How To Be overprepared for the NASM

[joehempel]

Best thing I found were the practice exams in the "Exam Prep Super Bundle." They scared the crap out of me and made the actual exam seem easy. Also, you can't go wrong with e-Teach. Money-back guarantee if you do the work and don't pass the exam. Erin, Mike and Eric are rock stars. My instructor Ron answered every question thrown at him.

I just got finished with the eTeach and still don't feel prepared. I got an 82% on the final exam there, and the teachers took 3 days to answer questions sometimes. It was a waste of money in my opinion.

[joehempel]

Taking the test in the morning.....any last minute advice???

I work 3rd shift so I'm heading to bed before work. The test is at 9am.

I'm getting high 80s in all the practice exams and also in the eTeach course.

Should I even bother with any studying the night before??

[joehempel]

PASSED!!!!!!

I really wish they could tell me what my score was, but I'm still happy with the fact that I passed my first time through. This thread and the study guides and the online course (on nasm.org not really the eTeach) helped me a TON!

I really thought I failed the test because I was tired from working my shift right beforehand. I work 3rd shift and get about 5 hours of sleep a night at the most....it was the only time I could take the test though to qualify for the money back guarantee.

The whole "test is harder than the practice exams" thing that I had been reading were absolutely UN-TRUE. The test wasn't any harder or any easier than those. In fact about 40-50% of the questions seemed to be exactly the same, just worded a little differently, with about 20 questions being almost exactly the same.

Time to figure out what's next! Going to hit up a couple gyms and try and get in part time while I work my regular job and then go full time when I get more comfortable.

[KAStuff4711]

Well, it's been a few years since I've been on here. My path to becoming a personal trainer ended quicker than i thought when I started have unexplained seizures. Well, many medical tests later I found out I had too much pressure in my head. I had one surgery in Feb 2014 that tried to relieve some pressure but wound up doing minor damage to the cerrebellum. The result being me have no equilibrium. A month later, I had a massive headache and vomiting. I was rushed in an ambulance for 30 minutes to the major hospital in the state. After getting there I noticed I was leaking CSF from the back of my head. THey wound up doing countless scans and test. After a couple days, I was back in surgery and got a pump installed in my head. Afterwards I still had no balance. I had to use a walker to get around. Then, I went into balance therapy. After a few months, I'm running up and down stairs like it was nothing. I feel better than I have in years.
Anyhoo, now that I've got this stuff under control, I'm back to studying for my NASM CPT certification. Dammit, if I can learn to walk again, I can learn this.
I've just restarted. But, I'm taking in all I can from others. Weeding out what I know doesn't work for me. I just got signed up at the NASM site for free classes for a week. Not much, but it's something. I can't afford to get a bunch of high priced material. As it is, I'm saving for the exam.
But, any help is welcome. Read the book!! Make notecards/ flashcards. Practice tests!!! I'm gonna try to get the apps for my phone. There's a few mentioned on here for NASM, anatomy, nutrition, etc...

The main thing is I'm BACK!!!!

[KAStuff4711]

I was not really able to seriously workout and nutrition was out the window (I couln't keep much food down). So, I'm out of shape. I'm going to try to incorporate a lot of my learnings into my day to day workout and diet... I'm thinking I can teach myself by training myself. That and the other tools mentioned, I'm a lot more confident than I was a couple years ago when I committed to this path.
One of the things I was looking for was any chapter practice tests so I can take one after each chapter and know where I need to focus.
Any mp3 of the book would be helpful. Do they have DVD's for fourth edition?
I got a study guide to help. I committed an allotment of time during my week just for studying. I work 12hrs a day 5-6days a week, so I hads to cut a few things to make room for this and for my personal workouts. But, it'll be worth it.

Anyhoo; I'll keep you posted.

[emlauren10]

What does SCAMPI stand for? Everyone keeps referring to it and I can't find it anywhere in the book or on a google search.

Help I take my test Friday!

[maxgainzz]

What does SCAMPI stand for? Everyone keeps referring to it and I can't find it anywhere in the book or on a google search.

Help I take my test Friday!

Check urban dictionary, found it in 20 secs

[tank17211]

Hey guys ,after posting these past few weeks in here I constantly get pms regarding taking the NASM but that doesn't bother me at all , I am making this post to help everyone in the future on taking the NASM.

