How To Be overprepared for the NASM

[MillerDecaXC]

Anyone know of any other practice tests online? or now to get a different one? The eLearning center only had one test with the same 100 questions =(

dont have a smart phone so i cant get the app

[shimmeringpearl]

Did I read somewhere in this thread that we are given 2 pieces of paper during the exam?

[Skullster]

Did I read somewhere in this thread that we are given 2 pieces of paper during the exam?

Not sure but I think I read something about that in this thread?

I took advantage of the free 3 day trial material. It was kind of quirky software wise. I wasn't able to get through all the chapters before my time expired. I also received the book v4 from amazon and there is a code in the front of the book that gives you access to an online quiz bank. Pretty much aced all the questions on the 1st section (5 chapters) on Fundamentals of Human Movement Science. I purchased the NASM app from iTunes today and did very well on that topic as well. Gonna focus on the final two sections next, Nutrition/Supplementation and Client Interaction as those are only 4 chapters long. Save the 10 chapters on assessments, training concepts and program design for last as that is the material I know the least. Based on the app and what I have studied and retained so far I feel like I can get this material digested with a full understanding before my school semester is over. Hopefully pass the test in December and get a job in time for the New Year's resolution rush!

[DGetsCut]

Once you understand where the muscles are and their job (isolated function) you can fairly easily figure out what the muscles asked about do when they are all involved in a movement. And he was also spot on about actually moving while studying the assessments and putting yourself in the improper postural positions. Once the terminology is down the dominoes start to fall.

Exactly right, I agree. Form/structure then function comes easier.

[Borschtbeet]

I really admire the passion in this thread. I have considered the NASM and should I register I will certainly use the resources here to help me study.

[buchholz02]

Anyone know of any other practice tests online? or now to get a different one? The eLearning center only had one test with the same 100 questions =(

dont have a smart phone so i cant get the app

I found this arcade style website on how to learn the muscle of the body and I'm sure there is more online learning aids if you look. This one makes it fun

anatomyarcade ( won't let me put the link in here because I have only 2 post so www------com / games Good luck

[mkeller1221]

Cannot find an app called NASM U. Also, the app for NASM Exam Prep from Upward Mobility has reviews that lead me to believe that it is geared more toward CPT version #3 test-takers? Is this the case or not?

[redepjohn]

THhlanx for the info this is something I want to do I have not been certified yet..To many option , any suggentiins ,wanted to get certificate that will get me through my gym doors so I can gain experience in training n working with clients befor trying to become nasm certified .

[rubysphoto]

Thanks for posting all the info here. I have a live personal training workshop this Saturday and my exam is scheduled for the 22nd of this month.

[Skullster]

Thanks for posting all the info here. I have a live personal training workshop this Saturday and my exam is scheduled for the 22nd of this month.

Wishing you success on your test please come back and post up your results and some of the questions that stuck out. I have studied 10 chapters so far.

[CodyHill4]

Took my NASM CPT3 exam this morning, passed....phew!

THis thread was super helpful, for sure saw some of the same questions posted in here that were on the test.

My best advice, like many have said, LEARN the material dont memorize....apply it to your own workouts, watch people in the gym for imbalances, and think about how youd go about correcting em.

thanks for all the help yall!

[Skullster]

Took my NASM CPT3 exam this morning, passed....phew!

THis thread was super helpful, for sure saw some of the same questions posted in here that were on the test.

My best advice, like many have said, LEARN the material dont memorize....apply it to your own workouts, watch people in the gym for imbalances, and think about how youd go about correcting em.

thanks for all the help yall!

Congratulations!

[claing]

THE DREADED PAGE 169

If you read around 80% of people say MEMORIZE 169, well I say don't. I probably have looked at page 169 less then 10 minutes but can still tell you the entire chart. How? I learned functional anatomy, yes functional anatomy,,pages 68-86 that no one ever reads because its too much information. and I agree it is too much information, becuase it repeats itself over and over and over....This is how I learnt those pages and therefore fully understood overactive and under active muscles with no memorization.

