NSCA Exam

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Taking the NSCA Exam

You are going to need all the help you can get to pass the CPT and CSCS exams. Check out what our readers are saying about the NSCA exam.

It doesn't matter if you are preparing for the NSCA CPT exam or the CSCS exam, you are going to need to put in a lot of study time. And then NSCA helps motivate you to get it right the first time by implementing a huge $185 retake fee ($305 for non-members). Of course, you don't want to have to retake a three hour test regardless of the fee.

Passing the NSCA Exam?

The NSCA exam is now available in a computer based testing format in addition to the traditional paper based exam. The main benefit of the new format is that you get your results immediately upon completion. The exam can be taken at more than 150 H&R Block locations in the United States as well as multiple locations worldwide.

You have three hours to answer 150 questions. But only 140 of them will be scored. NSCA includes 10 unscored questions to test out potential new exam questions. Of course, they don't tell you which questions count and which ones don't so you need to budget your time to answer all of the questions.

There is a video portion of the exam where you watch a video and then answer 35 questions. Be sure to pay careful attention to how the personal trainer interacts with the client. Obviously, safety should be a prime factor and there are some easy giveaway questions on this topic. The four major exam topics include:

Client Consultation/Assessment (28 questions): initial interview, health appraisal/medical history review, fitness evaluation, basic nutrition and weight management

Program Planning (49 questions): goal setting, program design, training adaptations and special populations

Exercise Techniques (49 questions): resistance machines, free weights, cardiovascular machines and non-machine exercise techniques

Safety, Emergency Procedures and Legal Issues (14 questions)

Preparing for the NSCA Exam

The NSCA will recommend that you use all of their courseware in order to prep for the exam. That's good advice, although a pricey option. But you can buy used materials on ebay and save some money. You should definitely take our exam prep course. At only $24.95 it is a cheap insurance policy against having to pay $185 and spend three hours of your life to take the NSCA exam again (not to mention all the additional exam prep time).

Budget at least 50 hours of study time if you do not have a degree in exercise science.

The section below gives our readers the chance to talk about their experience with the NSCA exam. After you take your exam, remember to come back and tell us how you did and what worked for you!

Have You Taken the NSCA Exam?

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NSCA Exam Insider Tips

Our readers submit some great tips about passing the NSCA personal trainer certification exam. Read the tips and add your comments and ratings to each tip.

CSCS is very hard to pass
I am certified by the NSCA as a CSCS and am looking to get another certification (maybe NASM-CPT) I thought the CSCS was a hard test to pass, I had to ...

Passed the NSCA exam after two tries
I had to take the NSCA exam twice before passing. I just missed the first time but was weak in a few areas. I recommend having some training experience ...

NSCA: Just study until you are absolutely comfortable Not rated yet
I took and passed the NSCA CPT. It was not easy. I feel as if I memorized the book before walking into the exam. Which isn't a bad thing professionally....

NSCA exam: program design and metabolic changes Not rated yet
I took the computer based NSCA test and if you have taken your time learning the information instead of cramming, you will do better. The practical section ...

NSCA cPT exam Not rated yet
The NSCA cPT exam is tough but you don't want to be working with clients with special needs and not know what you are doing. Mistakes with these clients ...

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