About NFPT 

1. What’s a “CPT”?Certified Personal Trainer, is the title and accompanying acronym that is most commonly used in the personal fitness training industry for an individual who has been appropriately assessed and who has successfully demonstrated necessary skill sets of the certified personal trainer. After becoming certified by NFPT, you may use this “CPT” title as recognition of your achievement. 

2. How long has NFPT been certifying personal trainers?Since 1988 NFPT has been educating and certifying fitness professionals. 

3. How many CPT’s does NFPT have?NFPT has over 6,000 currently certified trainers and over 16,000 members/subscribers in the U.S. and abroad.

4. Is NFPT recognized?Yes, NFPT is recognized nationally and internationally as well. NFPT has certified trainers for over 23 years and is therefore often times included amongst other pre-reqs to employment. Though health clubs and wellness facilities will establish their own independent approved provider lists, therefore NFPT can make no guarantee of being included for each club/facility, NFPT maintains prominent industry position and is widely recognized and accepted as one of the leading CPT providers. 

5. Why is being certified with a company who has their program accredited so important for a trainer?Having your CPT through an organization who has achieved accreditation of its personal trainer certification program means that you have proven industry accepted minimal competencies which have been established via accreditation standards that are specifically adhered to by organizations with accredited programs. For example, test development is a strictly executed, legally defensible process which assures that the NFPT – CPT has been assessed appropriately and certified in accordance with industry-wide standards. Most gyms and insurance companies will insist that trainers be certified by an organization that has had their CPT program recognized by this distinction.

6. Who accredits certifying companies? Many accrediting bodies exist in and outside the fitness industry. The main accrediting organization for the personal fitness training industry has become the NCCA, National Commission for Certifying Agencies. This agency operates under the auspices of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE). The NFPT – CPT program is accredited by the NCCA and therefore adheres to standards which pertain to certification business and test development practices.

Application Requirements 

1. Am I eligible to apply?You must be 18 years of age or older, have a high school degree or equivalent, have 2 or more years of personal fitness experience, and comply with NFPT codes of conduct.

2. Where can I find NFPT codes of conduct? Visit NFPT Professional Documents for a list of professional standards for codes of conduct. During the NFPT – CPT application process, you will be required to indicate your understanding and compliance with these standards.

3. What constitutes 2 years of personal fitness experience?Your personal fitness experience can be a combination of things that could range from involvement in playing sports, a regular fitness program, prior experience as a trainer or with a trainer, etc. During the NFPT – CPT application process, you will be asked to attest to the fact that you have 2 or more years of this type of experience.

4. Do I have to be CPR certified for NFPT?No, though this is highly recommended before, or shortly after, obtaining your certification. Generally, CPR certification will be required for employment and liability insurance, therefore finding a local American Red Cross/American Heart Association will be necessary if you wish to take full advantage of the resources available to further your PT career.

Application Cost

1. How much does personal trainer certification cost?NFPT offers certification packages for you to choose from. Visit NFPT Certification for details. Application pricing ranges from $329 (for exam only) to $579 (for exam + education + additional services). 

2. Do you have a payment plan?Yes, we do offer financing for both the Standard and Premier Value application options. You may make a down payment and then you will have up to one year to pay the remaining balance and successfully complete your exam. There are no additional charges or interest fees for this payment option benefit. You just should remember to time your balance payment with your exam readiness, because your exam must be successfully completed within one year of application date. 

3. Are there any discounts available?Yes. NFPT provides discounted application rates to health club staff members as well as military personnel. 

4. How do I apply?Visit NFPT Certification and choose your application package. 

5. What is your refund policy? NFPT has a refund policy that allows you a full refund minus a $50 application processing fee, if requested within the first two weeks of your original application. All application package materials must be returned in order to process your refund. This refund amount decreases by 25% with every two week period with no refund provided at the end of 8 weeks. 

NFPT – CPT Exam 

1. How long do I have before taking the test? Though average prep and test completion time is 60-90 days, you’ll have one year from the time that you applied to successfully complete the NFPT – CPT exam. 

2. What’s on the test?

3. How is the NFPT – CPT exam created?The exam has been created using a group of qualified and diverse Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who use industry collected data to determine appropriate Personal Trainer KSAs which are then used to formulate exam questions. The NFPT exam is developed and maintained according to strict accreditation standards, adherence to these standards is a requirement of all accredited certification programs. For more information regarding exam development, review the NFPT Certification Handbook.

