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1. Why is it important to inform the Driller when starting or stopping the degasser or desilter?
A. Pit volume will change
B. Shakers will need to be by-passed
C. Mud viscosity will be reduced
D. Flow rate will increase from the wall

2. What is the correct practice when carrying out the second circulation of the Driller’s Method?
(there is no influx remaining in the well)
A. Bring the pump up to the speed holding drill pipe pressure constant
B. Once kill fluid at the bit, shut in the well and check that drill pipe and casing pressures are equal
C. Maintain the drill pipe pressure constant once kill fluid is at the bit
D. Maintain the drill pipe pressure constant during the entire second circulation

3. The Driller has successfully shut-in on a kick. Which one of the following would you delegate to a
crew member?
A. Instructions to crew if you get Gas Migration
B. Checking kill-sheet for accuracy
C. Checking for leaks at the pumps, pipework and pit areas
D. Communicating kill plan to crew members

4. A well kicks with the bit off bottom and you shut it in. a decision is made to strip back into the
hole. What equipment needs to be on top of the drill string before stripping in the hole?
A. A full opening safety valve (open) with an inside BOP installed on top
B. A full opening safety valve (closed)
C. An inside BOP
D. An inside BOP with a full opening safety valve (closed) on top

5. During the Wait & Weight procedure, how can bottom hole pressure be controlled when kill
weight mud is being pumped down the drill string?
A. Hold casing pressure is constant
B. Follow a casing pressure schedule
C. Hold drill pipe pressure constant
D. Follow a drill pipe pressure schedule

6. When the well kicks, what operating practice would lead to a bigger influx when you are shutting-
in the well?
A. Testing stab in valves during BOP test
B. Regular pit drills for the drill crew
C. Calling the Toolpusher to the floow before shutting in the well
D. Regular training for the Derickman on the duties for monitoring pit level

7. A well has been shut-in on a kick and the kill operation has not been started.
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Shut-in drill pipe pressure 400 psi

Shut-in casing pressure 600 psi
After stabilization, both pressures start rising due to gas migration. If the casing pressure is held
constant at 600 psi, what will happen to the bottom hole pressure?
A. Stay the same
B. Increase
C. Decrease

8. You have a set of liner and are now circulating the well to clean mud before drilling out the Liner
Shoe. Where are potential leak paths to allow formation fluid to enter the well?
A. BOP operating chamber
B. Leaking Liner Lap or Shoe
C. Drill string
D. BOP closing chamber

9. When bringing the pumps up to kill speed the casing pressure is allowed to increase above Shut In
Casing Pressure, what will happen to bottom hole pressure?
A. Bottom hole pressure would decrease and possibly cause more influx to enter the wellbore
B. No change to downhole pressure
C. Bottom hole pressure would increase and may exceed formation fracture

10. Which of the following practices could result in the influx of a shadow hazard?
A. Keeping the hole full with continuous trip tank
B. Not filling the hole properly while tripping out
C. Pumping a cement slurry with short transition time
D. Pumping out of the hole

11. You are out of the hole charging the Bit when the well starts flowing. What action must you take
to secure the well?
A. Close the diverter and bullhead kill mud through the kill line
B. Run one stand of drill pipe or heavy weight drill pipe and close the pipe rams
C. Close the Blind or Blind/Shear rams
D. Run one stand of collars into the well and close the Annular

12. During the second circulation of the Driller’s method, the pump is shut down when the kill weight
mud has been circulated to the bit. What should the casing pressure read if there is no trapped
pressure in the well?
A. Original SICP
B. The difference in hydrostatic pressure between KMW and OMW plus SICP
C. Original SIDPP
D. The difference in hydrostatic pressure between KMW and OMW minus SICP
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13. The equivalent circulating density (ECD) determines the actual bottom hole pressure while
circulating down the drillstring and back up the annulus. Which part of the system pressure losses
is used to calculate ECD?
A. The pressure loss in the open hole section only
B. The pressure loss in the drill string
C. The pressure loss in the annulus
D. The pressure loss across the nozzles

14. What is a ‘safety-margin’ in a kill operation?

A. A margij that reduces the risk of losses during the kill
B. Extra pressure applied in the well to reduce the risk of going underbalanced
C. A margij that compensates for the choke operator closing the choke too quickly
D. A 1 ppg increase in calculated kill mud weight to maintain hydrostatic if mud weight increase is
not maintained during the circulation

