I passed the NASM certified personal trainer test back in August so this post is a long time coming. When I began to think about which certifying agency I wanted to go with, what to study, how to study, etc., I consulted a ton of blogs and message boards for information. They were all extremely helpful and now it’s my turn to share my experience in the hopes that others will find this information useful.
Why NASM?
The 3 most respected certifying agencies are NASM, ACSM, and NSCA. In the future I may get my CSCS certification (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) which is only available through NSCA, so that eliminated NSCA right away. I want to try and keep my certifications diversified so that I get exposure to different training philosophies.
That left NASM and ACSM. NASM was more attractive for 2 reasons: (1) their focus is on movement deficiencies and muscle imbalances which, as a running coach, would be incredibly valuable and (2) there was guidance on how to study and what to study. I only had a finite amount of time to study and take the test (2 months – I had a nursery to think about!) and I didn’t want to mess around with guessing what I needed to know.
Which package did you choose?
I went with the CPT Self-Study package – the *cheapest* one. Note: none of the packages are cheap. This package did not include a live workshop. Not attending a workshop didn’t matter in the end (I don’t believe it would have given me an advantage). And from what I read online, many people found them unhelpful. So save some money and time and don’t bother with them.
Study tips
You have 180 days to study and take the test once you purchase a package (or pay a fee for an extension). Don’t procrastinate! I committed and purchased the package only when I knew I could dedicate a few months to study and take the test.
I do have a background in science (BS in Chemistry and MS in Pharmacology) so much of what I studied wasn’t new information. Do I think a science degree is necessary to pass the test? Absolutely not. You may need more time to digest the information but it is certainly doable.
There are 20 chapters in the textbook. I reviewed 3 chapters per week, sometimes more if the chapters were short. That left me with about 2 weeks to review everything and take practice tests before the exam.
read it, know it
For each chapter I did the following:
(1) Read the chapter thoroughly. Understand what you are reading and highlight anything important. I kept the study guide close by as I read the chapter so I didn’t miss anything important.
(2) Make notes. This is the most time-consuming process. Definitions were placed on flash cards and more intricate notes were written in my notebook. This gets old quickly but once you take good notes, you don’t have to go back and look stuff up. Believe me, it’s worth the added time!
(3) Review the online tools. With your package, you’ll get access to an online review of each chapter with a few quiz questions at the end. After reading and note-taking, the online review really solidifies everything you just learned. Review the online material after each chapter and don’t save it for the end – you will not pay as close attention!
so many notes…
(4) Review constantly! Don’t just fly through chapters and forget what you learned previously. I constantly reviewed my flash cards and notes from previous chapters. This is critical!
You MUST know…
The overhead squat assessment table (Table 7.6 of the 4th Edition). Know it by heart. Review it every day until you can rattle it off without hesitation. Also know the muscles and their isolated function. Be familiar with everything listed on the study guide.
Exam tips
I gave myself 2 weeks to review and take practice tests, once I read and studied all the chapters. This was probably too much time, since I was constantly reviewing everything all along.
The exam is 120 questions (multiple choice) and you have 2 hours to take it. The test is pass/fail, so you’ll never know your exact score. You take the exam at a testing center (you cannot bring anything into the testing center – I walked in with just my license and keys – leave everything in your car).
I felt the exam was a bit harder than the practice tests. The practice tests, in my opinion, were more straightforward where you needed to know basic concepts. The actual exam did include concepts but much of it was application based (i.e., real life scenarios).
Now what?
I definitely plan on “officially” using my CPT in some capacity in the future. But, right now, I’m using it with my running clients.
Many running injuries are the result of muscle imbalances (mostly caused by training errors – it’s a vicious circle). When you think about it, running is a series of single-leg balances moving forward. You have a split second to make contact with the ground, absorb impact, and push-off. If you are deficient in any one of those areas (for whatever reason), it’s compounded with each step and with each mile. Over time an injury can develop. I find this incredibly fascinating (don’t you?!) and I’m so happy I went with NASM because it was very much focused on this.
I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about the NASM-CPT test. If you have any advice to share, I would love to hear it!
That looks like college. I never want to go back to that (the studying part I mean, obviously). Grad school is bad enough! My friend did the weekend class thing and said it was a waste of time, so sounds like you chose correctly!
that is very fascinating! And how helpful to use everything you learned with your running clients 🙂 Wondering if there is any up-keep for the CPT? Do you need continuing education credits or to retake the test at any point in time? Hope you’re feeling good!!
you have to recertify every two years
What a great post. I was recently thinking of taking this exam. I’ll really need to wait till baby #2 gets bigger. Lol.
great review, thanks! i’m considering a CPT certification in addition to my RRCA running coach certification. This is very helpful!
Hi Kristi –
Just catching up on blogs and wanted to say hi and hope you are feeling well. Love watching your excitement here and on FB about baby coming! 🙂
Cindi
Thank you very much! I’m studying right now for the NASM and I was just searching for what exactly to study! Appreciate this!
