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Preparing for a CSCS or an NSCA-CPT Examination
• Do you offer review classes to help me prepare for the examination?
No. The NSCA Certification Commission does not offer classes to prepare for an examination. We do, however, have a symposium program, which is a lecture-based workshop that serves as a review of the major content areas covered in the examinations. It is important to understand that this symposium is not intended, by itself, to fully prepare candidates for the CSCS or NSCA-CPT examinations. Also, attending a symposium is not required to take the examination.
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• How long should I study for the examination?
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this question. Each examination candidate has an individual knowledge base and initial level of preparation. Those who have a more versed background in exercise science, human performance, strength and conditioning or personal training will need to review the study materials as necessary. For those who do not have such a background, much of the material covered by the examination will need to be learned and experienced for the first time; therefore, the time necessary to prepare for an examination will be markedly longer. Many candidates have reported spending approximately three to six months preparing for an NSCA Certification Commission examination.
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• What exam review materials are required for the CSCS or the NSCA-CPT exam?
None of the exam review materials are REQUIRED in order to be successful on either examination. There have been many candidates who successfully prepared for an exam without using NSCA or NSCA Certification Commission resources. Individuals can still be effective in their examination preparation pursuits using other resources.
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• What is the best way to prepare for the examination?
Because candidates with diverse backgrounds take the NSCA Certification Commission's exams, it is impossible to recommend one method that will prepare all individuals to pass the examination. An academic background in an exercise science/physiology, physical therapy, or athletic training-related curriculum provides the ideal foundation from which a candidate may begin to prepare for a CSCS or NSCA-CPT exam. However, there are candidates wanting to sit for the CSCS or NSCA-CPT exam who do not have an exercise science-related degree but who do have a significant amount of professional experience.
For suggestions on how to use the NSCA Certification Commission's review materials to
prepare for a CSCS or NSCA-CPT exam, visit the Downloads section of our web site. There you can download and print documents that provide ideas to assist exam candidates in the studying process. Note, however, that the suggestions described in the documents should NOT be considered as the only method to prepare for an exam.
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• What is the minimum number of review materials required in order to obtain all of the potential information covered on an examination?
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this question. Examination candidates bring with them a unique knowledge base and initial level of preparation. Therefore, it is difficult to recommend a single reference that will, by itself, prepare each candidate to pass the examination. Ultimately, it will be each candidate's academic background, experience, and test-taking abilities that dictate how effective his or her review materials are in promoting success on an exam.
While understanding the information presented in the review materials should certainly increase the likelihood of passing an exam, it does not guarantee a successful performance. The questions on the exams are developed from resources in addition to these materials. The primary reason for this is that the examinations are based upon the specific job-related tasks of a Strength and Conditioning Specialist or a Personal Trainer. People who work in these two professions were surveyed to determine what they actually do and what they have to know to perform their respective jobs. It is important that information on the CSCS and NSCA-CPT examinations assess competency in these areas, not the memorization of a textbook or other review materials.
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• Is either the CSCS or NSCA-CPT Practice Exam an old version of an actual exam?
No. A practice exam is not an old or previously-used examination, but rather an abbreviated test (only 1/3 as long as an actual examination) that can identify topic areas of competency or deficiency. Note that because of its reduced length, not all of the concepts that are tested on the actual examination are included on the Practice Exams. In other words, the Practice Exams do not entirely describe the content of the actual examination and, for this reason, should not be the only resource used to study for an examination.
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• When preparing for the exam, I have found differing/conflicting information about a certain topic from different review materials. How do I know what to study for the exam?
Like other academic disciplines, strength and conditioning, personal training, and exercise science in general is based upon the foundations of experimental research. Yet, when compared with other areas (e.g., biology, chemistry, medicine, etc.), strength and conditioning and personal training are still relatively "new" disciplines. Therefore, developmental research is still actively pursuing practically applied knowledge of less defined, unexplored topics. Like all other disciplines, this can result in mixed opinions and contradictions regarding these more remote topics. It should be reinforced, however, that the principles of strength and conditioning and personal training are founded upon compelling evidence of numerous experimental research studies. It is this support that has brought profound knowledge and credibility to strength and conditioning and personal training as disciplines and professions.
Consequently, it is this evidence that also provides the foundations for the CSCS and NSCA-CPT examination questions. The NSCA Certification Commission's Examination Development Committees carefully construct questions for the examinations and avoid topics that are inconclusive and unclear based upon existing research literature. Rather, the Committees form questions that arise from more clearly understood principles of strength and conditioning and personal training. All exam questions go through a discriminating review process that takes at least 12 months to complete before they appear on an examination. Furthermore, every question has a reference in a common (not obscure) source that is and has been available to all candidates for at least one year.
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• Can I take the examination at home?
No. You must take the examination at a pre-established examination site (typically a college or university).
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