Strength & Conditioning Certification

NSCA · strength and conditioning · checked Oct 27, 2026

NSCA CSCS certification, two sections, one sitting

NSCA’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist credential is aimed at coaches who plan and run training for athletes, with performance as the goal. The exam has 220 questions in two sections taken on one day, Scientific Foundations and Practical/Applied, and each section is scored and passed on its own. Every fact below is checked against the handbook in force since July 1, 2026, and the exam report for 2025.

CSCS practice test Study guide

Updated Oct 27, 2026 · Not affiliated with NSCA, ACSM, BOC, CSCCa, ISSA or USAW.

  • 220 (190 scored)questions on the exam
  • 4 hof testing, plus a break
  • $340 / $475member / nonmember, Oct 2026
  • 50% (2025)passed both sections

Keep a CSCS question set in your pocket

CSCS practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app. Not affiliated with NSCA, ACSM, BOC, CSCCa, ISSA or USAW.

5 questions to start

0 of 5 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 5 · Nutrition · 15%

A cyclist is preparing for 2-hour training rides and wants to maintain blood glucose and performance late in each ride. About how much carbohydrate should she consume during the ride?

  1. For sessions lasting 1–2.5 hours, about 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour maintains blood glucose late in the ride.
  2. 10–15 g per hour is too little to make a meaningful difference to blood glucose.
  3. 120–150 g per hour exceeds what the gut can absorb and invites stomach upset.
Question 2 of 5 · Exercise Technique · 25%

An athlete consistently shows excessive forward trunk lean during the back squat despite cueing. Which exercise variation BEST encourages a more upright trunk position?

  1. A box squat controls depth and pushes the hips back, so it does little to make the trunk more vertical.
  2. Moving the bar lower on the back lengthens the moment arm at the hips and invites even more forward lean.
  3. Holding the bar on the front of the shoulders forces the lifter to stay upright or drop it, so the front squat trains the posture the athlete is missing.
Question 3 of 5 · Sport Psychology · 25%

Two collegiate wrestlers of similar skill and experience compete at the same level. Wrestler A wrestles best when his pre-match arousal is very high; Wrestler B wrestles best when he feels calm. Which theory BEST explains this difference?

  1. The inverted-U predicts one moderate arousal level as best for everyone, so it cannot explain two athletes with opposite optimal states.
  2. Catastrophe theory explains a sudden drop in performance when high cognitive anxiety meets rising arousal, not stable individual preferences.
  3. Hanin's model says each athlete has an individual zone of arousal for best performance, which fits one wrestler peaking when highly aroused and the other when calm.
Question 4 of 5 · Exercise Sciences · 60%

During excitation-contraction coupling, calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. To which protein does it bind to allow cross-bridge formation?

  1. Calcium binds troponin, which changes shape and pulls tropomyosin away from the binding sites on actin so cross-bridges can form.
  2. Tropomyosin is the strand that gets moved off the binding sites; it is not where calcium attaches.
  3. Myosin binds actin and ATP during the cross-bridge cycle, but calcium does not bind to it to start contraction.
Question 5 of 5 · Organization and Administration · 15%

A weight room is L-shaped, with a 2,000-ft² (186-m²) training wing on each side. Where should the single supervisor station be placed?

  1. Next to one wing's entrance, the supervisor sees that wing well but has the other wing around the corner and out of view.
  2. From the corner where the wings meet, a single supervisor can see down both wings, which is what the sightline guidance asks for.
  3. At the far end of the longer wing, the shorter wing is entirely hidden behind the bend of the L.

Answer every question to see your score

The exam at a glance

Checked Oct 27, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Sources. Booking, retakes, the coming degree rule and renewal each have an anchor on CSCS exam facts.
FactDetailSourceChecked
Certifying bodyNational Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)NSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
Who it is forCoaches who design and run strength and conditioning programs for athletes, with performance as the main goalNSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
EligibilityA bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution (any major), or a degree in physical therapy or chiropractic medicine, plus current CPR/AEDTranscripts may follow up to one year after the exam; you are not certified until they arrive.NSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
Questions on the exam220 questions: 190 scored and 30 unscored, in two sectionsNSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
SectionsTwo sections in one sitting: Scientific Foundations (1.5 h) and Practical/Applied (2.5 h)NSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
Question typesMultiple choice with three options (A–C); 30–40 Practical/Applied questions are video- or image-basedNSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
Testing time4 hours of testing (1.5 h + 2.5 h) plus a 15-minute scheduled break between the sectionsThe CSCS is the only NSCA exam with a scheduled break, and the break does not count toward exam time.NSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
Passing scoreScaled score of 70 on each sectionThe raw number of correct answers behind a 70 changes from form to form, so “70% correct” is wrong.NSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
Exam price$340 NSCA member / $475 nonmember for the full examNSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
Where you testPearson VUE test centers, year-round; the CSCS cannot be taken onlineNSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
Pass rate50% of 9,650 candidates passed both sections in 2025All candidates, US and international. Scientific Foundations 71%, Practical/Applied 55%. Both sections: 39% in 2024, 37% in 2023; 37% of first-time candidates in 2022; 63% of US candidates in 2019.NSCA exam report, 2025 exams (Wayback copy of Jun 15, 2026) · NSCA exam report, 2024 exams (Wayback copy of Apr 30, 2025) · NSCA exam report, 2023 exams (Wayback copy of Nov 3, 2024) · NSCA exam report, 2022 exams (Wayback copy of Apr 19, 2024) · NSCA Certification Handbook, 2022 edition (PDF, superseded) [2][3][4][5][6]
Renewal cycleEvery 3 years; the current 2024–2026 cycle ends December 31, 2026 for every certified personNSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]
AccreditationNCCA-accreditedOf the five NSCA credentials, only the CSCS, NSCA-CPT and TSAC-F are NCCA-accredited.NSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) [1]