Can you tell me what “study guide” you are referring to? I can’t seem to find one in the self study I purchased.
Did you get an answer to this question? I also did not get a study guide. I am so lost and confused.
The study guide tells you what to focus on in each chapter and how many questions there are for all the concepts. Basically, study the book and focus on program design, basic human movement, etc. It’s not a book, just an outline of how to study for the exam. Hope this helps.
After you buy the course and get all set up in the NASM site, then you go to “my courses” tab in the top left corner. This tab will take you to your courses page. Look under “My Courses” and choose “NASM CPT 4 online”. In the “outline” tab, under the “Welcome” title you will find 4 items. Item 3 (Syllabus) and item 4 (Study Guide) are the online tools you are looking for. You can print them and/or save them in your computer. I hope this help you. The “Study Guide” is a 75 days study guide, but some of the chapter are short, so you can advance at your own phase. I finished the book cover to cover in little over 30 days. I am coming down to my last 2 weeks before the test. Let’s see… 🙂
Thank you for sharing this. It was very helpful in the tips on what to study. I’ve been studying and have tried taking this exam and didnt pass it the first time. It was a lot more difficult than the practice tests and some questions were slightly vague to where I wasnt sure which answer to choose. . Im studying the textbook again and plan on taking this exam in two weeks and plan on passing this time. I haven’t had college classes in anatomy and physiology or biology for that matter so this has been a little more difficult.
Anyways, what other advice or tips could you give to prepare myself a little more for this time around.? Thanks so much!
I purchased the cheapest one, I don’t think mine came with a study guide. Where can I get one? btw..great post
Hello, not sure if you got an answer or not. I found the study guide when I went to the ONLINE part of the course. It is #4 under WELCOME in the beginning of the outline format list (where you get all the videos). Hope this helps! 🙂
Hello, I am taking my cert test in a week and I am stressing like I never have before!!! I have asked many people about their experience and what kinds of questions they had and I swear I have gotten a completely different answer from everyone 🙁 I just cant seem to get a single answer on how the questions are on the test. Some people tell me they are paragraphs long, others tell me they finished the test in 20 min., and some tell me I MUST know every muscle mover for every exercise?? Help!! Any advice would help, being that I am FREAKING out here! Thank you!!
Did you ever get an answer? Did you pass?? I have 3 weeks before I need to take the test and now I’m freaking out!
I’ve been debating about doing it but I’m cheap, I have the book and the study flashcards on my amazon wish list but I want that study guide and the quizzes (who would ever WANT a quiz lol) are there questions in the book for the end of each chapter or anything?
How long did it take the Self Study books to arrive from when you ordered them? I just ordered mine, and I’m very excited to get started
hey there
I’m planning to take my NASM exam before the end of feb(my deadline) and I’m at a panic point. I’ve been reviewing, reading and studying intermittenly for the past 4 months. I have 3 kids, a husband, house, blog, and I did a marathon in Dec so I was training all fall. Anyway, I’m beginning to freak out. I’m a horrible test taker with no background in science. It’s been a long time since college and I feel like I’m completely overwhelmed by the volume on info. Your advice to constantly review was helpful. I feel like I study something and move on then it’s weeks before I get back to something and I’ve already forgotten. Anyway, hoping I can pull it together to pass this thing!!!
I passed my CPT exam yesterday! Your’s was one of many stories I read beforehand, in preparation. Thanks for posting!
Thank you so much for this! I have been worrying about it on and off. I was unsure, and so I read your blog, when researching and this has helped me have confidence in myself. Especially since I have no experience about personal training in my background whatsoever!! thank you so much for writing this blog, this really helped me a lot! 🙂
This is very helpful as I’m trying to get certified. I was first looking into NSCA-CSCS but after buying the textbook, and having no education background in exercise science, it was a bit overwhelming. I learn better in a classroom (online classroom) environment and structured study guide. I am wondering which option would be best to purchase as it is a bit pricey. Does the self study, aside from reading the textbook, have interactive or breakdown each chapter throughly? I’m just wondering if jumpin right into the online material would be a bad idea, or if you can follow along with the book as well. Thanks again for the helpful insight!
This is very helpful as I’m trying to get certified. I was first looking into NSCA-CSCS but after buying the textbook, and having no education background in exercise science, it was a bit overwhelming. I learn better in a classroom (online classroom) environment and structured study guide. I am wondering which option would be best to purchase as it is a bit pricey. Does the self study, aside from reading the textbook, have interactive or breakdown each chapter throughly? I’m just wondering if jumpin right into the online material would be a bad idea, or if you can follow along with the book as well. Thanks again for the helpful insight!
Thank you for this post, it was very helpful. I also went with the self study option and have been studying off and on (limited time to study) since March. I keep reading about the study guide and I don’t think I got that with mine. Is it something in addition to the textbook and the online learning center? Thank you!