ACSM-Preparation? - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[arti8]

Hi, I am preparing for ACSM CPT. I have completed one short course cert in PT frm WITS education, Virginia. I am new to this field and have no exp so far. Now, I am studying for ACSM PT. I have the suggested books.Can anyone pls tell:
Are the books as recommended by ACSM sufficient to pass the exam?
Study tips on following the KSA ?
I do not access to attending the workshops right now, so will that effect my preparation?

[Christina]

Hi arti8,

Are the books as recommended by ACSM sufficient to pass the exam?

Yes.

Study tips on following the KSA ?

Study, study, study!

I do not access to attending the workshops right now, so will that effect my preparation?

Don't worry -- I didn't attend the workshop either and I did very well on the exam. I am sure WITS prepared you enough so that the workshop is not necessary.

Good luck! When do you plan to take the exam? If you have any other questions just ask.

Christina

[arti8]

Thanks Christina. U make it sound easy .I plan to register as soon I am sure of passing . Seriously, sometime early next year. I am planning to buy one of the online portal classes. Did u try those? Or maybe buy flashcards .

[Christina]

For some reason I found the ACSM exam a lot easier than the NSCA exam. I am not really sure why. Please don't take my word for it though because I have read where people have really struggled with the ACSM exam. Anyway, make sure you study the recommended texts. I remember I did not buy one of the recommended texts -- I guess I overlooked it -- but I still passed. I will tell you though, I studied the books that I did have inside and out. I was very prepared for that exam. Definitely buy the practice exam. A tip that I always tell people is to not look at the answers when the practice exam is over. Look at your overall score and see what sections you scored low in. Go back and study and THEN take the exam again. To this day I do not know all of the correct answers on the practice test. If you look at the answers then all you're doing is memorizing the answers and not learning the content. Does that make sense? Yes, I bought 2 of the online portal courses. I bought the anatomy/physiology course and the psychology course. Ironically, I have a degree in psychology yet it was my lowest scoring area on the practice exam! ops: Go figure!!! :lol: In my opinion, do not waste your money with the psychology course, but the anatomy/physiology course is a good one. They give you little quizzes along the way and a test at the end. Now that I am looking back on all that I did to prepare, I can see why I did not find the exam extremely difficult. I did not go to these lengths for the NSCA exam.

By the way, I believe you are our first member from India! Do you plan to work in India or the U.S.? (I saw where you went to WITS in Virginia.) How is the demand for personal trainers in that part of the world?

Christina

[arti8]

By replying to me, u figured the reason for the the success quotient in ACSM . The online class will help along side the books or after completion of reading the books? I am finding the resources for PT overwhelming Did u try buying flashcards? I am planning to get one?
I was in US last year , so jumped at the opportunity to go ahead with WITS. Yeah, India is A Growing country and has good scope for fitness.
Cert's and giving exams in fitness are new still. I will be among the trendsetters I guess!
Where are u practicing now? Have u always been in fitness industry?

[arti8]

PLs clarify this for me anyone:

In the book " Resources for personal trainer" 2nd edition, complete information in chapter 11, Nutrition does not match with the KSA on nutrition.
which book to refer for full information?

[Christina]

Hi arti,

Welcome back! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. My family was arriving for Christmas around the time of your last post and I was not spending a lot of time on the forum.

The online class will help along side the books or after completion of reading the books?

I took the course the same time I was reading the book. I will say though that the second edition of Resources for the Personal Trainer is way better than the first edition. You may not even need the course. I would read the book, take the practice exam, and then determine whether you need the course.

Did u try buying flashcards?

No, I did not buy note cards. I made my own.

Where are u practicing now?

I am doing in home training in Texas.

Have u always been in fitness industry?

No, but I wish I had been!

In the book " Resources for personal trainer" 2nd edition, complete information in chapter 11, Nutrition does not match with the KSA on nutrition.
which book to refer for full information?

Can you explain just a little more? Are you asking which book you should refer to for nutrition information?

Christina

[arti8]

Wishing u a very happy new year. I will clarify the doubt. The KSA on nutrition goes like this:
knowledge on terms like obesity, overweight, % fat, BMI, lean body mass, anorexia etc...
knowledge of the USDA food pyramid
knowledge of female athlete triad

These topics are not covered in the chapter on nutrition in resources for PT. From which book did u learn these toipcs?

[BrianB]

Regarding "female athlete triad" -- I haven't come across it in the text yet (but I'm still pretty early in the text), but here is a link that will explain it to you:

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/food_...rts/triad.html

The other topics you ask about can be learned through Google searches as well. I don't think ACSM will have any particular angle on them as they appear to be fairly uncontroversial topics.

Hope this helps.

[Who]

Greetings Thread Contributors -

My first post and its got nothing to do with Fitness - directly, and at this time!!

I am planning on establishing a wellness center for women in the middle east, and am embarking on an educational odyssey.

I read Arti's post here -- and it resonated with exactly where I am at on the ladder.

I am introducing myself to you, Arti and hope we could talk a bit about where you are regarding your certification, since your last post on Dec 18, 2007. I feel we may exchange meaningful notes.

Wish everyone well!

Who

who_o @ mail.com