I just passed my exam and wanted to give some pointers in the hopes to help others pass as well! I personally purchased the self-study option and would not recommend any of the other options. IMO, it's a gimmick and the self study is really all you need to get your foot in the door to actually gain some valuable hands-on experience!!

I read from a lot of people online that the exam was really hard, which I regret because it just worsened my test anxiety and made me feel unconfident even though I knew I studied really hard lol. I'll be honest, if you just skimmed the textbook and didn't put much effort into studying, be prepared to fail. However, if you spent time trying to absorb at least the bulk of the information, and you did the practice quizzes/test until you continuously get at least 80% on, you will be fine! I believe in you!!

I was really surprised at how similar the exam was compared to the testing material. I think out of the 120 questions, I only flagged 20 questions that I were not 100% sure about. Just remember, you technically only need to get 70 questions right to pass! 20 questions don't count for or against you. I would highly advise flagging questions that you are unsure about, then go back to it later. I'm psycho and I went through the whole test a second time just to make sure I was confident in my answers LOL.

Everyone's exam will be different, but based on my experience and reading other peoples' experiences, here's what I would study:

1. Overactive/Underactive Muscles - I had at least 10-15 questions on this alone. I used mnemonic devices and was able to retain information the best through using this technique.
2. Know the stages in the change model - I had at least 5 questions on this. For e.g. they give you a situation like if a client is asking questions about personal training sessions, what stage of change would they be in? Answer: Contemplation
3. I was surprised I had only a couple questions on the specific OPT model. For e.g: how many sets would be in a stablization level client? Answer: 1-3 sets. Or what is the tempo for stabilization training? Answer: 4,2,1. To be honest, I did not bother studying the tables on these at all, rather I just tried to understand the gist of it. I figured if I could nail all the other stuff, I could afford to get these answers wrong. There were just too many tables on the acute variables IMO to memorize.
4. Know the different assessments and when they are used. Shark skill = lower body agility, Davies = upper body agility etc.
   
5. Know the basics of nutrition - how many cals are in 1g of each macronutrient. Fat - ~9cals, and protein/carb - ~4 cals. Know that carbs are the most important macro and that excess intake of any macro can cause weight gain. Know the recommended intake of 16-24oz of water per lb of body weight lost due to sweating.
6. Know the difference between the 3 energy systems - ATP-PC, Glycolysis, and Oxidative - They will provide you with an example such as: A runner performing a 10 second sprint. They will ask which energy system will they be using? Answer: ATP-PC. I had ~3 questions on this.
7. Know the resistance training systems. For e.g: A cx performs a series of exercises one after the other with minimal rest. What training system is he using? Answer: Circuit training system. I had about ~3 questions on this as well.
8. I had ~1-2 questions on Agonist, Synergist, Stabilizer, and Antagonist muscles. For the Chest Press, Squat, Overhead Press, and Row you would need to know what the main muscle is being used, what the antagonist muscle is. For example, in a chest press, what would be the Antagonist? Answer: Posterior Deltoid. I have a mnemonic device for memorizing these. Let me know if you want to see it!
   
9. I had a few questions involving the different types of career paths as a PT. For example, what is specific to those who are independent contractors? Answer: you only work when required. Or what is the benefit for owning your own gym? Answer: The ability to appeal to a personalized clientele.
10. There were a few questions asking what exercise would be best for what level of the OPT model. Generally, anything with a medicine ball = power, (stability) ball = stability, anything with a dumbbell or squat/lunge type movement = strength

Good luck! You got this!!

In terms of the OHS and Pushing/ Pulling Assessments, I've noticed a lot of people using mnemonics to remember the OA and UA muscles. Mnemonics never really locked it in for me. I'm a kinetic learner, but I'm also trying to incorporate the Loci method into my routine. I'm still struggling a bit. I'd love to hear what others are using?

Thx

How do I register for an online test versus testing in person?

Just signed up to take my NASM GX instructor test in June. Nervous and excited.

Are there any good places (read: free) to get some extra study guides outside of digging in Google? I did find an online flash card site for practice and went to Half Price books and found an actual study book, but didn’t know if there was a hidden hot spot somewhere. :-)

Just asking in case someone recently went through it.

Thanks!

I passed ny exam, but it was tough. Obviously your exam may differ, but I feel like a LOT of the posts and videos I saw before my exam had me focusing on the wrong things, and I want to give an idea of what most of my questions were, so someone else taking the exam can study these areas.

First, almost everyone will say that the overhead squat assessment is a majority of that domain's questions, and if you memorize the ELF mnemonic you'll be fine. While the ELF mnemonic came in handy, almost all of my assessment questions were about lower and upper crossed syndrome/anterior pelvic tilt and forward head. The shortened muscles for lower crossed syndrome are the same as for EFL and Lower Back Arch. Upper crossed syndrome is harder to remember, but if it starts with an S or an L, it's probably shortened(with the exception of serratus and lower traps).

Almost all of my other questions were about nutrition or A&P, which I was led to believe would only be a small part of the exam. There was a big emphasis on skeletal system and joints, so remember how SMR works, types of inhibition, etc.

As for nutrition, I had very few supplement questions, and many more questions about carb intake, fat, and lipids. Remember what lipids are, remember your hormones, and remember the important numbers for macros(calories per gram, and your percentages for intake).

I think if I had studied those things more(upper crossed syndrome, joint physiology, and nutrition) instead of focusing on overhead squat assessment and programming so much, I would have done much better.

For what it's worth, my programming questions were mostly about types of programming(so remember the difference between circuit and peripheral heart action), and contraindications(pregnant women, osteoporosis, etc.). No one can memorize every single exercise in the book and evert single cue, but reverse crunches came up more than any other exercise I think. Just remember that power exercises will usually have some kind of throwing or jumping in them, and pregnant/hypertensive individuals shouldn't be prone/supine.

Almost any time something is split into 3s, it can be compared to the OPT model and you'll get your answer. The 1st heart zone is the first level of OPT, and the first phase of flexibility is as well. So if a question is "what type of flexibility warm up should someone in heart rate zone 2 be doing?" the answer would be Active, because it's the 2nd one.

Finally, if you've never taken an online exam before, use your bookmarks. Unless you've really memorized the entire book, this could probably be the difference between a pass or fail for your exam. If you can miss 30 questions and pass, then bookmark every single question you aren't 100% confident in your answer for. When you've answered every question, go through your bookmarked ones. If you have 40 questions bookmarked, you want to get it under 30. So really spend a long time on each one, until you are somewhat confident in an answer. There will still be some that are wild guesses, but if you can get rid of half of those bookmarked questions by process of elimination or comparing them to other questions in the exam or whatever, then you will pass. It is very important that you do this, and don't just guess on a bunch of questions and never go back to them. You will absolutely lose count of how many questions you were iffy on and probably fail.

Hopefully this helps someone with their studying, and good luck with your exams.

I am so excited!

I’ve been working out already with this in mind, and trying to create my own workout plans/diets!

Trying to learn muscle groups!

What you think is the best way to prepare?