How to Pass Your ISSA PFT Exam (and Why it Matters!)

Personal trainers provide vital services to their clients. Thorough training and education helps provide the foundation for these services, which is why it's so important for professional trainers to get certified. ISSA personal training certification is one popular option. The International Sports Sciences Association, or ISSA, has earned a reputation for high standards and quality professional development resources for trainers. The ISSA Personal Fitness Trainer exam, or ISSA PFT, has become internationally recognized as one of the foremost certification assessments anywhere.

While you might be well aware of the ISSA PFT exam's stellar reputation, you might be less in the know about how to pass it. ISSA personal training certification can indeed help you build a new career and gain the respect and trust of clients, but passing it may take more preparation than you might expect. If you're eager to do well on your ISSA certification test, try these tips:

Know What to Expect

Arm yourself with knowledge of how the ISSA personal trainer exam is structured, what the questions entail, and how long you'll have to address each item. By thoroughly understanding what to expect on the day of your ISSA exam, you'll feel more confident and ready for anything. The computer-based test consists of 200 multiple-choice questions spanning six different content areas. The ISSA personal trainer certification exam is entirely self-paced, giving you the freedom to answer questions at a speed that's most comfortable for you. Unlike other tests, the ISSA exam also gives you room to pause and revisit the questions at your convenience.

Given how flexible in nature the ISSA certification exam truly is, it would be tempting to shrug off studying and test prep. Do so at your own risk, though, as you'll need to answer at least 70 percent of the questions correctly if you hope to pass. Considering the expensive price tag that comes with registering for the ISSA personal trainer exam, you won't want to miss your opportunity to perform at your highest level. The $599 registration cost isn't one you'll want to pay over and over again!

ISSA Test Prep Strategies

Studies show that practice testing and distributed study efforts are among the most effective options for test prep. To ensure you're set up for success, take an ISSA practice exam at the very start of your test prep journey. The results will highlight your odds of passing if the test were tomorrow, as well as point to subjects and content areas worth taking a second look over. Practice tests include detailed explanations of the items you got wrong, allowing you to create a thorough ISSA exam study guide based on the results.

Once you have a good understanding of what you should focus your attention on most, it's time to implement the distributed practice side of test prep. Rather than cramming as much information into your brain as possible the night before your ISSA personal trainer exam, break your study efforts up into chunks. While you might think six half hour study sessions are equal in quality to a solid three hour library cram session, the research shows it's better to practice more often. By reminding yourself daily of important vocabulary terms, techniques and industry best practices, your brain will be able to retrieve the information more quickly.

Tips for Passing the ISSA

Once you begin your ISSA exam, you'll want to employ certain test-taking strategies to up your odds of passing. Thorough studying and ISSA practice exams can bolster your test prep efforts, while these strategies can be used on the actual test day. First, remember the importance of the process of elimination. If it has been a while since you last took a standardized test, you might not realize just how useful this strategy is. Picking out incorrect options to a ISSA certification exam question can be tremendously helpful when you're caught between several answers.

It's also a good idea to read questions thoroughly and try to answer them before looking at the answer choices. ISSA personal trainer exam questions are straightforward, but the answer choices can be deceptive. Rather than get bogged down by the possibilities, try to go with your gut instinct. It's far easier to read that gut instinct when you haven't seen the answer choices yet!

Take an ISSA Practice Exam Now

No matter how confident you feel about the ISSA personal training certification exam, preparation is the key to success. An ISSA practice exam can help highlight areas which deserve your attention during the ISSA exam preparation process. Featuring detailed explanations of why you got a question right or wrong, the practice tests can be vital to your progress as both a student of health and fitness and as a professional trainer.

If you're ready to see how Exam Edge can help boost your test prep efforts, simply click here for a free sample practice exam!