Just passed today

by Janice
(Sherman Oaks, CA)

ACSM is no joke!!! I just took the exam today and passed with a score of 702. The exam was very challenging, but what do you expect from the best. I studied for about eight months and I must say, I (personally) needed every day of it. The exam went into depth about alot of things. Here are a few things that I remember giving that I am celebrating passing!

I studied the ACSM Resources Personal Trainer Guide, ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription and the ACSM Certification Review. I also purchased the review test from this site (which was very helpful). I made tons of flashcards and took very good individual notes. I have been certified by ISSA for 12 years and I must say, taking nothing away from ISSA, this certification was much more difficult.

Here is what I remember from this stressful, yet grateful day..... know all of the following:

-Risk stratification (all of them in detail)
-All of the FITT for (older, CVD, healthy, children and pregnant clients)and I mean ALL!!!
-Know all calculations for BMI, LBM, calories, food labels and MET
-Know carb, protein and fat intake according to the Food Pyramid
-Know downhill and uphill walking/running and what muscles are affected eccentrically and what happens when you do these activities
-What happens when you intake to much protein
-Know Isotonic, Isometic, plyometric and Isokinetic exercises and examples
-Know all about neglignce and malpractice (there were more questions regarding this than I anticipated)
-Know which joint is most flexiable and know all of the functions of the shoulder joint
-Know all of the fuctions of the shoulder (what abducts, external, internal rotation)
-Know the order of the bones on the spinal column (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, coccyx)
-Know medications to treat asthma
_Know how to re-hydrate the body when training in amibent tempature(I personally was caught off guard by this question, because I studied heat and cold, but it does not specify)
-Know symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke
-Know all about contraindicated exercises
-Know fat soluble and water soluble vitamins
-Know all about training children and pregnant women (special populations)
-Know static and PNF stretching
-Know the COMPLETE blood flow of the heart ( I mean complete)
-Study chronic and acute responses to exercises (cardio and resistance)
-Know periodization sequence
-Know all about human behavior, learning types and Psychological Theories, motiviation, attribution, precontemplation vs. contemplation phases (the questions where very difficult and the choices were so close that you really need to know the difference)

There were a few case studies, so you really need to know ALL of the health risk assessments and risk stratifications. They were in so in-depth on the exam I took that you really had to know the answer to the first question in order to get the next two or three questions right. There were no identification of bones or muscles on my test (however there are several different test). There is so much more, but I must end it here.

Good luck to everyone!!!......study....study....study....don't let anybody tell you it's a breeze....bull#$#$


You will do well if you really take the time and apply yourself. This is not an exam to take likely.