• The Cooper Institute values each person's educational experience and will provide quality research-based education and educational materials as a pathway to certification.
   
• The Cooper Institute supports third-party independent accreditation for certification programs that support:
  • the identification of the scope of practice for health and fitness jobs
  • the identification of related knowledge, skills, and applied techniques needed to effectively perform the job
  • the development and use of standardized testing processes to assess proficiency to do the job

Integrity

1. The safety, health and welfare of your clients are your primary responsibility.
2. Maintain ethical relationships and honor contracts with clients and other professionals.
3. Present fitness information completely and accurately to help the client make informed decisions; refer clients when appropriate to qualified professionals.

Respect

1. Focus on behavior, factual information and positive forms of communication.
2. Treat all clients equally regardless of race, gender, age, physical disability or nationality.
3. Uphold your client's right to confidentiality and privacy.

Teamwork

1. Share in your client's successes and challenges.
2. Commit to each client an appropriate amount of time.
3. Seek multiple resources and partnerships to increase your effectiveness.

Leadership

1. Lead by example.
2. Promote a healthy lifestyle for yourself and provide encouragement to others.

Knowledge

1. Incorporate new techniques into programming and be willing to offer different options for different client needs.
2. Follow professional standards for health screenings, fitness assessments and exercises techniques.
3. Maintain training in First Aid and CPR.
4. Receive additional training and education on a regular basis to always learn and always grow.
5. Understand that this profession can make a difference in the quality of life for many.

Excellence

1. Excellence is the standard.

The main difference is that a credentialing certification program is based upon a job analysis for a job or profession. The purpose of a credentialing certification exam is to measure whether the person taking the exam has the knowledge, skills, and ability to apply the information that is needed to perform a job. A knowledge-based certification is based upon learning objectives. The purpose of a knowledge-based test is to measure how well the educational objectives have been met.

The Cooper Institute Certified Personal Trainer (CI-CPT) is a credentialing certification. It is based upon the job analysis for an entry level Personal Trainer. The certification program (which includes CI-CPT exam development, certification, and certification renewal) is separate from Cooper education courses. This means you have the choice of how to obtain the knowledge, skills, and application abilities that are needed to perform the job of Personal Trainer. The Cooper Institute and other respected sources provide education resources for personal training.

The exam will assess both if you know scientific and factual fitness knowledge and if you are able to apply the knowledge to typical Personal Trainer job situations. After you earn the credential you can use the initials “CI-CPT” after your name.