Whoah. I did it. I passed the NASM CPT test. On the first try. Since I used advice from a few blogs, I thought I would share my formula for success.
I purchased the least expensive Self Study option from NASM. It was expensive, but I was prepared for the cost. When my materials arrived, I felt a little lost on how to get started, but decided to just jump right in. I am so glad I started studying right away, because I was in for a huge wake up call. Most of the information was completely foreign to me. Stress and panic ensued. Seriously. I have never been so terrified of failing!
I read the entire text book on my own and also watched all of the videos from NASM. I took the chapter quizzes, and retook them when needed. I filled 2 notebooks with notes and highlighted everything. Wow. It’s a ton of information. At this point, I was still freaking out and knew I needed help. I decided to purchase the Audio Lectures and Practice Tests from Fitness Mentors. www.fitnessmentors.com. Fitness Mentors is run by Eddie Lester. He also teaches the content in a classroom setting. I am not in the same geographic location, so in person classes were not an option for me.
While listening to the Audio Lectures, Eddie takes you through the entire book chapter by chapter. He gives you hints of information that may be on the test. After each Audio Lecture, there is an assignment to complete. I did each assignment. I also took notes and did the practice quizzes for each chapter. Once I completed all of this, I knew I still needed more help. I decided to upgrade my purchase with Fitness Mentors to include Power Point presentations and more lectures of the material.
Purchasing the Power Point lectures enabled me to go through the book again under Eddie’s guidance. He pointed out even more potential test questions. I again took notes and the quizzes accompanying each lesson. I was finally starting to feel at least a little confident.
I took all of the practice tests provided by Fitness Mentors and NASM. I never failed a practice test. Each time I retook them, my score improved. Still, I was not confident that I would pass the real test, but knew in my heart something would have to be really wrong for me to fail.
By the time my test date arrived, I had studied for almost 6 months, filled up 4 notebooks, and really understood the information. Understanding the information and not just memorizing it was key! I do not think I could have passed without purchasing the programs from Fitness Mentors. NASM has more detailed programs, but you can’t add on to your original choice, so I was out of luck there.
The bottom line is that you have to study…a lot! You need to understand the information and not just memorize it. You basically have to live and breathe it. I spent about $1000.00 when it was all said and done. I didn’t plan on spending that much, but it was worth it. Although I found out that I passed right away, I don’t know my score.
Please let me know if I can answer any questions regarding the study options or the test. I honestly don’t remember what questions were on it, but Fitness Mentors had me prepared! Good luck!
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