My NASM experience was a very long one, I drove 3 hours to fail it by 1 point! This was the first test I have ever failed in my life and more then anything it made me very angry I could fool myself into thinking I was ready like that.

So I decided at that point I no longer wanted to pass the NASM, I wanted to "teach it" , I didn't want to "pass" it. I wanted to not miss a single question in the whole exam. I began studying the test and would draw graphs on dry erase boards everyday, I made 350 note cards and read every tip I could find, I being a fitness nut and working out 2 hours a day 6 days a week applied NASM in every workout I did and developed a real understanding of the text. I talked to the head NASM instructor multiple times on the phone and probably bugged him to death...

And having the test scheduled the LAST possible day I could I studied like crazy everyday. But then it happened, I could get 100% on the practice exams everytime without memorization and do all my 350 note cards only missing 1 or 2.

So I rescheduled my exam for the next day , and went with my family and friends to take it...

TIP: Make your testing day a fun day , plan a nice dinner afterwards , this way if you fail you still will have a awesome day and wont be discouraged



My family dropped me off and 26 minutes later I called them, I told them I was done and passed it. Now NASM CANNOT give exact numbers on your score but secretly they do keep track of %s to determine if the test is too easy or too hard and what questions people are missing the most. After talking to a few Representatives one finally told me I scored within the top 7% of exam takers recorded and could not believe my time and said that was unheard of....

So I truly was "over-prepared" , but do i regret it? No... think of it this way , once you take the test its OVER , your a NASM trainer for life and never have to be retested on the whole book again. So study as hard and as long as you can until you pass it.


P.S this is a work in progress and after starting it tonight I am very tired considering it is 3 AM, So I will finish it over the next few days. I will add a complete list of what I studied the hardest , and what I read right before the exam as instructed by the head NASM instructor. BUT I WILL NOT tell you a cheap way to pass or give you a COMPLETE guide. I am not here to make you pass without YOU putting in the time , but I guarantee if you follow this and do appropriate studying you to will be "Over-Prepared"

Do you have to know the Foot flattens and high raises over and underactive movements for the exam?

[Aaronedwards]

Passed!!! it was extremely hard in my opinion!! this thread did help alot but after going through there was about 30 questions i was unsure about and i only marked 4 that i had no idea whatsoever. Procces of elimination was a huge help.
The best part about this thread was reading some of the questions, one of the questions i remember was

How long does a fitness professional have to keep there tax records for?

(A. 6 years
(B. 9 years
(C. 4 years
(D. 2 years

you should remember 4 years!

[Jleef612]

I took the eteach course which helped and I found the exam pretty straightforward aside from a few questions. There were quite a few questions from the practice exams which helped.

[yogabylisa]

Can't thank you enough for starting this thread. Passed my exam this morning on the first try. I thought I'd been studying efficiently, using the guidelines set forward by NASM. 2 1/2 wks ago I took the practice test (was committed to being as frugal as possible so bought no extras) and passed with a 78%. I knew that wasn't good enough to chance taking the exam yet. I found this website via Google (I am a yoga instructor and have never wandered into the body building community!!), followed your recommendations, bought the NASM prep app for iPhone, and studied my butt off for another two weeks. I took the practice test again yesterday and got a 94, and had been doing very well on the phone app, so felt confident to give the exam a try.

The test was tough! I knew all of my Isolated Functions and didn't get any questions asking for them. There were, however, numerous and many questions about the assessments, so one either needed to have those tables completely memorized, or know the function of the muscles to deduce the answer. There were about 4-5 questions about special populations, predominantly seniors and hypertensive clients, but one about a pregnant client. While assessments, the overactive/underactive muscles involved, and how to stretch or strengthen involved muscles was the largest section I was tested on; the OPT model and acute variables for each phase and type of training was a close second.

