CSCS Exam Thread

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61

Here are my results

SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION
-Exercise Science 52/57
-Nutrition 21/23
Total for section 73/80 (91.25%)

PRACTICAL/APPLIED
-Exercise Technique 36/39
-Program Design 36/40
-Organization/Admin 9/11
-Testing/Evaluation 17/20
Total for section 98/110 (89.1%)

TOTAL 171/190 (90%)

I was actually surprised how well I did, when I was writing the practice exams and the quizzes at the end of each chapter, I was consistently getting around 80%

I guess I did a really good job of eliminating the clearly false answers and giving me very good odds of guessing the write answer on the questions I wasnt 100% on.

I basically read the book once, took the practice tests, and then focuses on the areas/chapters that I didnt do so well on. On and OFF I studied for about 2.5 months.

I have a bachelors in Kinesiology. Next step here in Canada would be getting my CEP (certified exercise physiologist) and then look in to doing my Masters Degree relatively soon.

62

[quote]tork94 wrote:
Here are my results

SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION
-Exercise Science 52/57
-Nutrition 21/23
Total for section 73/80 (91.25%)

PRACTICAL/APPLIED
-Exercise Technique 36/39
-Program Design 36/40
-Organization/Admin 9/11
-Testing/Evaluation 17/20
Total for section 98/110 (89.1%)

TOTAL 171/190 (90%)

I was actually surprised how well I did, when I was writing the practice exams and the quizzes at the end of each chapter, I was consistently getting around 80%

I guess I did a really good job of eliminating the clearly false answers and giving me very good odds of guessing the write answer on the questions I wasnt 100% on.

I basically read the book once, took the practice tests, and then focuses on the areas/chapters that I didnt do so well on. On and OFF I studied for about 2.5 months.

I have a bachelors in Kinesiology. Next step here in Canada would be getting my CEP (certified exercise physiologist) and then look in to doing my Masters Degree relatively soon.

[/quote]

Congrats man!

Damn Tork, you smoked that test. Great job. The prep you put into it sounds about the same for most people with a degree in the field. Grad school sounds a like a good move for you…

Keep us posted on your next step

63

[quote]JohnShade wrote:

[quote]tork94 wrote:
Here are my results

SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION
-Exercise Science 52/57
-Nutrition 21/23
Total for section 73/80 (91.25%)

PRACTICAL/APPLIED
-Exercise Technique 36/39
-Program Design 36/40
-Organization/Admin 9/11
-Testing/Evaluation 17/20
Total for section 98/110 (89.1%)

TOTAL 171/190 (90%)

I was actually surprised how well I did, when I was writing the practice exams and the quizzes at the end of each chapter, I was consistently getting around 80%

I guess I did a really good job of eliminating the clearly false answers and giving me very good odds of guessing the write answer on the questions I wasnt 100% on.

I basically read the book once, took the practice tests, and then focuses on the areas/chapters that I didnt do so well on. On and OFF I studied for about 2.5 months.

I have a bachelors in Kinesiology. Next step here in Canada would be getting my CEP (certified exercise physiologist) and then look in to doing my Masters Degree relatively soon.

[/quote]

Congrats man!

Damn Tork, you smoked that test. Great job. The prep you put into it sounds about the same for most people with a degree in the field. Grad school sounds a like a good move for you…

Keep us posted on your next step
[/quote]

Will do, its going to be an odd road, I dont have a strong enough GPA to get in to a masters program in Canada. Will have to look at some distance programs and/or go to Europe or Australia.

Im doing a bit of an Internship with the Canadian Sport Institute (which trained a huge number of our Winter Olympians this year. I helped a fair bit with the female Alpine Ski team over the spring and summer.)

If I can get paid work there then a masters will be in my future, if I dont get work there, then im not too sure.

64

John,

Thanks for the response, definitely some helpful info. In light of your request to keep this thread focused on the CSCS - I have just started studying for it today, and will use the info outlined here to try and take it in 1.5 months. Will be sure to post any thoughts after I take the practice/real exam.

Has anybody that has taken the exam found any use in reading the Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training?

Also another thing to note for any CSCS hopefuls who read this thread in the next few months - the NSCA will be changing the test format to 3-option multiple choice (from 4-option). It is supposed to take effect in July, and sounds like it might make it a bit easier.

Also congrats Tork on your success!

65

[quote]JPacker555 wrote:

Also another thing to note for any CSCS hopefuls who read this thread in the next few months - the NSCA will be changing the test format to 3-option multiple choice (from 4-option). It is supposed to take effect in July, and sounds like it might make it a bit easier.

