JFKFC's tips for passing the ACSM CPT - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[JFKFC]

Hey All,

Just wanted to introduce myself. I've been lurking around on the ACSM forum since I decided to go for my certification back in March of this year. I was hoping to be on the 3-4 month plan for taking the exam, but I had a crazy year and didn't get a chance to study as often as I would have liked. To make a long story short, I passed my ACSM CPT exam yesterday (first try), and I couldn't be happier.

Before I get into the gory details, I just wanted to thank everyone on this forum for all the great information in the past year. I enjoyed reading all of the posts and found some great advice. If there's anyone on the forum from Chicago, drop me a line.

Anyway, back to the exam. Yesterday morning before I left the house, I just happened to read Greeneyes' post about failing the exam. It scared the crap out of me, but she's 100% right: there is A LOT of stuff on the exam that's not in the books. In fact, as I was taking the test, I thought to myself "I'm going to fail this and I have no idea how I'll prepare for the re-test."

Well, I wound up passing, but it was TOUGH. I almost felt like giving up halfway through, but I took the whole 150 min and pulled it off.

The least I can do now is give out some tips based on my experience. I don't want to break the ACSM confidentiality agreement, so someone please call me out if I'm getting too detailed. I think this should be pretty safe though.

1. In addition to the 3 required textbooks, pick up the Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. There's quite a few things in this book that aren't discussed in the main books. It also elaborates on some of the basic concepts a little further. If there's something on the KSA list that you don't recall reading about there's a good chance it's in this book (Except, of course, for the spotting techniques which have been mentioned 1,000 times before.... with good reason)

2. Brian said this in his post, but I'll say it again: know the risk stratification criteria really, really well

3. When they say "choose the best answer" they aren't kidding. Some questions had two right answers (so it seemed), but one was just marginally better. They are sneaky. Take your time and really think about what the BEST answer is.

4. I did all of the review tests in the Certification Review book. Don't expect ANY of those questions to be on the exam. Also, the $50 practice exam is a walk in the park compared to the real deal. I got sort of cocky because I got a 98/100 on the practice exam... not a good idea.

5. I made almost 500 flash cards. I would take a handful of them to work with me everyday and read them on the train, at lunch, in the bathroom... everywhere.

6. Know how to apply your knowledge to case studies. It's not enough to just know basic functions, you have to be able to apply that knowledge toward situations that might not have been discussed in the texts.


That's all I've got for now. Please feel free to reply or PM me if you have any questions. Again, to everyone who's passed and posted their advise "thanks"... to everyone who's planning on taking the test "good luck!"

[greeneyes23]

Congratulations on passing! I didn't mean to scare anyone but I am glad you passed! I think the textbooks give enough information to pass, definitely not to get a perfect score of 800/800.

I agree with all of your pointers especially with knowing the risk stratification criteria very well. That's very important and I think that was my downfall on the exam.

Again, congrats! :thumb:

[Christina]

Hey JFKFC and welcome. Congratulations on passing the ACSM-CPT exam! I am glad you found this site useful. If you do not mind I am going to change the title of your post to better reflect the tips you gave to people seeking the ACSM-CPT certification.

Again, congratulations! :medal:

Hope you will stick around!

Christina