How To Be overprepared for the NASM

[cta51]

I made an account as well as this post just to reply to this thread.

I cannot overstate how helpful this thread was first of all. I passed my exam on the first try today, (9/12/15) and would not have done so if it were not for a) this thread, which provided me with 10+ answers to questions so take 10 minutes and thoroughly read the last 4 pages of the thread and make a word document of what people say are direct questions because they are literally word-for-word how it is written on the test and b) Pocket Prep NASM - best 6 dollars i have ever spent - one hour a day for the last week before the test and i had confidence in 30% of the questions on the test from that alone.

They key thing is to NOT MEMORIZE. so many people post this, but as someone who works full time, had an apprenticeship at a fitness center as well, and came home and studied every night, short cuts could not seem more appealing. You're going to kick yourself so hard if you only memorize the answers. WHY does it work? HOW does it work? WHAT muscles are shortened and WHAT does that mean? All the responses I read through for hours on end stressed this, and all I can do is stress it once more. It is NOT ENOUGH TO NOT KNOW THE BASIC INFORMATION YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY WHAT YOU ARE READING IS THE WAY THAT IT IS.

The part everyone actually cares about:

10-15 Questions: If X muscle is Under/Over active, what should you do? Know ALL over/under active muscles and WHY they are so. If the muscle is UNDERACTIVE, that means it's an important muscle for whatever function is being described. If its OVERACTIVE, that means the muscle is doing something it shouldn't be doing.

10 Questions: If you are in X training state, what exercise/exercises are appropriate? Commonly referred to as "what is a balance-strength exercise?" etc. You need to understand what exercises belong in which category and why they belong there. If an exercise is a POWER exercise, WHY is it a power exercise? (explosive movements, lots of overhead throws, squat jumps, etc.)

The rest is hard to generalize. All that can be said is you need to know what you're reading and not just read it and try to take a methodical approach to each chapter. Don't skip over anything. Questions ranged from how many calories are in a fat (9) to what is one of the 4 p's of marketing. It's not enough to wing it with this. I didn't ramp up my studying until about 2 weeks before the exam and i almost royally screwed myself. Take the time. UNDERSTAND the concepts.

Hope this helps!

[ngockv]

I really do not know what to say, really thank you very much for this wonderful information ......

[Bradster101190]

As this thread has continued to grow over the years it has always brought me great joy to come back periodically to see you wonderful people replying, thanking me, and adding in your own advice for the next generation of trainers that comes by. 4 years certainly has been a long time and I realize the original post of this thread may be getting outdated and owe even more to you wonderful people keeping it alive. Unfortunately because of its age it is something I cannot simply edit the post ( You lose your ability to edit your own post after x days) but i plan on taking the time soon to revamp the original posts and add in many of your tips and tricks quoted from your posts and contact a moderator who can help me complete the edit.


Again ,I can not thank each one of you enough , EVERYONE who has replied to this thread has continued my dream of helping to educate and inspire the fitness industry and I look forward to the revamp and the years to come.


Heres to Bodybuilding.com for making such a great platform for us all to communicate on , you amazing people for keeping the thread alive , and the passionate people who took the time to reply with their own tips.

[jrsnyder95]

i'm wondering for anyone who has recently taken this exam, do the proctors give you something to write with and some scratch paper?

[jbgordon]

One questions on the Upward Mobility NASM app has me confused. It asks for the progression for a supine dumbbell triceps extension on a bench. I would have thought the correct answer would be alternating arms, single arm, then exercise ball (with both arms I assume), but the app says it should be exercise ball, alt. arms (on exercise ball i assume), single arm (also on exercise ball i assume).

This doesn't make sense to me and is never explicitly indicated in the text. What is indicated in the text is that the regression for a supine triceps dumbbell extension on an exercise ball is to do the exercise on a bench, but it doesn't have details about what you should do with your arms. Should that first regression be single arm or two arm? This applies to many other exercises as well where the text discusses the progressions/regressions for an exercise on an exercise ball, but doesn't do the same for a similar exercise on a bench.

Thanks for the help.

[alienmind123]

If someone has a goal of just fixing their posture and feeling better wouldn't a 3 day or 5 day split or 1 day or 7 doesnt matter what splut but would they if the yare a office worker just do things with just stability, core, stretching, and back strength exercise be enough? Why add bench press squat etc don't some people just want a tighter belly, better posture, less back pain can't that be achieved with an at home routine and a gym routine focused just on that?

[MikeCaulo]

Has anyone else received a NASM Cert that was paid for by the gym they worked at? I did a NASM Cert via the UFC Gym for my mma conditioning NASM Cert and have yet to been mailed anything. Do they mail you a copy of the cert of do I just print out the digital one UFC Gym emailed me?