[/quote]

I’m actually studying to take the exam right now and am new to this forum. Wondering if it is better to take the exam before the change or after? On the surface having only 3 options instead of 4 increases your odds tremendously of guessing the right answer when you don’t know. In July we will now have a 33% chance of guessing correctly Wondering if anything else is changing, like more challenging questions?

I purchased the practice questions from the NSCA and thinking about getting the lectures. I have also been reading around online looking for other people’s advice.

66

[quote]buckeye1985 wrote:

I’m actually studying to take the exam right now and am new to this forum. Wondering if it is better to take the exam before the change or after? On the surface having only 3 options instead of 4 increases your odds tremendously of guessing the right answer when you don’t know. In July we will now have a 33% chance of guessing correctly Wondering if anything else is changing, like more challenging questions?

I purchased the practice questions from the NSCA and thinking about getting the lectures. I have also been reading around online looking for other people’s advice.
[/quote]

Hey Buckeye,
I didn’t know about the change in format(thanks jpacker for that info) and yeah it sounds like they may be trying to make the test a little more accessible. Not sure what effect this will have on the value of the Cert, we’ll have to wait and see. It all depends on how eager you are to get to work and use the cert. I highly doubt the test would become easier by too great a magnitude.

as far as study materials, I used the lectures, the real value of the lectures was that there were more test questions to take at the end, a couple of them helped. I wanted to cover all my bases but they are absolutely NOT essential material. You could get away with just the book and the practice tests IMO. Someone asked above about the exercise guide. While again, it’s not essential I did got through that as well just make sure I had all the NSCA versions of the lifts down.

Good luck and let us know about the new/versus old version thing if you can.

67

Hey everybody, this is my first post on this website. This is a really great thread, thanks to everyone who has contributed so far.

I have been studying for a few months, but I haven’t been very consistent with it. I’ve taken two of the practice exams so far and failed them both. I missed the first one by 4 questions and the second one by 3. I was feeling pretty discouraged today after only improving by 1 question. My goal was to complete (and hopefully pass!) the exam by April 8th of this year and I plan to go forward with it. So, I’m wondering, aside from being more consistent with my studying does anyone have any other suggestions? I’m going to spend the next two weeks combing through the book, spending a day on each chapter.

Wish me luck and thanks for any suggestions!

68

I met Andre Benoit (Poliquins right hand man for the last 20+ years) and have been doing some work with him.

He hooked me up with Ben Prentiss of Prentiss Hockey Performance (another PICP 5 coach) and I will be working there for 3 months this summer!

Going to drive down to Connecticut and check out Chicago, Cleveland and Rhode Island on the way. Gonna spend a few days at the Poliquin Stength Institute. Ill probably drop in to Defranco’s Training Systems and maybe Cressey Preformance and/or Mike Boyles facility.

See what comes of it, either way im sure ill learn a ton and have an awesome experience. 40 hours/week of Strength Coaching!

69

[quote]tork94 wrote:
I met Andre Benoit (Poliquins right hand man for the last 20+ years) and have been doing some work with him.

He hooked me up with Ben Prentiss of Prentiss Hockey Performance (another PICP 5 coach) and I will be working there for 3 months this summer!

Going to drive down to Connecticut and check out Chicago, Cleveland and Rhode Island on the way. Gonna spend a few days at the Poliquin Stength Institute. Ill probably drop in to Defranco’s Training Systems and maybe Cressey Preformance and/or Mike Boyles facility.

See what comes of it, either way im sure ill learn a ton and have an awesome experience. 40 hours/week of Strength Coaching! [/quote]

Paying your dues Tork. I love it. Every hour you spend will be well spent, I can assure. I didn’t get paid for 5 months but in the long run it saved me a ton of time and money.

70

[quote]JohnShade wrote:

[quote]tork94 wrote:
I met Andre Benoit (Poliquins right hand man for the last 20+ years) and have been doing some work with him.

He hooked me up with Ben Prentiss of Prentiss Hockey Performance (another PICP 5 coach) and I will be working there for 3 months this summer!

Going to drive down to Connecticut and check out Chicago, Cleveland and Rhode Island on the way. Gonna spend a few days at the Poliquin Stength Institute. Ill probably drop in to Defranco’s Training Systems and maybe Cressey Preformance and/or Mike Boyles facility.

