I take the cPT exam Nov 26th! - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[greeneyes23]

I'm relieved... I want to get it over with and pass I take the exam Nov 26th at 11:30 ... a day before Thanksgiving... what a way to ruin my Holiday if I fail huh?? lol

I am confident about most of the material the test will cover. I have read and gone through all 3 textbooks and the most helpful is the ACSM Certification Review. The practice ASCM exam that you buy takes almost all of its questions from the ACSM Review Book! The review book has well over 200 practice questions and answers and has been a HUGE help.


One thing that's making me nervous is the spotting technique questions on the exam. Can someone please shed some light on this? How can I prep for these questions? Unfortunately the ACSM textbooks do not cover this topic in their books. :? Any recommendations for books I can buy on spotting?

THANKS

Rania

[aaron0577]

good luck with your ACSM exam! *fingers crossed*.

i'm presently studying for it as well, but taking a class @ depaul university. i find it more reliable as it is somewhat hands-on with splitting time between the gym and the classroom.


i'm also concerned about the spotting techniques, since it is vague in the ACSM guide, but i've found a lot of information just scrolling through different posts in the forums.

again good luck

[Christina]

One thing that's making me nervous is the spotting technique questions on the exam. Can someone please shed some light on this? How can I prep for these questions? Unfortunately the ACSM textbooks do not cover this topic in their books. Confused Any recommendations for books I can buy on spotting?

Do you live in a big city with a good library? Or do you have access to a college or university library? If so, borrow a copy of NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training. It tells you how to spot and which exercises require a spotter. If you get the book I will tell you specifically where to look.

Christina

[greeneyes23]

Thanks Brian and Christina!

Christina, I do live in a very big city and was lucky enough to find the NSCA Essentials of Personal Training book today. It definitely helped me with information about spotting techniques. I was also reading up on other chapters and the way they present their information is much easier to grasp than ACSM's textbooks. I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs to brush up on spotting and to review for their ACSM exam. It's exactly what I needed.

Thanks again

[greeneyes23]

And I FAILED :shock: The amount of questions on the exam that the textbooks do not cover is pretty insane. The guy who was in charge of the testing said I missed by about 8 questions. Bummer. I will retake in 14 days.... :roll:

[greeneyes23]

Has anyone ever had to retake the exam? If so, will it be the exact same exam/same questions, etc? I was seriously in shock at how the questions did not relate to what the KSA's were supposed to be covered. Seriously, the first 5-7 questions I thought to myself "am I sitting for the right exam?" . It didn't help much that the guy in charge of administering the exam kept popping in the room to ask how I was doing lol I was like jeez I can't afford to lose a second. I will retake the exam on Dec. 10th. The exam center I went to does not test in December but the guy said he will make it happen for me Kinda nice.


If anyone has advice on extra study materials, please throw some ideas my way. I was thinking about purchasing those ACSM practice courses... they range from $29-$59 and I want to know if they are worth it?


Anyway........ if anyone has any questions about the exam, feel free to ask someone who has failed their first attempt! I'd love to help as much as possible. Of course I'm prohibited from giving specific information that's on the exam but any general questions, ask away.

Just some things that might help other people...

-do not stress out about the math... super simple math ... calculating BMI, target heart rate, % body fat, ideal body weight, etc.
-case studies will be given so you need to know the amount of risk factors and name them. they do try to trick you so pay attention
-legal issue questions
-know which vitamins are fat soluable
-know the rotator cuff muscles and what each muscle does
-know the effects of alcohol and caffiene

[Christina]

greeneyes, don't sweat it. ACSM exams can be tough. Did it tell you which sections you scored low in? I purchased ACSM's anatomy and physiology course and I found it very helpful. Not sure if this is an area where you need some help. Do not expect to take the same exam twice. I am pretty sure they will change it up a bit, but not 100% positive.

Christina

[greeneyes23]

Hey Christina, yes I have the paper that tells me the % topics I scored low in . I did fairly high (80%) in some areas and ok in others but there were 3 areas where I barely hit the 60% mark and those are the 3 areas I'm supposed to brush up on. 32 points away from the massing mark is a bummer.



I'm just going to end up re-doing the KSA's on those topics and hope the 2nd exam I take gives me questions that actually pertain to the KSAs. :shock: . I might buy a ACSM practice course if someone can provide insight on their usefulness.

[rfulton]

I did not get to read through all the posts, did you take one of the preparation courses? They are pricey, but the one I took, the course material was almost dead-on the test. There were only a couple of areas which I felt the text books and the course did not cover, but they were not significant. You are probably close enough now to not bother, I would expect you will be fine on the next text. You might consider taking the course though after you pass as part of your CECs. I felt the course was very helpful.

[greeneyes23]

rfulton, thanks for your input on the courses. I did not take one, yet. I was thinking about it, not sure if I will anymore. I bought a 500 question practice test from a PT prep site and it's good for reviewing. I am also re-reading the ACSM GETP book and I definitely know now where I screwed up on the exam.