After writing my CSCS exam I would like to share a few tips to those thinking of taking the exam.
The exam is broken down into two sections, a scientific foundations section and a practical and applied.
The first section, scientific foundations is broken into two parts, nutrition and exercise science. My degree is not in exercise science so I studied lots using their suggested text, NSCA's Essentials of Strength and Conditioning. I found the book covered the material in great detail and think if you have a good understanding of the book this section should not be a problem. The test did not go into the detail I thought it would but they did ask some difficult questions. One suggestion I have for this section is to review your information on VO2 max. For my test I found that every aspect of VO2 max on the exam.
The practical and applied portion of the exam was much more difficult. I think one reason it was so much harder was the fact that the book and the symposium study book and cd's did not cover all the material. I would say that it did provide 75 - 80% of the information needed but when you need a 70% grade to pass that does not leave much room for error. I do not believe that an investment in the symposium study book and cd's is worth the money. If it is something you would like to buy just let me know and I will sell you mine. All material is in excellent shape and some is brand new.
For the second section of the CSCS exam I would recommend you know all that you can about plyometrics, along with weight and cardio exercises, which are poorly covered in the book. It is also important to know norms for sports, positions, and sex, for example...
what would a NCAA male QB run a 40 in, bench, squat, and his vertical.
Here is a link to a few homemade flash cards to help study.
CSCS Exam Flash Cards
or you can go with the
CSCS flash card study system
Here is a CSCS pretest intended to help make a decision about which materials to focus on. The exam is not setup in this manner, the test is just a learning tool. It should give you an idea of where you need to devote more effort.
Online CSCS pre-exam test
Hope this helps.
Good luck with your CSCS exam.