Everyone seems to talk about this 'Page 169', but which edition of the textbook is this in? I have the Fourth Edition, and page 169 is on Static Stretching techniques. Does anyone know which page the chart is on in this edition?

[muddysocks]

I passed my test!!!!!!!! I thought it was pretty easy but I studied my butt off!!! Took me 45 minutes. Learn learn learn. This thread did help. Dont just memorize the answeres here but know why. Apply the knowledge at the gym. There were things on the test that I got right because I did them at the gym.

If you bought the flash cards and practice test package, do them !!! They helped me so much, I did them over and over, when I got an answer wrong I wrote it down and learned it.

Definatly know the short and lengthened muscles. Page 183 in NASM 4 book. Know them, I would stand and take the pose to learn why, memorizing them will just mess you up.

I had questions on

Youth

Pregnant excersises

a cpr question

Pulse

Lengthened and shortened muscles from the whole chart

SMART goals

Stages of change


I read the book about 4 times, used the Upword mobility twice, I also used Quizlet and learned it all. It is alot but it starts to make sence and then you just know it. I was so overwhelmed for the first few months but then it all fell into place. Just keep at it.

[supahvyweight]

Bradster and everyone who contributed to this thread thanks. I passed my CPT exam today. I found this thread 2 days before I had to take the exam and it helped me out a lot. I also had the Upward mobility app and that was very helpful in preparing for the exam. I actually saw a good amount of questions that are on that app. If your planning on taking the CPT exam follow everything that Bradster and the others talked about.

[SportPsych]

Hi,
I am just starting out, I have already gotten my ACSM cert - and I will be getting my NASM cert. I am curious, is there anyone else that has both that can let me know what to look for? I've already explored the philosophy that separates the two. I am more curious as to what I should really be aware of when I am studying and preparing for the exam?

I really appreciate the replies.

[MillerDecaXC]

Can someone help me out on the lengthened/shortened muscles... Ive read the book twice and I looked online and im still now sure what it means. They mention them all the time but never tell you what the terminology means...

Overactive Muscles = tight = Shortened... and they must be stretched??

Underactive Muscles = long = weak... and they must be strengthened??

my exam is in like 2 weeks and this is prolly the most important thing on the exam and im still trying to figure out the terminology for it lol...

[DatdereCT]

Can someone help me out on the lengthened/shortened muscles... Ive read the book twice and I looked online and im still now sure what it means. They mention them all the time but never tell you what the terminology means...

Overactive Muscles = tight = Shortened... and they must be stretched??

Underactive Muscles = long = weak... and they must be strengthened??

my exam is in like 2 weeks and this is prolly the most important thing on the exam and im still trying to figure out the terminology for it lol...

Yes you are on the right thought process.

Think of it through someone with lower crossed syndrome.

Tight hip flexors= tight and shortened, therefore must be stretched/rolled.

Also, this creates weaker hamstrings which need to be strengthened.

[MillerDecaXC]

Yes you are on the right thought process.

Think of it through someone with lower crossed syndrome.

Tight hip flexors= tight and shortened, therefore must be stretched/rolled.

Also, this creates weaker hamstrings which need to be strengthened.

So what causes the lower crossed syndrome? is it weak hamstrings? tight hop flexors? both? or something else?

Also, my feet permanently turn out all the time. always have since i was little, 24/7/365... I pretty sure this isnt caused by overactive/underactive muscles. I always assumed it was genetic or just how im built... is it possible for me to correct this with stretching and strengthening certain muscles??

[heavykettlebell]

If you just memorize the overhead squat chart you'll have 60-70% of the test down. So if there's anything that's a big deal, it's really knowing your anatomy. It helps to have a strong knowledge of anatomy insertions, origins and primary actions.

[rubysphoto]

I took my exam today and passed!!

[DavidL913]

CPT 4 question:

What the heck is the Proprioceptive continuum? It was a question on the online practice exam and I have no idea where to find it.

[DatdereCT]

CPT 4 question:

What the heck is the Proprioceptive continuum? It was a question on the online practice exam and I have no idea where to find it.

It is the progression from two leg > one leg > bosu ball... half foam... etc. Re-read I believe it is later in the textbook.

