I am frequently finding myself stuck in a hospital room with nothing do but read or watch cartoons with with my son, while he recieves treatment for leukemia. So in an effort to occupy my brain I’m thinking of working my way through the online-education modules and sitting the CSCS exam.
Any advice? How difficult is it for a hard-science-computer-geek-degree type such as myself? The NSCA website shows method to do it, but I’m interested to hear from someone who actually has done it? What kind of doors does the certification actually open?
I used to be certified (about 15 years ago) as a CSCS and thought it was a pretty simple test. From the website, it looks like things have not changed much. I recently thought about getting back in to the field. You spend about 6-7 hours on a weekend day to take about 3 hours worth of exams. Most questions could be answered by using common sense and simple test-taking skills. Basically it is a tool to sell the NSCA books and periodicals. You can keep your certification current by earning CEUs from various NSCA sponsored sources of media. I have actually seen position postings that require/prefer a CSCS certification. Mostly look for it opening doors to workout floor person, personal training or bolstering a new coaching business. I used mine to teach weight training and physical conditioning part-time at a local university. Good luck, and I wish the best for your son.
My heart goes out to your family. I am sure it’s a tough situation.
I would like to think that the CSCS is a bit harder than what the previous poster thought. If it weren’t there would be more of them out there and not so many of the other certifications.
If you had a recent degree in exercise phys and had some field experience I would say the exam is passable without too much difficulty. If you do not have this education (and it’s still fresh) then it would be difficult. I felt the text and tapes were valuable in studying. Ex Phys texts are also useful. The hardest part for me was using the correct terminology. I had been training people for years using layman terms so even learning the different planes of movement, the exact names of the quads and the difference between a hop and a jump were quite foreign to me.
As far as what doors it will open? Well, if you want to train athletes, it is the best certification out there. ACSM may be the “gold standard” but it is also very general. CSCS and the continuing education is more specialized for athletes. But it is worth nothing without experience. I say if you have experience and CSCS you will be a valuable commodity.
I have taken and passed both the CPA and CSCS exams and think they were both quite difficult but knew I had the best certifications out there for what I needed to do. If you have the will and the time you can do it. Good luck.
Any advice? How difficult is it for a hard-science-computer-geek-degree type such as myself?
I found that the “written” exam not to be difficult, very straightforward if you have a good background in exercise science. The “practical” exam was not difficult either but focuses on a lot of lifts that are out of the mainstream (snatch, clean, etc.). Depending on your background you may need to brush up here.
The practical test is (or at least was in 2000) a series of video segments which shows exercises performed correctly and incorrectly. The corresponding test questions were designed to see if you could recognize what was correct and what was not. The NSCA sells a video which is intended to prepare for this section.
I was lucky in that I was able to borrow study materials from a guy that I worked with.
I have heard though that there is a pretty high attrition rate on the CSCS exam (I do not know that actual statistic, but it would be neat to see if anyone knows what it is). I knew of one guy who had a masters degree in exercise physiology who failed. I do not know if this means he was a bad test taker or he came from a weak program. But one of the benefits of the higher end certifications (NSCA, ACSM,& NASM) is that it standardizes to a point to account for different standards at different institutions.
Jim what do you intend to do with the CSCS? As stated earlier it is a preferred certification while working with athletes. For example most college strength and conditioning jobs have it as a prerequisite (i.e. the squat, snatch, etc being a large part of the content). Are you going into personal training? or just personal growth?
If you are going the personal training route you may want to look at the NASM material ( http://www.nasm.org/flash.asp ) . I am not certified through NASM so I can not speak about it’s difficulty directly , but I attended a workshop put on by Mike Clark who is the president of the NASM and found it very interesting and full of merit.
Good luck with your decisions and your preparation. Also I wish your son a speedy recovery.
Thanks for input. I am partly motivated to do this as a post-military career option. I see alot of guys and gals in my field retire from the military, go to work as a contractor or for big companies like sprint of MCI, and never see the light of day again… Sitting in front of 3 monitors all day just ain’t my cup of tea, I joined the military for the physical assect of it.
When our son first got diagnosed with leukemia I started volunteering some time with Team in Training back at Ft Bragg and was a marathon coach for almost 3yrs. I really enjoyed it and really got into the science and physiological aspects of endurance training, along the way I added triathlon to my many addictions.
So a strength and conditioning position at a small college sounds pretty good, whilst the wife goes out and gets the high paying job. That’s our current deal anyway, the first 20 yrs are mine the next 20 are hers.
Thanks again for the input.
Jim
p.s. after going though all the module pre-tests I was getting about 50% right. But clearly saw where I would have to put twice as much focus if I finally decide to do it.
Good luck with your ventures. If you do go the Strength and Conditioning route having another salary in the family that is a high paying job will help matters alot. I know that for what is expected and the education needed Strength and Conditioning at the college level pays at a very low level. It is definitely possible to earn much more through other areas such as personal training or consulting, but the team environment and stability can make it a rewarding career. I think that the background in the military is great and you should have great leadership traits that will carry over well to the environment of working with sports teams at that level.