Getting ACSM Personal Trainer Certification in 1 Month GuideI studied for and received ACSM Personal Trainer Certification in one month - and here's how you can, too. Even though the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you study for about three months to pass their exam. This guide walks you through the steps needed to study for and pass the ACSM Personal Trainer exam. It's as simple as that. But if you want to do it there's a lot of studying to do. So, read through the guide to get the broad picture of what you'll have to do and then plunge in. Time's a wasting!
Go to the ACSM website and sign up for their e-mail list. This will give you general certification info, and also give you access to the ACSM's Get Certified Guide PDF, which you can download immediately when you sign-up. Read through the Get Certified Guide and see if the ACSM Personal Trainer certification program is still the one you want. Still want to become a personal trainer? Good; on to Step 2!
In order to get ACSM certified, you must… ◆ Be at least 18 Years Old
If you're pressed for time check out the American Heart Association, since some of their CPR certification classes are 4 hours long. The Red Cross classes are 8 hours long. Sign up for a CPR class and take it (~ $80 - $100). And while you're waiting to take the class you just signed up for, go on to Step 3.
Go to ThePoint.LWW.com and order the Personal Trainer Study Kit, which contains the 3 books you'll need to familiarize yourself with for ACSM Personal Trainer certification. (~ $128.95)
This is about 480 pages of reading, and very dry. Don't read it trying to remember everything; rather, read it with an eye toward getting used to the Latin vocabulary for different parts of the body, exercise terminology, and nutrition information. Remember that on the inside cover there's a little silver scratch rectangle with a code to access an online copy of the textbook. This is handy if you're traveling a lot while studying, or to search the text to locate a word, phrase, or topic quickly.
This is only 180 pages of reading, and should be significantly easier after reading the textbook. Again, read with an eye toward comprehension rather than trying to memorize everything. Ideas and subjects will be repeated, which will naturally give you a better grasp of the topics. This book also has a little silver scratch rectangle with a code to access an online copy of the handbook on the inside of the front cover. Use it.
Read through the study guide, this time with an eye toward remembering it. You can skip Chapter 12, on Electrocardiography, because it isn't on the ACSM personal trainer certification exam. At this point, you should be thoroughly familiar with the material you're reading and going over for the THIRD time. It shouldn't take a lot of effort to familiarize yourself with the info, and remember the big ideas. One Important Note: DON'T do the mini-test chapter reviews at the end of each chapter yet. We're gonna save those for later.
The ACSM may be the gold standard for personal training, but their review materials could sure use a good editor. I called them to talk about this, and they told me that they do all their editing in-house and that misspellings sometimes creep in. I believe they should be embarrassed by the sheer volume of grammar and spelling errors (at least 1-3 per chapter). Perhaps they'll get better in future, but don't hold your breath. Check out this list of their corrections to their printed materials, which correct their most egregious mistakes. But just be warned that there are some that are not listed there.
If you can, do some (or all) of the official ACSM online learning courses. It's helpful to study the same material in a different medium, and you get exposed to a slightly different cross-section of the material online than is in the book. Most courses are around $30.
The ACSM advertises webinars and in-person workshops/seminars to prepare for their tests. These are probably nice, especially if you're a hands-on learner, but really aren't necessary. There weren't any seminars scheduled for my geographic region for the next 3-5 months when I looked, and I didn't feel like taking a webinar. So I decided not to take them. And, since your ACSM Personal Trainer certification exam is a multiple choice test rather than a hands-on in-person exam, I don't think they're necessary.
You should have figured out just about everything you need to know, and have a pretty good grasp on it by this point. But, if you still have questions about the exam, exam material, or anything else… ASK THEM! The ACSM has a call center at:
They have agents available Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Get any final issues/questions about ACSM Personal Trainer certification that you have answered.
Go to PearsonVUE and register for your ACSM Personal Trainer certification exam. If you look at the nearest 10 testing centers to your US zip code you can probably find a test in the next few days. I was able to find one the day after I decided to register, which worked out great.
Wake up early, eat a good breakfast, and get to the testing center early. And you don't even need to bring a #2 pencil, since the ACSM Personal Trainer certification exam is on a computer. You'll have 2.5 hours to answer 150 questions, but it probably won't take that long, especially if you've spent many school years taking standardized tests. Going slowly and methodically, I finished the exam in about an hour and a half. You'll get to flag questions that you want to review at the end of the test, and skip questions and come back to them later (if you have time). As soon as you click the final submit button on your exam, you'll find out if you passed.
You're now a ACSM Certified Personal Trainer!!!! • Click here to learn more about How to Become a Personal Fitness Trainer! OR
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