15. During the trip out, the well kicks due to swabbing. The pipe is tripped back to bottom. What mud
weight will control the well?
A. Kill Mud weight based on SICP before stripping
B. Kill Mud weight based on SIDPP before stripping
C. Kill Mud weight based on difference between SIDPP and SICP before stripping
D. The original mud weight

16. What effect does increasing temperature have on fluid density?

A. There is no effect on fluid density
B. It will increase the fluid density
C. It will reduce the fluid density

17. How do you know that a self-fill float is plugged?

A. Trip monitoring returns will decrease
B. Running time increases
C. The normal increase in hook load with depth will slow down due to the buoyancy effect
D. No returns back to trip tank

18. The flow sensor shows a total loss of returns and the mud level cannot be seen in the annulus.
What immediate action should be taken?
A. Pump at reduced rate adding lost circulation material
B. Shut the well in and pump lost circulation material
C. Prepare to top-fill the annulus with water (or lightest mud available) and or record volume
D. Continue drilling ahead cautiously

19. A well is shut in after taking a 25 bbl kick with 300 psi SIDPP and 650 psi SICP. If the well had been
shut in on a 10 bbls kick, how would shut in pressure be affected?
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A. SIDPP would be higher

B. SICP would be higher
C. SIDPP would be lower
D. SICP would be lower

20. Calculate the equivalent mud weight that will fracture the casing shoe using the leak-off plot
below

A. 14.2 ppg
B. 13.7 ppg
C. 13.9 ppg
D. 14.1 ppg

21. What is the common cause of abnormal; high formation pressures worldwide?
A. Trapped fluid in shale
B. Carbonate layers
C. Depleted sands
D. Limestone fractures

22. A gas kick is being circulated along a horizontal hole section. What should happen to mud pit
volume if the correct kill procedure is being followed?
A. Increase at first as the gas begins to move then gradually decrease
B. Decrease as the kill mud fills the horizontal; section
C. Remain approximately constant
D. Increase as the gas expands

23. What is the purpose of the High Pressure By-Pass valve on the surface BOP control unit?
A. To enable full accumulator pressure to be placed on the Ram Manifold
B. To bleed the accumulator pressure to reservoir
C. To enable full accumulator pressure to be placed on the Annular BOP
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D. To by-pass the Annular three-position four-way valve

24. During the first circulation of the Driller’s method. As a gas bubble approaches the casing shoe,
what happens to shoe pressure if the BHP was correctly held constant?
A. Increase
B. Remains constant
C. Decreases

25. You are running a slick non-shearable tool in the hole on a surface stack rig. The well flows when
the tool is across the BOP stack. What is the best action the Driller can take to shut in the well?
A. Drop the string in the hole
B. Make up safety valve in string and close the annular
C. Puck up a joint or stand of shearable pipe, run into position and install a safety valve
D. Start circulating to use ECD to stop the kick

26. While killing the well using the Wait and Weight method, circulation is stopped holding bottom
hole pressure constant and the wellbore is isolated. What pressure should be on the Drill Pipe
gauge if the proper Kill Weight Mud (KMW) was used and there is no trapped pressure?
A. The drill pipe gauge should read 0 psi due to the drill string being full of kill weight mud
B. The drill pipe gauge will read more than the original shut in drill pipe pressure due to gas height
C. The drill pipe gauge will read the same pressure as the original Shut in Pressure
D. The drill pipe gauge will read the difference between the original shut in pressures

27. While conduction the first circulation of the Driller’s Method, the Derrickman states that the
barite supply is plugged. What action should be taken?
A. Inform supervisor that crew is fixing the blockage but continue circulating
B. Wait until first circulation is complete then fix blockage
C. Instruct crew to add Bentonite to increase the mud weight
D. Inform supervisor to shut in well, as the problem will reduce bottom hole pressure during the
first circulation

28. Which statement about ring gasket is correct?

A. R & RX ring gaskets are the same shape
B. Lot of grease should be applied while fitting the ring gasket
C. Ring gaskets are designed to be used many times
D. RX and BX ring gaskets provide pressure energized seal

29. You run back to the shoe and carry out a slip-and-cut on the drilling line. The operation normally
takes 60 minutes. What is the best way to monitor the well?
A. Shut in well and record pressure every 15 minutes
B. Install a safety valve in the drill string, line up to the Trip Tank and set the alarm
C. Line up to mud pits and inform Mud Logger to monitor for gains
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D. Line up to trip tank and set the Trip Tank alarm