[MillerDecaXC]

Holy fuk bros i am FREAKING OUTTT. My exam is this Friday. I look online exam and did fine, then downloaded the NASM app and i fukkin get like 40-50%s each time i take tests, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! some of this **** i never even HEARD of... da fukkk? is the app made for version 3 or something? Im so scared and feel so unprepared!

[Controvox]

Hey, 18 years old here and just passed on my first attempt! I had version 4.

My vote is a definite yes, I found this to be extremely helpful. I honestly don't know if I would have passed the test if I hadn't been inspired by this thread to undergo the seemingly-excessive preparation that is actually necessary in order to pass. This is one test where being overprepared is a must.

Basically in the first month, I read through the book with the intention of getting a good general understanding of the concepts. I did not skim through it, but I did not memorize any fine little details either. I did this because I personally find it easier to get a good understanding of exactly what it is I am about to be learning, and then learn more about it in detail.

After that, I read through it again with the intention of committing everything to memory. Not purely by rote memorization (although that is necessary in some cases), but mostly by thoroughly studying everything until I fully understood it. The second phase took me about 3 months, and I spent about 2 hours a day (sometimes more) studying.

The NASM app with 400 different questions is extremely helpful. Between that and the 100-question practice test provided by NASM (500 questions total), I only had about 10 of the exact same ones come up on my real test...so in terms of usefulness for just memorizing free answers, you're out of luck. What the practice questions do, is they show you exactly how much you understand, and how much you don't. If there's something you get wrong, go back and look at the book and study that section again...you probably have a gray area in terms of your understanding, and the practice test has provided you the invaluable service of showing you exactly where it is. Toward the end of my studying, I became practically obsessed with finding any little detail that I didn't fully understand 100% and studying it until I was willing to bet money that I had it down for good. I narrowed it down to the point where I knew what glucose-6-phosphate was, and I could tell you off the top of my head what size stability ball is needed for anybody of any height. I didn't really think I was going to fail, but I could never let myself get cocky either...I had to keep studying every single thing I possibly could because I knew that there was always a possibility of me failing somehow, and I needed to narrow it down as close to 0% as possible.

Like OP said, if you can take the practice test or NASM app quiz and get 90% on your first try, with no memorization of the actual answers beforehand, then you are probably safe to take the test. Do not settle for 70%, or even 80%. The reason why you need to know much more than you think you have to, is because the real test is going to throw some questions at you which you will almost definitely not be able to get right, unless you are lucky. And some of these don't even seem like research questions.

For instance, one of them asked: which of the following muscles is shortened if someone's shoulders elevate during the pulling assessment? Okay, that's easy enough...if you studied what everybody acknowledges as being the single most important part of the book, then obviously you know that it's the upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and levator scapulae which are tight. But wait...the problem is, one of the options is sternocleidomastoid, and another is upper trapezius. Great...now you are forced to choose between two answers which are both right, and then hope that it turns out to be the correct one. On my test, I would say there were about ten questions which were incredibly ambiguous or otherwise impossible to answer correctly without sheer luck. This means that if you don't know more than you have to in order to pass the practice tests, you run a high risk of being defeated by the deceptive questions. If you got around 80% on the practice test and decided you were ready, these ~10 "weird" questions alone can make you ride a razor's edge between passing and failing. So you're going to have to make up for these by knowing the little details on other things they ask you, like the heart and the different phosphorylation systems.

One thing I did take note of, is that you should not memorize the acute variables as they are listed at the end of each exercise chapter, but rather you should memorize the tables on Chapter 14 (pages 350-358). There are several reasons for this. First of all, the exercise chapters group them by exercise type (core, plyometrics, resistance, etc.), whereas chapter 14 groups them by OPT phase. It is much more useful to know the acute variables by what phase they belong to, rather than first grouping them by exercise type and then figuring out which ones belong to which phase. Second, the tables on chapter 14 list some variables which are entirely neglected by the exercise chapters: Intensity, Frequency, and Duration. And finally, the exercise chapters will group phases 2, 3, and 4 together as "strength", and list them as all having the exact same acute variables. This is wrong. It will tell you, for instance, that all strength phases have 0-4 exercises for plyometric training. If you look at Chapter 14, you will see that only applies to Stage 3 (hypertrophy). Stage 2 has 1-3, and Stage 4 has 0-3. You have to memorize the individual variables for 2, 3, and 4 because they do differ from each other.