Seven domains in two sections

Weights are shares of a section, not of the whole exam. Exercise Sciences is 60% of Scientific Foundations, or 48 scored questions; Program Design is 40% of Practical/Applied, or 44. Program Implementation is the newest domain: it arrived with the outline in force since July 2025.

Source: NSCA Certification Handbook, p. 3 and pp. 37–43. Checked Oct 27, 2026.
№Domain% of sectionQuestionsPractice
1Exercise SciencesScientific Foundations section60%48Practice questions
2Sport Psychology25%20Practice questions
3Nutrition15%12Practice questions
4Program DesignPractical/Applied section40%44Practice questions
5Exercise Technique25%28Practice questions
6Program Implementation20%22Practice questions
7Organization and Administration15%16Practice questions

Who it is for, and who it is not

The outline describes a coach of athletes: needs analysis, program design, teaching lifts and sprints, running tests and coaching the session itself. Three neighbors on this site cover ground that looks similar from outside:

  • Tactical populations: soldiers, firefighters and police are the TSAC-F’s ground. It asks for no degree (eligibility: 18+, diploma, CPR/AED), and of the certifier’s exams only it offers an online session.
  • Injury care: evaluating injuries, emergency care and rehabilitation belong to athletic trainers, who sit the BOC exam after a CAATE-accredited program. A strength coach recognizes a problem and refers it.
  • Health clients: screening apparently healthy adults and prescribing exercise for health is the ACSM-EP’s territory, not this exam’s.

The career side, including how strength coaches and athletic trainers split the work, is on how to become a strength coach.

The degree rule is changing

Today a bachelor’s degree in any major qualifies, so a business or history graduate can sit the exam. Coming change: CASCE degree from 2030. From then on US candidates need a degree from a CASCE-accredited program, while people certified before the rule starts are not affected. If your program is not CASCE-accredited, plan to certify early; the details are under eligibility.

Which section people fail

In 2025, 71% of candidates passed Scientific Foundations and only 55% passed Practical/Applied, the longer section, where questions put you in front of an athlete, a program or a video of a lift (exam report). Both together: 50%. Rates for earlier years use different bases (all candidates, first-time only, US only), which is why prep sites quote anything from 41% to 64%; the series with its bases is under pass rate. The practice test is split between the sections in the exam’s proportions.

Everything on this exam

  • CSCS practice testQuestions from all seven domains in the exam’s section proportions, every option explained
  • CSCS exam factsTest-center only, booking, eligibility, scoring, pass rates by year, renewal
  • CSCS costMember and nonmember prices, whether joining pays, one-section retakes
  • CSCS textbook (Essentials, 5th ed.)The 5th edition: what is new, chapters by exam domain, 4th or 5th
  • CSCS study guideStudy time by scored question, the section people fail, materials, a plan

Practice by domain

Sources

  1. NSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) nsca.com · checked Oct 27, 2026
  2. NSCA exam report, 2025 exams (Wayback copy of Jun 15, 2026) web.archive.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  3. NSCA exam report, 2024 exams (Wayback copy of Apr 30, 2025) web.archive.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  4. NSCA exam report, 2023 exams (Wayback copy of Nov 3, 2024) web.archive.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  5. NSCA exam report, 2022 exams (Wayback copy of Apr 19, 2024) web.archive.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  6. NSCA Certification Handbook, 2022 edition (PDF, superseded) nsca.com · checked Oct 27, 2026

CSCS certification, quick answers

What is the CSCS certification?

A credential for people who train athletes, from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and accredited by the NCCA. Holders renew it every cycle; the current one ends Dec 31, 2026.

Is it the same as the UK CSCS card?

No. The UK card belongs to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme and proves health-and-safety training on building sites. Searches for “CSCS test” often return UK results; the CSCS on these pages is the NSCA exam for strength coaches.

Can I take the CSCS exam online?

No, test centers only. You book the seat through Pearson VUE; test day is described step by step.

Do I need an exercise science degree?

Not yet. Any bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution counts today, as does a physical therapy or chiropractic degree, plus a CPR/AED course that tested your skills in person. Coming change: CASCE degree from 2030.