For those still studying, I found mnemonics very helpful for memorizing the underactive/overactive muscles for the assessments. I'm happy to share them with you if you'd like to message me, but you'd be better off making up your own - something that will resonate with you personally will be easier to remember. (For me - Lord Darcy prefers turnips, mashed - translates to Lats Dorsi, Pectorals, Teres Major, but I imagine that won't work for a lot of you!) The use of mnemonics doesn't mean I just learned them by rote. There is so much information to know that the use of them makes it easier for you to answer the questions quickly, which is important. Some people claim to have completed the test in 30-40 minutes - kudos to them - but I took 1 hr, 40 minutes to answer the questions and 10 minutes to go back over my checked questions. I spent a lot of time reading and rereading the questions to understand what was being asked so I didn't overthink it, or make a stupid mistake. Many, many questions are worded in such a way that more than one answer might work and you will have to decide what is "Best" or "Most Appropriate" - sometimes reading each passage in the book down to the minutiae will yield these answers, so don't skim through paragraphs. I also made use of a small, handheld recorder that I bought during yoga teacher training. I recorded myself speaking the isolated functions, different definitions, and lists of sample exercises for every phase and in every type of training. I listened to myself during my long, daily commutes.

Best of luck to those still studying. Being overprepared is definitely not an exaggeration if you want to pass!

[RyouBakua]

congrats to all


i recently renewed my NASM

good for another 2 years!

[4R75]

I took the NASM exam yesterday morning and past on my first try. It was not easy by any means. This was kind of a milestone for me considering the fact that I did not have a background in exercise science, biology, etc. I did take the e-teach course which I think helped me quite a bit. I liked the fact that the e-teach assignments were generally geared toward real-world, on the job scenarios; for example, working with a senior client and explaining how you could apply a plyometric exercise to their situation. However I would not recommend relying on e-teach alone in order to pass the exam - I found that I needed to do a good deal of studying on my own after the e-teach class ended.

I found some of the exam questions to be very challenging. I made sure to read each question completely and very, very carefully so that I understood exactly what was being asked, as this can be a bit tricky if you are not careful! I then worked through the four possibilities for answers by process of elimination, determining which ones were definitely not the answer. My advice would be: know the exercises! Know which phases of training they apply to, and what are the progressions/regressions for them, recommended set and rep ranges, etc. Be familiar with compensations and the various tests such as shark skill, YMCA step test, Davies, etc. Make sure to know the nutrition chapter very well also.

I took the full six months to prepare for the exam. I took three or four practice exams, starting about a month before the exam date. This gave me an idea of where I stood as far as knowing the material and told me what my weak points were. I would then go over the material I had trouble with and brush up on that before taking the next practice exam. It was difficult but it can be done!

[ldimicco]

Just took and passed my exam this morning. Thank you to Bradster and everyone else who contributed to this site. Without having prior experience in the field, I bought an old edition textbook from Amazon to teach myself the basic exercise science concepts before jumping in and buying the newest version. I succeeded on the most basic self-study package as well as utilizing the Upward Mobility App. While doable with proper preparation, I found the exam to be very challenging. I wasn't asked a single question on the isolated muscle functions or direct effects of medications on heart rate and BP, but was asked quite a few on hypertensive and obese clients, as well as one on pregnant clients. I was also asked only 2 questions about cardiorespiratory training. My biggest piece of advice to to just trust yourself. If you are scoring well on the practice exams (I didn't purchase any others) and on the Upward Mobility app, you will most likely succeed on the exam itself. As stated many times already, read the questions very carefully. I could narrow it down to 2 choices most of the time, and it was nerve-wracking for me because they both seemed right. Go with your gut and remember to breathe. You've got this!

[boo99]

Just took and passed my exam this morning. Thank you to Bradster and everyone else who contributed to this site. Without having prior experience in the field, I bought an old edition textbook from Amazon to teach myself the basic exercise science concepts before jumping in and buying the newest version. I succeeded on the most basic self-study package as well as utilizing the Upward Mobility App. While doable with proper preparation, I found the exam to be very challenging. I wasn't asked a single question on the isolated muscle functions or direct effects of medications on heart rate and BP, but was asked quite a few on hypertensive and obese clients, as well as one on pregnant clients. I was also asked only 2 questions about cardiorespiratory training. My biggest piece of advice to to just trust yourself. If you are scoring well on the practice exams (I didn't purchase any others) and on the Upward Mobility app, you will most likely succeed on the exam itself. As stated many times already, read the questions very carefully. I could narrow it down to 2 choices most of the time, and it was nerve-wracking for me because they both seemed right. Go with your gut and remember to breathe. You've got this!