[abbott50]

I passed the exam. It you the book from front to back, take notes and highlights important info, and study the test guide you will pass You just have to study a ton. I studied every day for at least an hour for 2 months before I took it. Good luck everyone!

hi mmcarr2

[jeffgold]

I passed! I wanted to thank everyone that contributed to this thread....it was a huge help. Here is my contribution:

1. Read this thread! Especially the last 5-10 pages. You will notice that there is a common theme of what is on the test.

2. I used a study guide from Fitness Mentors. It was extremely helpful. Basically it went chapter by chapter and told you what to concentrate on. It was very accurate. It really cut down on memorizing things that weren't on the exam. It also has a condensed version of the chart on page 196 with an emphasis on which muscles you need to know for over/underactive. My only con about the guide is I felt it was a little pricey.

3. One thing that I wasn't prepared for: For the over/underactive chart (5-7 questions on exam), and 14.1 chart on page 360 (3-5 questions on exam came from this), I wrote my own shortcut chart that I wrote out over and over again while studying. My intention was to write my chart out as soon as I sat down in front of the computer when taking the exam. However, the testing center said that for the NASM exam they have specific instructions NOT to give you, or allow you, to have access to pencil and paper during the exam. That threw me for a loop....so just a heads up.

4. I did NOT think the questions were confusing or tricky. Just the opposite. I felt they were very straightforward and not very "wordy". A lot of questions were very easy and predictable if you read through this thread. Keep in mind that there are 120 questions on the exam but only 100 count, 20 are "test" questions that NASM is testing to see if they should be on future exams. I'm pretty sure I could have identified most of them because there were a few very poorly worded questions. So my advice: If you come across a question that just doesn't seem to make sense do your best to answer it....but don't stress....it's probably not a real question.

Overall, I studied about an hour a day for a month and felt I was very prepared when I took the test.

Good luck!

Jeff

[MJStrengthBlog]

Hey everyone.

I recently passed the NASM CPT Exam and is now working as a personal trainer. I managed to pull of 86% on my very first attempt at the exam, passing it very easily. Since I have a lot of friends and know a lot of people who need help getting started with it, I decided to write a short blog detailing my no bull**** approach to studying for the exam, which allowed me to pass it with less than three weeks of study without even reading the book (not that I recommend that lol).

I'll link the full write up below. If anyone has any questions about it please ask either here, or on my ******** page:
(ht tps://********. com/theMJStrengthBlog/)
and I'll do the best to answer your question(s) asap.

My no BS Study Guide 1.0
ht tps://themjstrengthblog. wordpress.com/2015/11/03/how-to-study-for-and-pass-the-nasm-cpt-exam-on-your-first-attempt/

For the above links, just remove the spaces in the web address to make it work. I'm apparently not allowed to post links before having made 50 posts...

-MJ

[qOcOp]

Hey guys I'm gonna start studying for this test! Is the textbook "NASM Essentials of personal fitness training 4th edition" the right book?

[ekotwica]

I just finished taking it a few hours ago and passed; man was it harrowing. Definitely know not just the facts, but UNDERSTAND the facts and the reasoning and methodologies behind them. As stated numerous times, memorize the acute variations (tempo, loading, set type, reps, etc.) as well as the chart with the OHS and OLS assessments with causes, stretches and exercises for them. Also, you need to know the macronutrient amounts and water amounts in Standard Imperial and Metric measurements because it's never consistent. I'll post more later. But now I'm NASM-CPT w/P90X Live! and working on my FNS next.

[Starlaluvv]

So I made this account mainly to comment back to this thread. I know it was started a long time ago, so I'm not even sure if Bradster101190 is still taking count of how many people have passed with the help of his thread. But, I PASSED! To anyone who is interested in getting certified, I would personally recommend that you are somewhat already aware of the exercises that the book talks about. Be familiar with muscles, as they are on the test (the majority). I went in there very hesitant since I suck at taking test, but this has been my field of interest since I graduated HS. So working out to me, well its always been a passion. Now to be able to help people in my community, well it brings me so much joy. This is the first step in getting to where I want to be. Study!!! READ!!! and flashcards. In a week a managed to review the whole book and make duplicate flashcards. Yes, that helped me the most. Again, thank you to everyone who has inputted their experiences.

[KLFit3]

I just recently took the exam and they DO NOT give you scratch paper. I did not have to do any calculations, which surprised me.

Hey check out the last page of this thread and go to the bottom, i just posted list of things to know for the exam! I passed it (first try) last friday! my post has up to date pages and chapters

Hey guys I'm gonna start studying for this test! Is the textbook "NASM Essentials of personal fitness training 4th edition" the right book?

i'm wondering for anyone who has recently taken this exam, do the proctors give you something to write with and some scratch paper?