4. Will test questions come from the NFPT Study and Reference Manual?No. Test questions are not derived from one book or other resource. Your knowledge as a certified personal trainer cannot come from one book or one specific resource, as this would be simply studying to pass a test that is specific to one book as opposed to passing a test that is specific to the tasks of performing the job on an industry wide scale – which is the requirement of the practicing CPT. A certified personal trainer’s skill set, and hence the assessment by which it is measured, is an all-encompassing knowledge, skills and abilities assessment – not a measurement of your ability to recall or memorize text/concepts from one book or other resource. Though the fundamental exercise science concepts which are expressed in the NFPT Study and Reference Manual are viable to the certified personal trainer skill set and job performance, it is only a part of the bigger skill set picture. 

5. Where can I take the test?NFPT has over 350 computer based test (CBT) sites to choose from. Test dates are set by appointment around your schedule. If CBT sites are too far, you can make arrangements for a local proctor to administer the paper/pencil exam to you. Exams may not be administered in your (or another’s) home via home computer or paper/pencil. All NFPT – CPT exams are proctored by a trained exam administrator. Call NFPT at 800-729-6378 for details. 

6. What’s the format of the test?There are 120, 4-option, multiple choice questions. 20 of these questions are pre-test questions and are not graded. These pre-test questions are written strictly for statistical purposes, therefore they will not affect your score.

7. Is there a time limit?Yes. You will have two hours to complete your exam.

8. Should I bring anything for the test?No. You will not be allowed to use books, calculators, notes, or other items which may assist you during the exam. CBT locations will offer secure storage areas for you to store these items during test administration. I need material other than the NFPT manual to prepare? 

9. Is there an additional fee for testing?No. Your NFPT – CPT application package includes the exam fee.

10. When will I get my test results?If you take your exam at a NFPT CBT test location, you will know how you did on the test on-site – a print-out with your test score will be provided (a detailed score report will arrive by mail in approximately 2-3 weeks following). If taking the test via paper/pencil, you will receive your test scores by mail within approximately 2-3 weeks.

11. What do I get if I pass?You will receive your professional certificate for display and your wallet-sized membership card for certification status verification. These items will come with your detailed diagnostic score report by mail in approximately 2-3 weeks following successful exam completion. 

12. What if I fail the test?You are allowed 3 total opportunities to take and pass the NFPT- CPT exam. Each exam re-take costs $119. If you are unable to pass the exam on the third attempt, you will be required to wait one year from your last test date before you are eligible to re-apply to the program.

Recertification

1. Does my certification expire? Yes. Your certification will expire one year following successful exam completion. An expiration date will be identified on your certificate and membership card.

2. What do I need to do to renew? Obtain CECs and submit an $85 membership renewal fee each certification year. You will be notified approximately 90 days prior to your certification expiration date that you must submit your fee and your CECs (if you haven’t done so already.)

3. What are CECs? Continuing Education Credits (or CECs) are units of measure that provides evidence of your professional development through appropriate avenues for continuing education. CECs are required through all agencies that offer an accredited personal trainer certification program.

4. When do I start maintaining CECs? After your first year of NFPT – CPT certification status.

5. How many CECs do I need? You’ll need two (2) CECs per certification year to maintain your status.

6. How do I get CECs? Visit NFPT Continuing Education for approved CEC providers and other credit award submission details.

7. How much do CECs cost? NFPT offers a free self-test method for obtaining CECs, but self-tests will only count for one (1) total credit award and therefore one (1) additional credit will be required. NFPT offers many options for approved provider CEC courses, costs per course varies by provider. If your provider is not on the NFPT approved list, you may submit a credit award petition for approval. The petition fee is $25 per course title submission.

8. Can I renew if my certification is expired? Yes, but only up to two years past your certification expiration date. You will still be required to submit your past due annual renewal fee/s/ as well as CECs for the duration of time that your certification was expired. If your certification expiration is past two years, you must re-apply and re-take the NFPT – CPT exam.

9. How do I renew and submit my CECs? From your NFPT personal My Services account. You may call 800-729-6378 to make your renewal fee payment and/or for further instructions. CECs can be submitted via your personal My Services account, by faxed submission to 765-471-7369, or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

Additional Information

1. Can I call with my questions?Yes. Please call NFPT Headquarters at 800-729-6378 between the hours of 9:00am – 5:00pm EST, Monday – Friday. We are happy to help with any questions that you have!