The NFPT certification process is easy to follow. And, at any point in this process, we are available to help you. Contact us with your questions.
How To Get Your Personal Trainer Certification
- Determine eligibility
- Pick the appropriate package
- Study and prep for the exam
- Schedule exam
- Confirm results and retest if necessary
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To start the process, first make sure that you meet the prerequisites for being certified. Here they are:
- 18 years of age or older
- Have a high school education or equivalent
- Agree to the NFPT codes of conduct
PICK YOUR CERTIFICATION PACKAGE
Next, you’ll pick from the STANDARD, PREMIER or EXAM ONLY certification package:
Once you’ve purchased your package you will receive two separate emails. One will be your receipt (save that for your records) and the other will be a Welcome Email that provides you with instructions for how to create your account, access your materials, and schedule your exam.
CREATING YOUR ACCOUNT
Using the NFPT ID# provided to you in the Welcome Email, fill out the account registration form to initiate the creation of your NFPT online account.
For security purposes, after you have filled out the account registration form, you will receive an email with a link for creating a password. Follow the email instructions/link for creating your password and to log in to your secure NFPT online account.
ACCESSING YOUR STUDY MATERIAL
After logging into your account, locate the ‘Online Learning’ tab in the orange navigation menu on the left side of your screen.
‘Online Learning’ is where you locate all Education and Examination Prep tools and resources.
The Premier and Standard Certification program packages include access to the following:
- “Education Downloads”: Personal Trainer Manual and Study Guide
- “Online Study Guide”: chapter by chapter quizzes
- “Exam Content Outline”: a detailed outline of each main category of the exam and the associated subject matter related to the content category
- “Schedule CPT Exam”: 3-4 weeks before you wish to test, go here to set up your appointment
The Premier Certification package comes with these additional resources:
- 2 Practice Tests
- Exercise Animation Videos
- Client Assessment Videos
- Education Support
The EXAM ONLY certification option does NOT come with these CPT Exam Resources, it ONLY comes with the exam voucher and the exam content outline. All additional resources may be purchased separately.
Using these resources will help you prepare for your NFPT-CPT Exam. They will be available to you as long as you are eligible to take the exam or as long as you are a current NFPT-CPT.
PREPARING FOR YOUR EXAM
Prepare for your exam in your own time frame, around your schedule! You have access to all your study materials online. Study whenever or wherever you’d like.
There are no specific times or days you need to have things done by. Just take and pass your exam within one year of your test eligibility.
It takes around 60-70 hours of study time to fully prepare for your exam. This includes the average time for reading through your NFPT-CPT Manual, Study Guide and taking the Chapter quizzes in your Online Study Guide.
There are 120 multiple choice questions you’ll need to answer within a two hour time limit. Exam questions pertain to 5 fitness training categories.With your certification package, you receive a detailed breakdown of each of these 5 categories to use as a checklist through your studies.
For a detailed breakdown of the exam go here.
SCHEDULING YOUR EXAM
In the initial Welcome Email you are given a Username and Password that is specific for accessing the test appointment portal (see the “Testing Information” section of the Welcome Email).
NFPT partners with a test security and administration vendor, IQT Testing Inc. You will be given login criteria to use in their scheduling portal to make your exam appointment. A link to this scheduling portal is in the Welcome Email. You can also go to your NFPT online account and locate the “Schedule My Exam” in the “CPT Exam Resources” section of the main navigational menu.
Access your NFPT online account here: www.nfpt.com/account
AFTER YOUR EXAM
Immediately after finishing your exam you will be shown if you have passed or failed (with exception of paper/pencil testing, your results are not provided immediately. Paper/pencil test results take approximately 3 weeks to process).
When you pass the exam, you receive a letter with your score, confirming you have passed. This letter also includes your official NFPT-CPT certificate and wallet-sized ID card that shows you are a certified CPT with NFPT. You can immediately use the title ‘NFPT-CPT’!
If you fail you will receive a letter in the mail describing that you have failed with a table showing your relative performance across the 5 categories of the exam.
To reschedule and retake your exam, call us. The retest fee is $119. You can only retake the exam one time at a cost of $119. If you cannot pass the exam on this second attempt, you must wait one (1) year from your original application date and re-apply to the certification program.
AFTER YOU’RE CERTIFIED
Your NFPT-CPT credential requires recertification on an annual basis. Recertification requires 2.0 Continuing Education Credits (CECs). The renewal fee is $85.
CECs ARE NOT REQUIRED IN CERTIFICATION YEAR 1.
Since you just went through some rigorous education to get certified, your first year of renewing does not require that you obtain 2.0 Continuing Education Credits; you only need to pay the $85 renewal payment. Every year after your first year, you will need to complete both the payment and the 2.0 CECs.
NFPT offers FREE options for CECs! Bi-annual Self Tests, a Trainer Refresher course and Fitness Flops quizzes are some of the methods that NFPT offers for FREE CECs. All health and fitness learning activities count toward continuing education.
Compare certification company’s CEC cost to NFPT’s.