See what comes of it, either way im sure ill learn a ton and have an awesome experience. 40 hours/week of Strength Coaching! [/quote]

Paying your dues Tork. I love it. Every hour you spend will be well spent, I can assure. I didn’t get paid for 5 months but in the long run it saved me a ton of time and money.
[/quote]

Gonna be tough, but I think I will learn a tone and have some fun while im at it.

Where are you working at and what are you doing currently?

71

I took the test this past April and passed. Yay!

72

[quote]FrozenNinja wrote:
I took the test this past April and passed. Yay![/quote]

Congrats Ninja!

If you get a chance write down a few observations or bits of advice you may have for the exam.

I just noticed that when you enter in “CSCS EXAM” into google that this is the 3rd page that pops up. Looks like its helped a few peeps, glad to see that.

73

Great thread. I actually just made an account to reply to this. I am taking the CSCS in two days and have a BS in Exercise Science. Anxious to have the test be over with. Took a S and C class this past spring, my last semester of college which was somewhat helpful. I read the book once through and then took detailed notes on chapters 1-3 then did one-two page notes for the other chapters (summarizing key points).

Purchased and took one practice exam and passed. Probably took the the practice quizzes in the book 3 times total for each chapter (might be more than you need). Today I took them all in one sitting (143 total questions) and then graded it after I finished. I got 19 wrong, or 89% correct (and that was after I took each quiz twice).

The questions can get tricky. I suggest doing this because it was helpful to get more exposure to the questions and it helps with test stamina. Apparently NSCA is updating the exam so I do not get my results until August (I am taking computer based). Not sure if this is a good thing it is being updated or a bad thing.

I feel confident going in but I am trying to gain more. I only want to be slightly nervous on exam day. Again, great thread. Enjoy reading about what people are doing in the field because it gives me ideas as well. I am going to get my masters in the Fall. After that I do not have a plan (I had one but my interests have changed).

74

[quote]nneuenfeldt wrote:
Great thread. I actually just made an account to reply to this. I am taking the CSCS in two days and have a BS in Exercise Science. Anxious to have the test be over with. Took a S and C class this past spring, my last semester of college which was somewhat helpful. I read the book once through and then took detailed notes on chapters 1-3 then did one-two page notes for the other chapters (summarizing key points).

Purchased and took one practice exam and passed. Probably took the the practice quizzes in the book 3 times total for each chapter (might be more than you need). Today I took them all in one sitting (143 total questions) and then graded it after I finished. I got 19 wrong, or 89% correct (and that was after I took each quiz twice).

The questions can get tricky. I suggest doing this because it was helpful to get more exposure to the questions and it helps with test stamina. Apparently NSCA is updating the exam so I do not get my results until August (I am taking computer based). Not sure if this is a good thing it is being updated or a bad thing.

I feel confident going in but I am trying to gain more. I only want to be slightly nervous on exam day. Again, great thread. Enjoy reading about what people are doing in the field because it gives me ideas as well. I am going to get my masters in the Fall. After that I do not have a plan (I had one but my interests have changed). [/quote]

Good luck man. Do us all a favor. Come back and let us know about the new version of the test. It will be good to get a detailed accounting of what it was like for you.

sounds like you’ve covered all your bases…read the book. Take the practice exams…period.

75

Due to a lot of hard work and one of the connections i have made here in Connecticut, I have been accepted to university and also the S&C graduate assistant position at a University in Colorado.

I will be moving there in a few weeks to pursue my masters degree.

I will also get some great practical knowlage and expereience (not to mention free tution and a stipend) during the GA gig!

76

Great and insightful thread…literally died of happiness just perusing through and writing down everyone’s tips. I am looking to take the exam in a few months but extremely nervous in doing so…right now, I work for a company that works with professional and collegiate members in the strength and conditioning world. I want to take the exam and get my credentials but…extremely scared of failing esp. since I have limited experience in the practical/applied portion. Any tips on how to tackle that?

I have my Bachelors in Biology, concentrating in Pre-Health and a minor in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Hoping that it will give me a slight advantage in studying for the exam. Please continue to share your experiences and updates in your career. Will be on the look-out!