Thanks for posting that regarding the Amazon older edition. I also got one last week and now have begun the studying. So the newer one is not needed?

I will purchase it but just got this one for $6.00. Cant beat that however if the 4th edition is needed then I will get that.

Congrats on passing!


And thanks Bradster and all who contributed to this thread. It really is helping

[ldimicco]

Thanks for posting that regarding the Amazon older edition. I also got one last week and now have begun the studying. So the newer one is not needed?

I will purchase it but just got this one for $6.00. Cant beat that however if the 4th edition is needed then I will get that.

Congrats on passing!


And thanks Bradster and all who contributed to this thread. It really is helping

Definitely get the new edition because there are chapters included that the old version doesn't have (Endocrine System), plus some of the information has changed (cardio training zones for example). The old version is still great to brush up on the science part of the book (Chapters 2-4, including the isolated functions of the muscles) while extending your 6 month time frame. I read the old book cover to cover, highlighted, and made notecards. I wanted to be ahead of the game once I officially ordered from NASM.

About the wording of the test - that was the trickiest for me. For example I had a question like this (this one wasn't tricky, just poorly designed):

*If a client is exhibiting xyz, what phase should he be in in regards to the OPT model?

a) SMR and static stretching
b) SMR and active stretching
c) SMR and corrective stretching
d) can't remember the answer*

You had to figure out the phase and then decide which flexibility techniques would be used. Why not just ask that straight out because the question asked for a phase, not exercises.

[ldimicco]

Can't thank you enough for starting this thread. Passed my exam this morning on the first try. I thought I'd been studying efficiently, using the guidelines set forward by NASM. 2 1/2 wks ago I took the practice test (was committed to being as frugal as possible so bought no extras) and passed with a 78%. I knew that wasn't good enough to chance taking the exam yet. I found this website via Google (I am a yoga instructor and have never wandered into the body building community!!), followed your recommendations, bought the NASM prep app for iPhone, and studied my butt off for another two weeks. I took the practice test again yesterday and got a 94, and had been doing very well on the phone app, so felt confident to give the exam a try.

The test was tough! I knew all of my Isolated Functions and didn't get any questions asking for them. There were, however, numerous and many questions about the assessments, so one either needed to have those tables completely memorized, or know the function of the muscles to deduce the answer. There were about 4-5 questions about special populations, predominantly seniors and hypertensive clients, but one about a pregnant client. While assessments, the overactive/underactive muscles involved, and how to stretch or strengthen involved muscles was the largest section I was tested on; the OPT model and acute variables for each phase and type of training was a close second.

For those still studying, I found mnemonics very helpful for memorizing the underactive/overactive muscles for the assessments. I'm happy to share them with you if you'd like to message me, but you'd be better off making up your own - something that will resonate with you personally will be easier to remember. (For me - Lord Darcy prefers turnips, mashed - translates to Lats Dorsi, Pectorals, Teres Major, but I imagine that won't work for a lot of you!) The use of mnemonics doesn't mean I just learned them by rote. There is so much information to know that the use of them makes it easier for you to answer the questions quickly, which is important. Some people claim to have completed the test in 30-40 minutes - kudos to them - but I took 1 hr, 40 minutes to answer the questions and 10 minutes to go back over my checked questions. I spent a lot of time reading and rereading the questions to understand what was being asked so I didn't overthink it, or make a stupid mistake. Many, many questions are worded in such a way that more than one answer might work and you will have to decide what is "Best" or "Most Appropriate" - sometimes reading each passage in the book down to the minutiae will yield these answers, so don't skim through paragraphs. I also made use of a small, handheld recorder that I bought during yoga teacher training. I recorded myself speaking the isolated functions, different definitions, and lists of sample exercises for every phase and in every type of training. I listened to myself during my long, daily commutes.

Best of luck to those still studying. Being overprepared is definitely not an exaggeration if you want to pass!

I think we had the same version of the test!

[boo99]

Definitely get the new edition because there are chapters included that the old version doesn't have (Endocrine System), plus some of the information has changed (cardio training zones for example). The old version is still great to brush up on the science part of the book (Chapters 2-4, including the isolated functions of the muscles) while extending your 6 month time frame. I read the old book cover to cover, highlighted, and made notecards. I wanted to be ahead of the game once I officially ordered from NASM.

