Education & CertificationExam Information
For complete exam information all candidates should review the CI-CPT Candidate Handbook.
CI-CPT Exam Eligibility
- 18 years of age
- CPR certification (see CI-CPT Candidate Handbook for accepted CPR certifications). No online CPR is accepted.
CI-CPT Exam Blueprint
- 150 scored questions
- Cut score (passing score) is 105 questions correct (70%)
- 4-option multiple choice
- Computer-based testing
- 3 hour exam session
- 5 Performance Domains covered (with percentage of questions):
- Core Scientific – 30%
- Assessment and Evaluation of Clients’ Health and Fitness Status – 15%
- Goal Setting and Adherence – 10%
- Exercise Prescription – 35%
- Business Principles and Professionalism – 10%
CI-CPT Exam Questions
- The exam questions are chosen at random from an item bank that has been reviewed by Subject Matter Experts (SME). The SMEs evaluate the questions for relevance to the Personal Trainer job practice and for content accuracy.
- A key part of the exam is applying knowledge to job-related situations.
- The CI-CPT is a stand-alone exam, and is independent of any single educational resource. This follows the requirements for an accredited credentialing certification program. It is likely that exam questions may appear which are relevant to the job practice that are not included solely within one resource or education course.
- Statistical analysis indicates that the CI-CPT exam has high levels of validity and reliability.
CI-CPT Exam Preparation
Cooper Institute education is not required to be eligible to sit for the exam. Educational resources are for learning and knowledge purposes. Educational resources do not teach you how to take the exam. You should gain a level of familiarity with the information to effectively process the knowledge and apply it to a job situation.
Preparing For The Exam
Resources listed can help you obtain the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are needed to perform as a personal trainer. Other reputable resources exist and candidates should not feel limited to only these resources listed. No guarantee is made with regard to the use of these resources and exam performance.
- Readiness to take the exam can only be decided by the individual candidate.
- Exam questions will ask the candidate to both recall facts and to apply knowledge from all exam domains to a typical job situation.
Recommended Resources
- CI personal training 2-day or 4-day workshops
- CI personal training DVDs
- CI personal training course manual
- American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, eighth edition
- CI-CPT Practice Test
For those new to the field, a minimum of 75 hours of independent study is recommended. An additional 10 hours of role play (that is, simulated personal trainer scenarios) is recommended to help in applying factual information to typical job situations. To be most effective, each practice scenario should require the application of knowledge elements from multiple domains.
Percentage of Exam Questions |
Minimum Recommended Study Time |
Suggested Resources |
|
Core Scientific
|
30% (45 questions) |
20-25 hours |
PTE(1) 4-day workshop(2) PTE DVD(2) Book: PTE Manual, CI publication Book: Resistance Training Instruction, Everett Aaberg PTE Audio CD Vol. 1-3 Providing Dietary Guidance Audio CD, Vol. 5 |
Assessment and Evaluation of Clients’ Health and Fitness Status
|
15% (22-23 questions) |
10-15 hours |
PTE 4-day workshop(2) PTE DVD(2) PTE Applied Training workshop(2) Book: PTE Manual, CI publication Book: American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription Book: Physical Fitness Assessments and Norms, CI Publication(3) |
Goal Setting and Adherence
|
10% (15 questions) |
8-10 hours |
PTE 4-day workshop(2) PTE DVD(2) PTE Applied Training workshop(2) Book: PTE Manual, CI publication Book: American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription |
Exercise Prescription
|
35% (52-53 questions) |
25-30 hours |
PTE 4-day workshop(2) PTE DVD(2) Book: PTE Manual, CI publication PTE Audio CD Vol 4 Book: Resistance Training Instruction, Everett Aaberg Book: American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription Personal Trainer Exercises CD |
Business Principles and Professionalism
|
10% (15 questions |
10-15 hours |
PTE 4-day workshop(2) PTE DVD2 Book: PTE Manual, CI publication |
(1) Personal Training Education (PTE) offered by CI
(2) Highly recommended if you do not have an exercise science-related degree, and/or if you are new to the field and have no/limited experience or formal training.
(3) Extracted from the PTE Manual
To register for a workshop or to order resource materials go online at www.cooperinstitute.org or call 800-635-7050.
A CI-CPT Practice Test is now available. The 50-question practice test has questions from all 5 performance domains in the same proportion as on the CI-CPT exam. Practice test questions were developed in the same way as the items on the CI-CPT exam. Questions on the practice test do not appear on the CI-CPT exam. The practice test is very useful to help you experience the type and make-up of questions that will appear on the CI-CPT exam. Results of the practice test should not be used to predict performance on the certification exam.
CI-CPT Credential Statistics
Candidates Examined |
CI-CPT Certificants |
Pass Rate |
Average Score |
4249 |
2841 |
64.91 |
72.96% |
Reporting Period: (December 2009)