77

Hi John–

First off, HUGE congrats and my hat goes off to you. I’ve heard from some people in the field that it is indeed a pretty difficult exam. Secondly, thank you so much for your incredibly informative and helpful post about the exam, and for sharing your thoughts on how to best prepare. My reason for posting replying is this;

I’m currently finishing up my bachelor’s in Physiology and was planning originally to attend physical therapy school, however, after talking with a NSCA CSCS trainer at the PT office where I’m currently interning, I’m feeling more and more like I have to get this cert to do what I really want (work with athletes). I’d really like to hear how your new career is now, after the internship. Are you feeling confident that you’re going to make ends meet now that you have gained all this knowledge and experience, and are you getting offers? I’m still deciding whether or not getting my PT degree is what I really want/need. Thoughts? There’s an identical internship (unpaid) relatively nearby me that I would try to get as well, after attaining the cert (knock on wood). Many thanks in advance

-Fletcher

78

[quote]crayonsnatcher wrote:
Great and insightful thread…literally died of happiness just perusing through and writing down everyone’s tips. I am looking to take the exam in a few months but extremely nervous in doing so…right now, I work for a company that works with professional and collegiate members in the strength and conditioning world. I want to take the exam and get my credentials but…extremely scared of failing esp. since I have limited experience in the practical/applied portion. Any tips on how to tackle that?

I have my Bachelors in Biology, concentrating in Pre-Health and a minor in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Hoping that it will give me a slight advantage in studying for the exam. Please continue to share your experiences and updates in your career. Will be on the look-out![/quote]

Hey Crayon,

a couple of things to consider. First off, as of July, the CSCS exam is easier than it used to be. The reason is that they reduced the multiple choice options from 4 possible answers to 3. I actually had one friend who failed the practical pre-july under the old format and then retook it in september and said it was noticeably easier.

That said, I wouldn’t overconcern yourself with not having a lot of coaching exeperience wrt the applied portion. Its really just knowing the book. The practical is straight from the book. I would suggest you get the exercise guide as well, as that covers the NSCA standard on the movements. Your background in biology will help tremendously with the science part and allow you to focus your energy on the second half of the book. That said, just be methodical in your approach. DO NOT skip any chapters and don’t assume you understand it without going over. The practice tests will let you know if you’re ready or not. Good luck.

79

[quote]Fletchbrah44 wrote:
Hi John–

First off, HUGE congrats and my hat goes off to you. I’ve heard from some people in the field that it is indeed a pretty difficult exam. Secondly, thank you so much for your incredibly informative and helpful post about the exam, and for sharing your thoughts on how to best prepare. My reason for posting replying is this;

I’m currently finishing up my bachelor’s in Physiology and was planning originally to attend physical therapy school, however, after talking with a NSCA CSCS trainer at the PT office where I’m currently interning, I’m feeling more and more like I have to get this cert to do what I really want (work with athletes). I’d really like to hear how your new career is now, after the internship. Are you feeling confident that you’re going to make ends meet now that you have gained all this knowledge and experience, and are you getting offers? I’m still deciding whether or not getting my PT degree is what I really want/need. Thoughts? There’s an identical internship (unpaid) relatively nearby me that I would try to get as well, after attaining the cert (knock on wood). Many thanks in advance

-Fletcher[/quote]

Fletcher,

This is really one of those things you need to to decide on your own. At the internship I did, we all had the CSCS and some later went on to PT school afterwards. Clinical PT, I’m told, can be super boring but the gym I was at had some amazing PT’s working around us daily and many of them told me that the wall between PT and strength coach is getting blurred. Given that you’re young, why not get the CSCS first, do an internship working with athletes and then decide if you want to make the greater commitment to PT school.

As far as finacial compensation and the CSCS. I have been running a gym now for a year and it’s going amazingly well. We work with general population mostly but my experience with athletes has paid huge dividends in my confidence. There is quite literally no aspect of this field that I would uncomfortable working in at this point. And I mean whether that were coaching professional athletes or managing a different business etc. The gym I run is doing is doing really well and this past year has been all about learning how to handle employees, deal with financial and admin aspects of running a facility.

The job is full time and its salaried with benefits. I will warn you that strength coaching is one of those professions that pays very poorly unless you are at the highest levels. That is one of the values of an internship, in that you get to see if its a good fit for you or not. If money is your main concern then being a PT will pay bigger dividends ultimately.

Hope that helps.

80

Error in chapter 5 which im studying for as i type this.

A weightlifter adds 30 minutes of intense (>75% V . O2 max) stationary bicycle riding every other day to her resistance training program. Which of the following describes the GREATEST effect this addition will have on her performance?

power gains will be compromised b. power gains will be enhanced c. aerobic capacity improvements will be compromised d. aerobic capacity improvements will be enhanced

i chose a., but the book has b for the correct one. Anybody else catch this