passed the exam! some tips and feedback for you - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[emdubroc]

Thank you to this message board for providing some great information and encouragement! I want to return the favor, hopefully, and give some of my own insight post-exam.

I'm an RD so I had a lot of science-related knowledge going into the exam. This definitely helped, but is not required. The main textbook goes into a lot of physiology that you should want to know to be accurate and well-versed, but don't get bogged down in really intricate details. And keep a computer with google pulled up close by to do random searches for words you don't know or concepts the authors gloss over...this was really helpful for synthesis of the materials.

1. I started studying while I was pregnant with my first baby last year. I figured I could study and take the exam before he arrived, but I was wrong! I tend to be an over-studier, and got bogged down with the materials. He's now 10 months old and I just took and passed the exam with a score of 750/800. It took long enough, but that's okay. With that said, don't give up if there are some setbacks in your studying!

2. Because I'm an overstudier and perfectionist, I read through the main text TWICE, taking notes and making flash cards, read the review and took the quizzes (great for confidence), and read the Rx book - which was boring to read, but very good content-wise. It was honestly the most helpful text of the three, in my opinion. A great reference book to keep close by, as well.

Doing all of the reading was tedious and I thought I'd never finish, but for me it was good at the same time. I wanted to really absorb the material. I heard it said once that you should study to become the kind of trainer you want to become, not to pass the exam. I heartily agree with this. I could have studied a LOT less and easily made a 550 on the exam to pass, but I would be more intimidated and anxious than I already am to start working and do an excellent job. Not to mention it would be an insult to the industry, your clients and other trainers. Do your BEST.

3. Know the planes of movement and basic muscles forwards and backwards. Practice the movements in your living room - whatever works. Think of the planes as panes of glass and the movements as "washing" the glass. The transverse pane of glass is washed, for example, when you rotate your spine and glide your hands along it. Same thing with the sagittal plane as you flex and extend your arm with your hands at your side - your hands glide over that pane of glass that is the sagittal plane.

4. Know the major muscles and what they do. What muscle in the SITS group abducts the arm? (supraspinatus) What muscle is engaged during a lat pull down that also adducts the arm? (lat. dorsi) Muscle coloring books are great for this. Luckily this is a portion of the material you should be highly motivated to learn, because you'll be using it day in and day out. Don't worry about action, origin and insertion unless you plan on going for the clinical/rehab cert later.

5. Brian's study tips post is great - no need to regurgitate it here. But like he says, know the risk factor criteria backwards and forwards. And know if they are "less than" or "less than or equal to"!!!

6. If you're like me and purchased the now-old materials last year and don't want to shell out more money for the new ones, don't worry. Just go to the acsm website and print out the changes to the textbooks - the editor's notes. Make those changes in your materials and memorize them. You'll be fine.

7. Know details about special populations and the changes you need to make to their exercise Rx. The best text for this is the small Rx book. Again, these are practical things you really need to know.

8. Research spotting techniques online. The miniscule amount of information provided in the text is not sufficient. For example, which moves do you need to use an alternate grip for? Do you spot the client's elbows or wrists during a dumbell chest press? Do you stand in front or behind someone doing calf raises? These are things you need to know.

9. During the final two weeks of studying, I literally went through each KSA and crossed it off. If I was fuzzy on something, I went back and reviewed it. This was also great for my confidence.

10. Again, because I'm paranoid and was feeling unsatisfied with only self-studying, I decided to take the 3-day workshop ACSM endorses. It was way more expensive than it was worth in my opinion, but my confidence shot through the roof after that, because Iit convinved me that I was really well-prepared. I will admit that the study guide they provide is good and helps condense everything down to the main points - and they give great information on muscle movements and spotting techniques, so this is simply up to you. It's not something I recommend 100% because of the cost involved, but then again I took the test two weeks after this mainly because it was a confidence-boost and catalyst to get this thing behind me. It was also neat to meet other people in the study trenches with you and an instructor who really knows their stuff.

11. Practice case studies if you can. Make them up if you have to. And practice writing exericise scrips for people. If they mainly want to build mass and strength, what would you recommend? What %RM, how many reps, how many sets, how much rest, etc.

Look at Brian's post for more specifics. Don't get bogged down in the details. Know them for you, but don't waste time frantically memorizing things that you likely won't ever utilize.

Oh, and read the first 5 chapters of the main text for you and to know them, but don't worry about memorizing any of that teaching theory stuff. Absorb what will help you be a better trainer, and that's it.

Good luck!!!

[Christina]

Congratulations! Thanks for such a detailed review of your strategies for passing the exam. I am sure it will be much appreciated by others!

Christina

[Joe Cannon MS CSCS]

Great points thanks for sharing. I especially like the point about becoming the trainer you want to be - not to just pass the test. how true!!
Joe

[jeff]

Dear Em!

Congratulations!

Thank you so much for the excellent advice. I am cut and pasting what you wrote, and saving it with the advice that Brian gave two years ago.

Thank you also for sharing the insight about studying to become the trainer you want to be rather than to just pass the exam. I think this is really great advice.

I am really impressed to hear that while you thought that it took you longer to finish the exam that you achieved such a high score. Wow!

Jeff

[boilermaker06]

Do you have any tips on where to find some of the spotting techniques? I have been around weight lifting most of my life and I have never seen anyone spot Calf raises. I have googled spotting techniques and I never seem to get any good results.

[Dinah]

Hi there,

If you have plans to attend the ACSM workshop, there is one page that lists spotting techniques for several exercises. Calf raises are included and -- fyi -- you should spot behind the lifter for those specifically.

I was told that a more extensive list of spotting instructions is listed in one of the NSCA textbooks. Not sure if someone on here could give you the specific name and then you could check it out of the library.

Hope that helps.



Dinah

[jacob]

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing such a nice details with us, and bets of luck for the future.

[JNJ.Violette]

Hi Everyone,

Please excuse my ignorance once again. I'm still new to all of this, but learning. My question is this: I was advised by this forum to start my studying with the "Resources for the Personal Trainer" text book. As I read the first 100 pages or so, I saw that so many pages are filled with illustrations containing tons of names of muscles, bones, body planes, examples, etc. I also see many "tables" with lots of information and also a larger number of definitions. It may be a crazy question, but do you actually memorize all of that information? It's taking me DAYS just to get through a few pages. I'm still not sure how to treat this animal, and I'm still trying to find the best way to prepare for the exam. If you memorize certain things, then how do you know WHICH things??

Any thoughts, guidance or advice??

Thank you!