide for each topic.
Cruising sailboat terminology (ASA 103)
Email us at info@learnwithsapienza.com to get access to all of our review guides!
How To Become Certified
In order to get your 103 certification, you will need to pass both a written exam and practical exam. Most people will sign up for a ASA 103 sailing class at a ASA sailing school near them, who can help arrange both the written and practical exams needed for certification.
To make the most of your time on the water, it's a good idea to study the theory before and after each sailing class. Books like ASA's Coastal Cruising Made Easy textbook can be a great way to read about and get familiarized with all the different terminology, theory, and practical knowledge required to sail a medium sized sailboat. Using a tool like our online review platform, Sapienza, is also a great way to take all that knowledge and cement it into your long term memory.
Tips For Learning More Quickly
The amount of information you will need to learn, memorize, and understand may seem overwhelming, and many folks give up due to the frustration of not being able to remember everything and the amount of study time required to store all this knowledge into their long-term memory.
With the right approach, however, you can retain all this information much more quickly and with less time, even if you do not have the luxury to be practicing on the water regularly. The key is to quiz yourself regularly and get immediate feedback. E-mail us at info@learnwithsapienza.com to learn more about our unique study program and join our next self-paced virtual class that will help you not only ace your ASA 103 exam, but also make you a better and safer sailor. You can also purchase access for 6 months here. For the best results, it is much better to use our platform 5 mins a day a couple months before the exam, rather than cram before the exam, so if you can it is better to start as early as possible!