30. What is the function of Blind/Shear Rams?

A. As a back-up to the Annular
B. To cut the drill string and seal off the hole
C. To close in the well in the Diverter fails
D. To hang-off the drillstring during a kill

31. Ballooning formations happen when the bottom-hole pressure is slightly greater than the
formation fracture pressure. What causes this increased bottom-hole pressure?
A. Low formation permeability and porosity
B. Failure to fill up when tripping out
C. Abnormal formation pressure
D. Annular friction while circulating

32. What is a typical Slow Circulating Rate (SCR)?

A. 75% of drilling pump rate
B. Between 1 and 5 barrels per minute
C. Between 75 and 96 strokes per minute (SPM)
D. Same as drilling pump rate

33. How does increasing wellbore temperature affect will control when using non-aqueous (oil-based)
mud?
A. No significant effect on hydrostatic pressure in wellbore
B. Increases hydrostatic pressure in wellbore
C. Decreases hydrostatic pressure in wellbore

34. What is the correct definition of Porosity?

A. The amount of void space in the rock, expressed as percent
B. The ability of formation fluids to move through the rock
C. The percentage of solid rock I the formation
D. The pressure of the fluid in the pore space

35. In an explanatory (wildcat) well, how is the formation strength below the casing shoe normally
measured?
A. Drill Stem Test
B. Leak Off Test
C. Sheen Test
D. Formation Integrity Test

36. You take a kick when you cross a fault while you are drilling and shut in the well. Calculate the
mud weight you need to kill the well using the following information:
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Well data: MD TVD

Depth at start of horizontal 7,690 feet 6,200 feet
Depth at time of kick 11,000 feet 6,000 feet
Length of horizontal section 3,310 feet
Nud weight 11 ppg
Kick data:
SIDPP 150 psi
SICP 170 psi
A. 11.5 ppg
B. 11.4 ppg
C. 12 ppg
D. 11 ppg

37. You are drilling a section of well with a low kick tolerance. What action could be implemented?
A. Pull out at increased trip speed and carry out 15 minute flow checks at all drilling breaks
B. Increase vigilance of kick indicators
C. Take slow circulating rate pressures at faster strokes per minute (SPM) than normal
D. Increase the mud viscosity to reduce the chance of a kick

38. What happen to the mud pit volume as gas is circulated up the hole when killing a well?
A. The volume stays the same
B. The volume decreases
C. The volume increases

39. What is the only function of a diverter?

A. To act as a backup system if the annular preventer fails
B. To create a back pressure sufficient to stop formation fluids entering the wellbore
C. To direct formation fluids away from the rig floor
D. To shut in a shallow kick

40. A function has been operated from the remote panel. The open light goes out and the close light
illuminates, but pressure gauge did not drop. What is the problem cause of the problem?
A. Air pressure too low
B. Leak in the system
C. Close line is blocked
D. Pressure switch is faulty

41. Why must you leave spare capacity in the active pit system when circulating out a kick?
A. To store the kick fluid as it is circulated from the well
B. If the kick is oil it will expand and pit level will increase
C. If the kick is salt water it will expand and pit level will increase
D. If the kick is gas it will expand and pit level will increase
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42. At what stage during a kill operation can the choke pressure reading exceed MAASP without
breaking down the formation at the shoe?
A. When the influx is above the casing shoe
B. When the influx is in open hole section
C. When the kill mud is at the bit
D. When the influx is on bottom

43. What is the main reason for a trip drill?

A. To ensure the crew is able to effectively recognize and react to a kick while tripping pipe
B. To ensure the crew is trained to kill the well
C. To see how fast the Driller can line up on the choke manifold
D. To test the pit flow and trip tank alarms

44. If a kick is shut in and the slow circulating rate pressure is not known. What procedure should be
used to obtain the correct Initial Circulating Pressure?
A. Check the records and choose the kill rate circulating pressure taken with the last BHA in the
hole nearest to the depth where the kick took place. Add 100 psi as a safety margin
B. Use the SIDPP as the circulating pressure
C. Contact the mud logger and request the best possible calculating of the Initial Circulating
Pressure
D. Follow correct start-up procedure. Read the pressure on the drillpipe gauge, subtracting any
overbalance/safety margin pressure. This is the ICP

45. You have pumped cement inside the casing and are displacing the cement into position with mud.
What should happen to active pit level during this stage of operation?
A. Pit level stay constant
B. Pit level will decrease
C. Pit level will increase