[chesnity3]

I passed my Nasm exam yesterday thanks to this thread and upward mobility app

[Hilgenberg8586]

Hey!
To anyone who's taken the exam recently -
Do you have to know the insertion and origin of the muscles?

Thank you!!

[halberstram]

I just passed, exam took maybe 30-40 minutes max. I marked about 20 questions that I was unsure of.

The upward mobility app was entirely useless as far as I can tell. None of the questions were remotely similar honestly. The pocket prep and nasm app were more like the test.

I also had nearly 10-15 questions ripped directly from the practice exam on NASM site. I highly suggest you take that test over and over and memorize it because its like 1/5 of the entire actual test.

What I had the most questions from:

Medications (no idea why but they kept asking questions about nitrates, blood pressure, bronchodilators, vasodilators)
Goal Setting (smart goals, what stage people are in, motivation, imagery, etc)
Over-active/under-active muscles ( I memorized the chart on page 196, this helped immensely. I actually memorized it two days before the test, but ymmv)
Special populations (had like 5 questions regarding pregnancy and arthritis, seniors, youth)
I had a question about the correct diameter a stability ball should be for someone who is 5'1" (i had no idea I just guessed like 50cm or some **** like that)
Regressions in stability
OPT questions regarding which exercise is correct for which phase

What I didn't see at all:
Supplements
Heart anatomy
Brain anatomy
Bone questions
Pronation distortion
Water questions
Blood questions
Plyometrics (maybe 1 question)

The test didn't seem tricky at all, contrary to what people were saying, there is usually 2 answers that are completely obvious which are wrong and 2 that can both be correct. Basically every question even if you don't really know is a 50/50 coin flip so chances are good.

Overall, memorize this chart ( it doesn't matter if you understand it or not honestly, just memorize it if you want to pass):

http://www.nasm.org/docs/pdf/nasm_ov...).pdf?sfvrsn=2

Thats like 30% of the questions right there. 20% from practice exam, and the rest are random questions that nobody should honestly care about, like circumference of a stability ball.

[Koako]

I am scheduled to take my NASM-CPT test Saturday morning. I am a full time mom/wife and have tried to study here and there but giving it all I have the next couple of days. So far all of the posts have been extremely helpful! My question is...has anybody done the Practice Quizzes via the book on jblearning. com? I recently discovered these and there is about 10-15 questions each chapter. I have taken these a couple of times and average about an 80% (always comes down to 2 dang it!) sooooo if you have taken the test and done these practice exams...what are your thoughts?

Thanks again to all and Congrats for those who have passed! You all rock!

[halberstram]

I am scheduled to take my NASM-CPT test Saturday morning. I am a full time mom/wife and have tried to study here and there but giving it all I have the next couple of days. So far all of the posts have been extremely helpful! My question is...has anybody done the Practice Quizzes via the book on jblearning. com? I recently discovered these and there is about 10-15 questions each chapter. I have taken these a couple of times and average about an 80% (always comes down to 2 dang it!) sooooo if you have taken the test and done these practice exams...what are your thoughts?

Thanks again to all and Congrats for those who have passed! You all rock!

I did those. I found them to be completely useless for the real NASM exam, imo I wouldn't bother.

[BillyNguyenFit]

Thank you so much for this post, I am currently in the process on working on my NASM certification!

[xADONAIx]

I haven't posted on here in a while. But I took my NASM exam last Tuesday (12/29/15) and I passed first try! It actually wasn't super hard… It was tough with some tricky questions, but overall I'd say I knew about 75% of the questions, 15% which I remembered going over but I was a little wishy washy about, and 10% I couldn't remember or never read about. I completed the exam in about 40 min. I even went back and re-reviewed my answers just incase.

I read the text book front to back 3 times to the point where I even memorized some of the lines from the chapters. I knew page 168 from top to bottom. However, I didn't only memorize everything... I also studied as to why each thing is what it is… Why Vitamin E is not recommended for someone taking blood thinners, why the tempo for the first phase of the OPT is 4/2/1, the difference between glucose/glycogen/glucagon are, why the adductor complex muscles are overactive when the knees go in, why some people have lower cross syndrome and upper cross syndrome, etc… I broke down every chapter and studied everything to a science.

I used the online provided flashcards and I made my own flashcards with not only the answer, but the breakdown for the answer… I probably had about 500 flashcards. I studied every chance I got… I have a standard 8am-5pm desk job at a media company, and I studied when I went to grab coffee, I studied on my lunch breaks, and I studied before and after I went to the gym.

For those of you who haven't taken it yet, don't rely on the online practice exam provided by NASM. I'd say only 10 questions from there were on the actual exam that were verbatim. There were about 5-10 questions from the practice exam that were similar, but altered or the opposite (i.e. instead of overactive it'll ask for underactive).