Aside from that, I really don't have much more advice. Thanks again for this thread, and I hope it continues to help others reach their goals of becoming NASM certified!

[MillerDecaXC]

Holy fuk bros i am FREAKING OUTTT. My exam is this Friday. I look online exam and did fine, then downloaded the NASM app and i fukkin get like 40-50%s each time i take tests, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! some of this **** i never even HEARD of... da fukkk? is the app made for version 3 or something? Im so scared and feel so unprepared!

okay past 3 tests ive taken i got 80 80 and 84%s.... maybe those first 2 were an unlucky random assortment... still freaking out alittle tho.

[Controvox]

Holy fuk bros i am FREAKING OUTTT. My exam is this Friday. I look online exam and did fine, then downloaded the NASM app and i fukkin get like 40-50%s each time i take tests, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! some of this **** i never even HEARD of... da fukkk? is the app made for version 3 or something? Im so scared and feel so unprepared!

The app is made for version 3, but most of what you see on it is also on version 4. I know that READ and SCAMPI are not on version 4, but other than that, the two versions are very similar.

If you are scoring 40s and 50s then I would seriously suggest you reschedule your test. I am not 100% sure about this, you will have to do research...but I think you can cancel it within 24 hours of the scheduled date and take it at a different time. You said you are scoring in the 80s now, but chances are that's because you simply memorized alot of the questions from taking the tests multiple times, and that will not work on the real test. Take note of what I said about there only being about 10 questions on the real test out of all 500 that I saw on the practice test and the NASM app combined. But even if you were scoring legitimate 80's, that still borders on being too low. I scored 91 on all 400 questions the first time around despite the fact that some of it was not even version 4...and I still felt like the test was quite difficult. I definitely would not have wanted to be any less prepared.

One thing about the NASM practice test is that it is very common for people to score 20-30 points higher on it than the real test. Do not use it as an indicator of how you will actually perform.

Have you memorized/understood all of page 183, the three static postural distortion patterns, all the acute variables, and all the exercises? Those are the really huge ones that you must know like the back of your hand in order to succeed on the test. Other than that, you should have a good understanding of the definitions, the human body functions in the first chapters, and the nutrition and supplementation sections. If you get all that, chances are you will pass.

[rubysphoto]

okay past 3 tests ive taken i got 80 80 and 84%s.... maybe those first 2 were an unlucky random assortment... still freaking out alittle tho.

As long as your getting those scores with out memorizing them you should be fine. I was scoring around 75-85% on the practice tests and I passed my exam last month. The apps help ypu get a understanding of how the questions will be worded. What ever you get wrong go back and study them in the book to understand it.

Good luck!

[MaxwellGuns]

Here we go!


First off the main thing to remember when studying the NASM test is comprehension , not memorization, why MEMORIZE when you can comprehend sometimes faster.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE READY?
The best way to know you are fully ready for the NASM exam is this simple test...study for one week , take notes on everything you can, draw diagrams, act out any movement and make mental notes then when you believe you are truly ready have someone quiz you on the questions at the end of every chapter, make sure you get atl east 90% of these correct, then take ONE practice exam and make sure you score at least a 90% on that as well. And if you miss a question , do NOT memorize the question , they will NOT be worded the same. COMPREHEND the material. If I get this question....


On the Pulling assesment what tempo should be used?

-4/2/1
-x/x/x
-2/0/2
/1/1/1

And I GUESS 4/2/1 because that sounds good, im WRONG, why? Because it is 2/02, so then the exam will say no it is 2/02 and you will say COOL ILL MEMORIZE THAT. No... go back and read the assessment section of the book especially involving pushing and pulling assessments , how else will you know you need to also do 20 reps at that 2/0/2 tempo?