46. A 500-foot long cement plug is set inside the casing shoe. The mud in the hole is to be displaced to
a new mud density. Mud density below the cement plug = 11.8 ppg.
New mud density = 12.8 ppg
Top of cement plug = 8200 feet
If the plug failed and allowed pressure to pass between the top and the bottom of the plug, what
would happen to the bottom hole pressure?
A. BHP would Increase
B. BHP would stay the same
C. BHP would decrease

47. Which of the following affect the Shut In Drill Pipe Pressure?
A. Size of influx in the annulus
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B. Formation fluid pressure

C. Annular volume from Bit to Shoe
D. Influx gradient

48. What would be the effect of fitting a 7-1/16 inch x 5,000 psi flange to a working 10,000 psi rated
BOP stack?
A. The rating would become 7,500 psi
B. The rating would become 5,000 psi
C. The rating would become 2,500 psi
D. The rating would remain at 10,000 psi

49. You pump a 30 bbl slug with the following parameters:

5 inch Drillpipe capacity: 0.01776 bbls/foot
Slug Weight: 16.2 ppg
Mud Weight: 15.2 ppg
Well Depth: 12,335 feet MD and 12,121 feet TVD
Calculate how much mud, in addition to the slug volume, would u-tube from the well?
A. 30 bbls
B. 2 bbls
C. 45 bbls
D. 5 bbls

50. Which of the following may be a lagging indicator of an increase in formation pressure?
A. Change in ROP
B. Change in rotary torque
C. Change in RPM
D. Change in background gas

51. You are drilling ahead in a zone that has experienced ballooning for other wells in the area. You
have experienced losses of 8 barrels over the last stand. When you shut down to make a
connection, the well continues to flow greater than the 8 barrels lost. What should the Driller do?
A. Nothing because you are sure it is ballooning
B. Shut in the well and call the Supervisor
C. Call the Company Representative and discuss options
D. Make up Top Drive and start circulation

52. Severe losses occurred while driving. The pumps were stopped and the mud in the well could not
be seen. The well was then filled to the top with water and remained static.
Mud weight: 12 ppg
Brine water height: 8.6 ppg
Height of water column in the annulus: 150 feet
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What is the reduction in bottom hole pressure with the 150 feet of water compared to the
pressure before the losses?
A. 94 psi
B. 30 psi
C. 26 psi
D. 67 psi

53. For most operations it is recommended that two independent barriers are in place. From the list
below, which pair of barriers are NOT independent of each other?
A. Kill weight mud in the well and the blow out preventer
B. A cemented shoe track over a non-hydrocarbon bearing zone and a casing bridge plug
C. An Annular and a Ram on a BOP stack
D. A tubing plug set downhole and a backpressure valve in the hanger

54. While making a connection, the Driller closed the well in due to an abnormally long flowback
time. The stabilized surface pressures were equal at 150 psi on the Drill Pipe and Annulus. You
suspect the well has been ballooning. After bleeding the pressure to zero (0) in increments of 50
psi, the pressure stayed at zero. Oil-based mud is in the hole. What instruction would you give the
Driller?
A. Open the BOP and drill ahead
B. Open the choke and flow-check. If negative, circulate bottoms-up through the choke
C. Open the choke and flow check. If negative, open the BOP and circulate while raising the mud
weight by 0.5 ppg and drill ahead
D. Open the BOP, raise mud weight by 1 ppg and drill ahead

55. Why must the well kill be started using the correct start-up procedure?
A. To maintain a constant bottom hole pressure as pump speed is increased t kill rate
B. To allow shut in casing pressure to be increased by the low circulating rate pressure
C. To hold correct pump pressure as kill mud is pumped to the rig floor
D. To get the calculated Final Circulating Pressure on the pump pressure gauge

56. After shutting in on a kick the SIDPP and SICP have been stable for 15 minutes, they then both
start slowly rising by the same amount. Which one of the following is the probable cause?
A. The BOP stack is leaking
B. The influx is migrating up the wellbore
C. Another influx is entering the wellbore
D. The gauges are faulty

57. You have a plugged nozzle and the pump pressure has increased by 250 psi. what will happen to
Bottom Hole Pressure (BHP) if you adjust the choke to reduce pump pressure by 250 psi?
A. BHP will decrease
B. BHP will stay the same
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C. BJP will increase

58. What is the minimum number of barriers normally required to be in place for any phase of
operation?
A. Three
B. Two
C. Four
D. One