I was surprised it asked questions from my CPR/AED class, and there were more nutrition questions that I had anticipated…

Everyone has their own methods of studying, but I suck at exams… So this worked for me… I've heard about people not studying and half-assing the exam and passing, and I've heard of people studying their brains out and passing on their 4th of 5th try...

For me personally, I over-studied and I was super confident on the exam and in the end it showed when the lady came out with my "passing" paper.

I'm more than happy to help anyone struggling studying or anything.

Good luck guys!
-Jody

[drewkocak]

Please correct/confirm me if I'm right or wrong. But is the "Dreaded page 169" now on page 196 in the Revised Fourth Edition of the text?

The table on page 196 in the new edition is for Compensations, Muscle Imbalances, and Corrective Strategies.

E.G. View: anterior. If feet turn out:
-Probable overactive muscles = soleus, lateral gastroc, biceps femoris
-Probable underactive muscles = blabla
-Sample SMR and Static Stretch Techniques = blabla
-Sample Strengthening Exercises = blabla

ETC ETC

[xADONAIx]

Please correct/confirm me if I'm right or wrong. But is the "Dreaded page 169" now on page 196 in the Revised Fourth Edition of the text?

The table on page 196 in the new edition is for Compensations, Muscle Imbalances, and Corrective Strategies.

E.G. View: anterior. If feet turn out:
-Probable overactive muscles = soleus, lateral gastroc, biceps femoris
-Probable underactive muscles = blabla
-Sample SMR and Static Stretch Techniques = blabla
-Sample Strengthening Exercises = blabla

ETC ETC

Yes, you're correct. My brother has the older edition and I have the newer edition. I knew it was 196, but I texted him to confirm and I guess his is on a different page.

But you're right… Study that page like crazy. But don't forget that's not the only thing on the exam.

[bigbeefymuscle]

I am about to take the NASM for my first time and I am kinda nervous- but my Fitness Manager at my gym told me not to worry about it because I already know a lot of the information and he told me that it is easy to overguess on a lot of the questions because they are common sense. I study every chance I get. I downloaded the app on my iPhone so i can have it on the go when I am stuck on the bus or subway for a period of time so I can study.
From what I heard, the practice test on the NASM webpage is very similar to the official test. I am happy that we went over a lot of things that were review for me in my onboarding course when I got hired at my gym. Im not going to psyche myself out over it because I GOT THIS!!!!
MAKE GAINZ!!!!!

[drewkocak]

From what I heard, the practice test on the NASM webpage is very similar to the official test

This is very true. Other people will tell you that the practice test isn't a good study guide. This is true; in and of itself, knowing the practice exam won't make you score well. It is a very accurate depiction of what the test is like though and I highly recommend it.

Also, I made a video naming off some tips on what to study! Hope this helps somebody out there.

[SkinnyBeast24]

So put off studying this test for too long but finally went part-time and I am studying 6-8 hours a day. I have about half the book done FULLY outlined after 2 weeks already.

Was recently diagnosed with adhd so the medication has changed my life. I am definitely comprehending and retaining a solid amount but I figured i'd outline every chapter and then study my outlined notes and probably review the definitions a bunch.

I hope at that point I can finally take this test I have been putting off.

Going to get my masters this summer with a specialization in exercise science so I don't want to **** off anymore. I knew nasm was a good start for me and just to get confidence and have a real certification.

Once I get this I hope my master's program teaches me a lot and I can kick ass when I take the CSCS at some point.

Will review the tips again once i'm done reading the entire book and I hope to kick the **** out of this test.

thanks all

[F3D]

This is very true. Other people will tell you that the practice test isn't a good study guide. This is true; in and of itself, knowing the practice exam won't make you score well. It is a very accurate depiction of what the test is like though and I highly recommend it.

Also, I made a video naming off some tips on what to study! Hope this helps somebody out there.

Hi Drew,

thanks for taking the time to put together some info to help out with studying for the exam. I take mine in about 10 days so I was happy to find a few tips of advice.

I saw in another thread you talked about an app that was helpful, what was the name of it?

Thanks

[drewkocak]

Hi Drew,

thanks for taking the time to put together some info to help out with studying for the exam. I take mine in about 10 days so I was happy to find a few tips of advice.

I saw in another thread you talked about an app that was helpful, what was the name of it?

Thanks

No problem man! Glad I could help a fellow fit friend. The NASM CPT app is the one I was talking about. It gives you questions very similar to the exam, though obviously not identical. It was good for me to gauge whether I was ready or not. It's 13 bucks or something for the full version but I highly suggest it.

[SmackBang77]

Hey guys which package did you all take with NASM ? Is the Self-Study good enough ?

[drewkocak]

Hey guys which package did you all take with NASM ? Is the Self-Study good enough ?

I tend to learn well on my own. If you can learn on your own from a textbook, do the self-study.

I don't think there's any need to pay more for the extra material. All you need is the text.