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.
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Personal Trainer Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
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Readiness to take the exam can only be decided by the individual candidate.
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Exam questions will ask the candidate to both recall facts and to apply knowledge from all exam domains to a typical job situation.
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.
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Exam Domain
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Percentage of Exam Questions*
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Minimum Recommended Study Time
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Suggested Resources**
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Core Knowledge
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Kinesiology: Anatomy and Biomechanics
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Exercise Physiology
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Basic Nutrition and Weight Management
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Human Behavior
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30%
(30 questions)
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23+ hours
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CI Personal Training workshops1
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Book: Principles of Health and Fitness, CI publication
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PT Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities2
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Book: Resistance Training Instruction, Everett Aaberg
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Anatomy for Fitness and Wellness, CI online course
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Health and Medical Review; and Fitness Assessment
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Health History Review
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Current Health Conditions Review
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Health-Related Fitness Appraisal
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20%
(20 questions)
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15+ hours
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CI Personal Training workshops1
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Book: Principles of Health and Fitness, CI publication
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PT Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities2
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Book: American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, Eighth Edition
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Book: Physical Fitness Assessments and Norms, CI Publication3
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Fitness Training: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation
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Fitness Goal Setting
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Safe and Efficient Exercise
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Program Design: Cardiorespiratory, Strength, and Flexibility
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Program Evaluation
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40%
(40 questions)
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30+ hours
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CI Personal Training workshops1
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Book: Principles of Health and Fitness, CI publication
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PT Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities2
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Book: Resistance Training Instruction, Everett Aaberg
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Book: American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, Eighth Edition
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Personal Trainer Exercises CD
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Professional Responsibilities
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Standards of Practice
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Leadership Techniques
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Basic Business Principles
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10%
(10 questions)
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7+ hours
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CI Personal Training workshops1
- Book: Principles of Health and Fitness, CI publication
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PT Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities2
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1 Personal Training Education (PTE) offered by CI – 4½ day live and online courses available. 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. Course fee includes Principles of Health and Fitness textbook.
2 Personal Trainer Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) available at www.CooperInstitute.org
3 Extracted from the Principles of Health and Fitness textbook
* Other reputable resources available nationally may also be used to further knowledge in the field.
Research has shown that CI-CPT exam candidates increase the probability of passing the CI-CPT exam by 116% when using 3 or more preparation resources.