About the wording of the test - that was the trickiest for me. For example I had a question like this (this one wasn't tricky, just poorly designed):

*If a client is exhibiting xyz, what phase should he be in in regards to the OPT model?

a) SMR and static stretching
b) SMR and active stretching
c) SMR and corrective stretching
d) can't remember the answer*

You had to figure out the phase and then decide which flexibility techniques would be used. Why not just ask that straight out because the question asked for a phase, not exercises.

Thanx for the reply! I ordered the 4th edition thIs morning. Don't want to mess around with not learning new things. Plus last night I found out there are pages missing from the used textbook I got. The seller is refunding me and I'm returning it today.

Thanks again, you have a cute profile pic!

[ldimicco]

Thanx for the reply! I ordered the 4th edition thIs morning. Don't want to mess around with not learning new things. Plus last night I found out there are pages missing from the used textbook I got. The seller is refunding me and I'm returning it today.

Thanks again, you have a cute profile pic!

Smart move! Glad you will be getting a full refund. You will have to check in and let me know how you find the material. I'm sure you will do awesome. Thanks for your kindness.

[TF1984]

Hey guys ,after posting these past few weeks in here I constantly get pms regarding taking the NASM but that doesn't bother me at all , I am making this post to help everyone in the future on taking the NASM.

My NASM experience was a very long one, I drove 3 hours to fail it by 1 point! This was the first test I have ever failed in my life and more then anything it made me very angry I could fool myself into thinking I was ready like that.

So I decided at that point I no longer wanted to pass the NASM, I wanted to "teach it" , I didn't want to "pass" it. I wanted to not miss a single question in the whole exam. I began studying the test and would draw graphs on dry erase boards everyday, I made 350 note cards and read every tip I could find, I being a fitness nut and working out 2 hours a day 6 days a week applied NASM in every workout I did and developed a real understanding of the text. I talked to the head NASM instructor multiple times on the phone and probably bugged him to death...

And having the test scheduled the LAST possible day I could I studied like crazy everyday. But then it happened, I could get 100% on the practice exams everytime without memorization and do all my 350 note cards only missing 1 or 2.

So I rescheduled my exam for the next day , and went with my family and friends to take it...

TIP: Make your testing day a fun day , plan a nice dinner afterwards , this way if you fail you still will have a awesome day and wont be discouraged



My family dropped me off and 26 minutes later I called them, I told them I was done and passed it. Now NASM CANNOT give exact numbers on your score but secretly they do keep track of %s to determine if the test is too easy or too hard and what questions people are missing the most. After talking to a few Representatives one finally told me I scored within the top 7% of exam takers recorded and could not believe my time and said that was unheard of....

So I truly was "over-prepared" , but do i regret it? No... think of it this way , once you take the test its OVER , your a NASM trainer for life and never have to be retested on the whole book again. So study as hard and as long as you can until you pass it.


P.S this is a work in progress and after starting it tonight I am very tired considering it is 3 AM, So I will finish it over the next few days. I will add a complete list of what I studied the hardest , and what I read right before the exam as instructed by the head NASM instructor. BUT I WILL NOT tell you a cheap way to pass or give you a COMPLETE guide. I am not here to make you pass without YOU putting in the time , but I guarantee if you follow this and do appropriate studying you to will be "Over-Prepared"

That is exactly what i plan to do, this is stuff we're gonna need to know anyway!

[TF1984]

Well, it's been a few years since I've been on here. My path to becoming a personal trainer ended quicker than i thought when I started have unexplained seizures. Well, many medical tests later I found out I had too much pressure in my head. I had one surgery in Feb 2014 that tried to relieve some pressure but wound up doing minor damage to the cerrebellum. The result being me have no equilibrium. A month later, I had a massive headache and vomiting. I was rushed in an ambulance for 30 minutes to the major hospital in the state. After getting there I noticed I was leaking CSF from the back of my head. THey wound up doing countless scans and test. After a couple days, I was back in surgery and got a pump installed in my head. Afterwards I still had no balance. I had to use a walker to get around. Then, I went into balance therapy. After a few months, I'm running up and down stairs like it was nothing. I feel better than I have in years.
Anyhoo, now that I've got this stuff under control, I'm back to studying for my NASM CPT certification. Dammit, if I can learn to walk again, I can learn this.
I've just restarted. But, I'm taking in all I can from others. Weeding out what I know doesn't work for me. I just got signed up at the NASM site for free classes for a week. Not much, but it's something. I can't afford to get a bunch of high priced material. As it is, I'm saving for the exam.
But, any help is welcome. Read the book!! Make notecards/ flashcards. Practice tests!!! I'm gonna try to get the apps for my phone. There's a few mentioned on here for NASM, anatomy, nutrition, etc...

