The test is no joke!

by Pat
(Chicago)

Today I passed the NCSF exam and man was it hard. Don't take it lightly! The most helpful advice I can give you is make sure I mean make sure you know your health and physical fitness section and program considerations of the book that is the toughest part of the test and has the most questions along with training instruction. It helps alot to know your planes and movements such as abduction, adduction,horizantal, medial..ect you get the point. But this test is not impossible you just have to study and try to understand what your studying not just memorize it as then you will fail! Well good luck to you!

Challenging Exam but Passable

by Lindsay
(Kansas City, MO)

I took the NCSF exam this morning and passed with a 69%. I took a very bizarre route studying for this test. Here are the bulletpoints to my preparation:

March 2012 - Took the 3-day ACSM-CPT workshop (I thought initially I was going to do that cert)
*bought all ACSM materials

May 2012ish - Started studying for AFAA instead and bought the online certification

June 2012 (end of month) - Bought the prep course from this website

June to July 4, 2012 - Studied from a combination of sources: AFAA, ACSM, and this website

So....My point is that I never directly studied for the NCSF exam. While I did take the online quiz from the NCSF website, I never purchased any materials from them.

I studied any where from 0 minutes, 1 hour, to periodically throughout the day since the end of March. There were some weeks where I wouldn't study for days. Yes, the exam was challenging, but not the most challenging exam in the world. It took me a little over an hour and a half to do the entire exam, and the last 30-40 minutes I went back and reviewed every single question. I ended the test with 20 minutes remaining.

Looking back at my test results, I did the worse on training instruction (43%), weight management (50%), considerations for special populations (60%), and functional anatomy (65%).

I recall reading from others that training instruction is a big part of this test. After taking this test, I would agree with that statement based on my results.

Passed it was harder than I expected

by Stacey
(Boston, MA)

Hi- I just took the NCSF Exam and passed. Let me start by saying I wasn't in this field or a related field and my experience is limited to working with a trainer myself. I recently became unemployed and figured i had nothing to lose but study time. I order the home study course, the flashcards and the one practice exam book. I studied pretty diligently (approx 4 hours per day)for about a month. I added the two day workshop on as an add on because I didn't feel comfortable with all the information and applying it. I suggest the workshop as it really gave a hands on perspective and a guide to what to study. I felt really comfortable going into the test as I knew by heart every sample question, flashcard, etc.

The exam itself was more difficult than I imagined. Even though I memorized everything the questions were tricky. Don't get hung up on equations. There was a target heart rate equation and a VO2 equation. One equation about calories of 9 grams of fat and no others. Know all your medical clearance...ie Blood pressure, resting HR, fat percentage,as there were at least 4 questions with client scenarios. Know what muscles cause causes extension, flexion etc....all of it. WIth all the prep I did there were still tons of questions where I had no clue and felt like I had never read it.

NCSF is an easy test

honestly its a really easy test. you need a minimum of 62% to pass. I just read through the text to about pg. 500 and took the test and passed with a 73% I didn't study with a guide. I also have an ACE cert and I have been training for a couple of months. Functional anatomy, programming, and training instruction make up nearly half of the exam. Get near 90% on those and you'll easily past.

NCSF Exam

by Lawrence
(Maryland)

Today I passed the NCSF exam with a 92! I thought that is was a really easy test and as long as you give yourself a few weeks to prepare then you will be fine. This website was very beneficial to me and I would recommend it to anyone who is going to take the NCSF exam. I dont want my money back!

Do not take this exam unprepared.

by Jon
(Boulder City, NV, USA)

I went to an NCSF workshop, read the entire textbook, filled out the entire study guide for the textbook, went through the flashcards several times until I could answer each one, watched the videos on the DVDs and did the Personal Training Certification Exam Prep Course from this website twice.

This took nine months as I studied at my own pace, but I'm sure others can do it quicker. I scored an 85% overall, with high scores in the sections Nutrition and Special Populations (100%). My weakest section was the one with the most questions--Training Instruction (65%). The other six sections scored in the 80-89% range. A 62% overall is required to pass.

Along with the Prep Course offered here, really get into the textbook and fill out the study guide as you go, then read the textbook again and review with your study guide just before taking the exam. If you have time for a third read through, make sure to concentrate on Screening and Evaluation, Exercise Prescription, and Training Instruction.