It is little things like that , which you just COMPLETELY forget to study , and trust me it happens to all of us , maybe your girlfriend called you or something fell over and you overlooked that assessment. Which reminds me , study in a relaxing environment with very little distractions.


Another way to know you can ensure your ready is read the book again..( skip special populations if you want it only has 2 questions usually ) If you don't totally remember something make a note card of it. I did this and had 30 or so notecards , well that's 30 new things I learnt.

ACUTE VARIABLES
The acute variables is what i consider the hardest part, but at the same time the easiest. Learn the main variables for Stabilization,Strength and Power and you should know enough of this it wont kill you, otherwise your going to have to learn all 5 phase adpations, core training, power training adaptions ect. I learned all of them but all I needed was the core 3 and common sense wuch as this question....

In stage 3 hypertrophy training How many repetitions are performed?

1-5
2-6
8-12
12-16

Well common sense says hypertrophy(phase 3) is part of the strength "block" and from a little weightlifting experience you should remember 8-12




THE DREADED PAGE 169

If you read around 80% of people say MEMORIZE 169, well I say don't. I probably have looked at page 169 less then 10 minutes but can still tell you the entire chart. How? I learned functional anatomy, yes functional anatomy,,pages 68-86 that no one ever reads because its too much information. and I agree it is too much information, becuase it repeats itself over and over and over....This is how I learnt those pages and therefore fully understood overactive and under active muscles with no memorization.

First all you need to know is each muscles isolated function and whats even better is you can GROUP THEM..this basically gets all those pages.Allso remember to walk all these out so it will stick much faster, you can learn them in 2-3 days.

---------------------------------------------------------
Hamstring group -Accelerates knee flexion and hip extension..( Grouped them all together instead of learning every little muscle)


Quadricep Group-Knee Extension and Hip Flexion( grouped them as well)

Gluteus Maximus -hip extension and external rotation

Latissimus Dorsi-Shoulder extension, abduction and internal rotation

Rhomboids-Scapular retraction and downward rotation.

Biceps Brachi-Elbow flexion , shoulder flexion and supination of radioulnar joint

Triceps-Elbow and shoulder extension

Serratus Anterior- Scapular Protraction

Solues and Gastrocnemius-Plantarflexion

Rectus Abdominis- Spinal flexion, lateral flexion and rotation



------------------------------------------------------------

FREE QUESTIONS

These questions are on 70% of tests.


What is the inner most layer of muscle?
ANWSER Endomysium


How much water is recommended per day?
ANWSER :96 ounces, 3 quarts or 8-12 cups.

How many calories are in 1 gram of protein/carbohydrate/fat?
4/4/9

A person who's pants are higher in the back than in the front displays?
Anterior Pellvic tilt

When taking the pulse the diastolic pulse is heard when?
It begins to fade.

Remember people react to you based on 55% physiology , 38% tone of voice and 7% words.



COOL APPLICATIONS FOR YOUR PHONE
-----------------------------------------------
Speed Anatomy- its free and will teach you anatomy very fast since you have fun the whole time.


NASM - its available in the android market and has questions right of the exam. I went overboard with this to where I could take all 400 questions and make a 95%+....dont study it that hard , I dont even recommend taking tests on it use its study mode , it will ask you and then EXPLAIN 400 questions , which is invaluable.

Hey man, I know you were probably working with an older textbook, but the 2012 edition does not include quizzes at the end of each chapter...

Do you know maybe if the NASM has some other resource to provide that end of chapter review?

[GTTony]

I just passed my NASM CPT EXAM!!!!!!

TY to everyone in this thread.

The Upward Mobility app is an ABSOLUTE MUST to get. Run through the study mode on that.

Assessments and the pertinent muscle imbalances are crucial. There were a lot of those. Also know the information regarding being a professional NASM CPT such as legal and ethical boundaries.

OPT model is very easy when you see the format they use throughout the different types of exercises.

"THROW" or "TOSS" EXERCISES are always POWER.

TY So much it was my first time taking the test.

The videos on the NASM website are also very veyr very helpful.