59. When drilling in the transition zone to an abnormally pressured formation, what changes may you
expect to see with the formation returning at the shakers?
A. Reduction in size of each cutting
B. Increase in the density of Shale cuttings
C. Decrease in the density of Shale cuttings
D. Decrease in the amount of cavings
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Please use the following information for question 60 through 67

Well Data

Hole Dimensions
Depth (MD/TVD) 9,800 feet
9 5/8" Casing shoe 7,950 feet
Hole size 8 1/2 inch
Current mud weight 11.3 ppg
Internal Capacities
6 1/2" Drill collars (length 600 feet) 0.00768 bbl foot
5" Drill pipe - capacity 0.01776 bbl foot
5" Drill pipe - metal displacement 0.00650 bbl foot
5" Drill pipe - closed end displacement 0.02426 bbl foot
5" HWDP (length 500feet) - capacity 0.0088 bbl foot
Annular Capacities
Open hole / Drill collar 0.0292 bbl foot
Open hole / Drill collar 0.0459 bbl foot
Casing / Drill pipe 0.0505 bbl foot
LOT
Shoe test mud weight 10.5 ppg
Leak off pressure 1,950 psi
Pump Details
Pump Output 0.119 bblstk
SCR at 40 spm 450 psi
Shut in data
SIDPP 500 psi
SICP 700 psi
Pit gain 13 bbls

Calculate:
60. Maximum allowable mud weight before kick
A. ________________ ppg

61. MAASP before kick

A. ________________ psi

62. Strokes from surface to bit

A. ________________ strokes

63. Kill mud weight

A. ________________ ppg
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64. Initial circulating pressure

A. ________________ psi

65. Final circulating pressure

A. ________________ psi

66. MAASP after well has been killed

A. ________________ psi

67. Pressure drop per step (one-tenth of strokes to Bit)

A. ________________ psi/step

68. What action should a Driller take if a sudden increase in mud gas level is recorded?
A. Check for flow and call Supervisor
B. Stop drilling, circulate bottoms-up, record gas levels and inform your supervisor
C. Request Mud Engineer to increase mud weight by 0.3 ppg
D. Increase rate of penetration to minimize the warning signs

69. Well has kicked when 30 stands off bottom. Shut-in pressure both equal 150 psi. which of the
following is the best action to take to restore primary control?
A. Strip to bottom and circulating well using Driller’s Method – 1st circulating
B. Circulate kick out while 30 stands off bottom using the Driller’s Method
C. Raise mud weight by 150 psi and circulate out using Wait and Weight Method

70. What is the function of the choke in the choke manifold?

A. To create a back-pressure when killing the well
B. To bleed high volume of formation fluid
C. To close the well softly

71. Which of the following actions should be taken when drilling through a transition zone?
A. Increase Weight on Bit
B. Increase time between mud weight checks
C. Reduce Revolutions per Minute (RPM)
D. Monitor cuttings and cavings at the Shakers

72. After the well is shut-in, what key data should be recorded?
A. Shut In Drill Pipe Pressure (SIDPP)
B. Weight on Bit
C. Hook Load
D. Rotary Torque
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73. While running casing, the string became hung up. The operator has made the decision to pull the
casing. You have advised the Driller to go slow and watch his fill-up volumes as he pulls the casing
string. What is the reason for this?
A. Potential surging due to tight wellbore to casing geometry
B. Potential down time for not being ready to trip back in the hole
C. Potential swabbing due to tight wellbore-to-casing geometry
D. Potential damage to the casing string and cost to the Operator

74. In a well with the Bit to Shoe volume greater than drill string volume, which of the following kill
methods will minimize the risk of losses?
A. Bullheading Method
B. Wait and Weight Method
C. Driller’s Method
D. Volumetric Method

75. When running in the hole with casing, what is a benefit of routine fill-ups?
A. To provide hydrostatic support to the casing and related components
B. To prevent casing burst due to high internal pressure
C. To minimize surge pressure when running in
D. To reduce Hook Load and wear on the drilling line

76. The Derrickman states that there has been a 10 bbl increase in the pits over the last 15 minutes.
What is the safest action to take?
A. Carry out a flow check
B. Inform the Mud Engineer
C. Ask the Derrickman to check for any mud transfers
D. Call the Toolpusher for advice

77. When testing a surface BOP stack with a test plug, why must the side outlet valves below the plug
be kept in the open position?
A. Because of potential damage to wellhead/casing/open hole
B. To prevent a pressure lock
C. Because the test will create extreme hook loads