The main thing is I'm BACK!!!!

Wow, you're right if you can get through that you can do ANYTHING! good luck!

[TF1984]

Just took and passed my exam this morning. Thank you to Bradster and everyone else who contributed to this site. Without having prior experience in the field, I bought an old edition textbook from Amazon to teach myself the basic exercise science concepts before jumping in and buying the newest version. I succeeded on the most basic self-study package as well as utilizing the Upward Mobility App. While doable with proper preparation, I found the exam to be very challenging. I wasn't asked a single question on the isolated muscle functions or direct effects of medications on heart rate and BP, but was asked quite a few on hypertensive and obese clients, as well as one on pregnant clients. I was also asked only 2 questions about cardiorespiratory training. My biggest piece of advice to to just trust yourself. If you are scoring well on the practice exams (I didn't purchase any others) and on the Upward Mobility app, you will most likely succeed on the exam itself. As stated many times already, read the questions very carefully. I could narrow it down to 2 choices most of the time, and it was nerve-wracking for me because they both seemed right. Go with your gut and remember to breathe. You've got this!

Congrats!

[TF1984]

I took the NASM exam yesterday morning and past on my first try. It was not easy by any means. This was kind of a milestone for me considering the fact that I did not have a background in exercise science, biology, etc. I did take the e-teach course which I think helped me quite a bit. I liked the fact that the e-teach assignments were generally geared toward real-world, on the job scenarios; for example, working with a senior client and explaining how you could apply a plyometric exercise to their situation. However I would not recommend relying on e-teach alone in order to pass the exam - I found that I needed to do a good deal of studying on my own after the e-teach class ended.

I found some of the exam questions to be very challenging. I made sure to read each question completely and very, very carefully so that I understood exactly what was being asked, as this can be a bit tricky if you are not careful! I then worked through the four possibilities for answers by process of elimination, determining which ones were definitely not the answer. My advice would be: know the exercises! Know which phases of training they apply to, and what are the progressions/regressions for them, recommended set and rep ranges, etc. Be familiar with compensations and the various tests such as shark skill, YMCA step test, Davies, etc. Make sure to know the nutrition chapter very well also.

I took the full six months to prepare for the exam. I took three or four practice exams, starting about a month before the exam date. This gave me an idea of where I stood as far as knowing the material and told me what my weak points were. I would then go over the material I had trouble with and brush up on that before taking the next practice exam. It was difficult but it can be done!

Hard work pays off! Congrats man

[Rjeezie]

Quick question.... do you get a scratch piece of paper when you take the test or not? I've heard some say 1 piece and pen, and others say no? Trying to figure out...

[GoCajuns]

I haven't seen this posted, sorry if it has been covered already.

When taking the test, are there any questions where the answer choices could be D. Both A and C or something like that?

Thanks

[boo99]

I have to get a new textbook as the used one (3rd edition) was missing pages.

Im confused now about which one?


There is a PES and a CES?

Is the PES the one to use to study for the CPT exam?


Thanks

[ldimicco]

I haven't seen this posted, sorry if it has been covered already.

When taking the test, are there any questions where the answer choices could be D. Both A and C or something like that?

Thanks

I did not have any of these type of answers on my exam, although many of the answers seemed like they could have gone that way.

[ldimicco]

Quick question.... do you get a scratch piece of paper when you take the test or not? I've heard some say 1 piece and pen, and others say no? Trying to figure out...

I had a scratch piece of paper and a pencil waiting by my computer, but when I commented on it, the proctor took it away. No such luck.

[Rjeezie]

I had a scratch piece of paper and a pencil waiting by my computer, but when I commented on it, the proctor took it away. No such luck.

Ok thanks

[jonasdk]

great amount of info