Strength & Conditioning Certification

Cost · NSCA, ACSM and BOC fee pages, checked Oct 27, 2026

Strength and conditioning certification cost, Oct 2026

As of Oct 2026, one attempt at the five exams covered here costs from $300 (the TSAC-F, for a member) to $475 (the CSCS for a nonmember, and the BOC athletic trainer exam with the nonmember application fee). All three price by membership, the BOC through NATA. The BOC also splits the first bill into an application fee and an exam fee, then charges a fee every year after the one you certify in. Below: the fee sheet, what a second attempt costs, when membership is worth buying, and a three-year total for each exam.

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

  • $300lowest first attempt (TSAC-F, member)
  • $235ACSM-EP or CEP retest
  • $50 / $65 a yearBOC fee once certified

One attempt, five exams

Checked Oct 27, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Sources. Member prices need NSCA or ACSM membership, or NATA membership for the BOC exam; dues are not included. ACSM prices already include the application fee.
CertificationMember price, first attemptNonmember price, first attemptApplication feeRetake priceRetake rulesPracticeSourceChecked
CSCS$340$475None$250 / $385 per section30 days; failed section onlyPractice test
Exam facts 		[1]
TSAC-F$300$435None$300 / $43530 days, full feePractice test
Exam facts 		[1]
BOC (ATC)$450$475$75 / $100$375Unlimited for 1 yearPractice test
Exam facts 		[2][3]
ACSM-EP$350$460$50 (included)$23515 days; 4 a yearPractice test
Exam facts 		[4][5]
ACSM-CEP$350$460$50 (included)$23515 days; 4 a yearPractice test
Exam facts 		[4][6]

Cheapest on the sheet: the TSAC-F, at both the member and the nonmember price, and it alone among the five asks for no degree. Of the other four, the ACSM pair has the lowest nonmember price ($460) and the CSCS the lowest member price ($340).

Retakes differ more than first attempts. The CSCS lets you pay for the failed section only, $250 / $385 per section; the tactical exam charges $300 / $435 again; the EP or CEP retest is $235; the BOC retake is $375 with no second application fee within the year. Each exam's cost page works through a failed attempt in detail (links at the end).

Does membership pay for itself?

Dues: NSCA Professional membership $130 a year, Student $70 a year; members pay the lower exam price. A member saves $135 on either of the association's exams, so a Professional membership bought only for the exam comes out $5 ahead, and a Student membership $65 ahead. Members also renew for less ($65 / $90). Worked sums, with the one-section retake, are on the CSCS cost page.

The college and NATA: the member discount is $110 on either exercise physiologist exam ($350 against $460) and $25 on the BOC exam ($450 against $475). Set that against the college's or NATA's dues for your membership category before you join for the discount alone.

After you pass

Checked Oct 27, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Sources. The NSCA and ACSM charge per credential you hold; the BOC fee is yearly. NSCA renewal fees are prorated for people certified after 2023.
CertificationRenewal feeRenewal cycleContinuing educationSourceChecked
CSCS$65 / $902024–2026, ends Dec 31, 20266.0 CEUs[1]
TSAC-F$65 / $902024–2026, ends Dec 31, 20266.0 CEUs[1]
BOC (ATC)$50 / $65 a year2 years, ends Jan 31, 202840 or 50 CEUs[7]
ACSM-EP$703 years60 CECs[4][8]
ACSM-CEP$703 years60 CECs[4][8]

Three years at today's prices, our arithmetic

Nonmember price for one passing attempt, plus renewal fees at Oct 2026 prices: one full renewal for the NSCA and ACSM, two yearly fees for the BOC, whose fee is waived for the year you certify. The NSCA prorates its fee if you certify partway through a cycle, so its lines are a ceiling. Earning the continuing-education credits costs extra and depends on what you choose; it is left out.

Calculation steps

  1. 1CSCS: exam $475 + renewal $90$565
  2. 2TSAC-F: exam $435 + renewal $90$525
  3. 3BOC (ATC): application and exam $475 + 2 × $65 a year$605
  4. 4ACSM-EP: exam $460 + renewal $70$530
  5. 5ACSM-CEP: exam $460 + renewal $70$530
  6. =Range over three years$525 to $605

The main reference for each exam

Checked Oct 27, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Sources. Prices, where shown, are the publisher's list prices.
FeatureCSCSTSAC-FBOC (ATC)ACSM-EPACSM-CEPSource
Main referenceEssentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 5th edition (Human Kinetics, ©2027, ISBN 9781718216273, $119 hardback); the 4th edition came before itNSCA’s Essentials of Tactical Strength and Conditioning, 2nd edition (Human Kinetics, ©2027, ISBN 9781718234819, $119 hardback)The BOC’s 2026–2027 Exam References list; every exam item is referenced to at least two of its titles, and no single textbook is namedACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 12th edition (exams align with it from July 10, 2025)ACSM’s Clinical Exercise Physiology, 2nd edition, and ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 12th edition[5][6][9][10][11]

Coming to this site, and one outside it

Checked Oct 27, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Sources. The CPSS, CSPS and ISSA course join this site in a later wave; the CSCCa's SCCC is listed for comparison. The ISSA figure is the course price shown on its page on the check date.
FeatureCPSSCSPSISSA SCCSCCCSource
Exam priceThe bar shows the highest standard price for a first attempt (nonmember, including any application fee).$340 NSCA member / $475 nonmember; the $25 application fee is credited toward it once the application is approved$340 NSCA member / $475 nonmemberCourse $639 including the exam (or 12 monthly payments of $53)as of Oct 27, 2026 · course price as listed on the check date$340 for CSCCa members, $470 for nonmembers (plus a $230 practicum fee)[1][12][13]
EligibilityAn approved application before registration, based on a doctoral degree in sport science or a related field, a master’s plus 480 hours (12 weeks) of applied experience, or a bachelor’s plus 3 years of full-time experience; plus CPR/AEDA current NSCA certification (such as the CSCS or NSCA-CPT) or an NCCA-accredited personal trainer certification, or one of the handbook’s degree routes; plus CPR/AEDEnroll in the course; CPR/AED needed to receive the certificate; 6 months to finishA bachelor’s degree plus transcript credit for four courses of 3+ credits each (anatomy and physiology, exercise physiology, biomechanics or kinesiology, nutrition), or a bachelor’s in exercise science or kinesiology from a CAAHEP- or CASCE-accredited program; then a 640-hour practicum under a CSCCa Approved Mentor and CPR/AED/first aid from the Red Cross or AHA[1][13][14][15]
Where you testPearson VUE test centers onlyPearson VUE test centers onlyOnline, open-book, open-note exam taken at home after the course quizzesWritten exam at PSI test centers plus a practical exam (hands-on and oral)[1][12][14][16][17]

Two of these need a note. The CPSS is the only one of the association's five exams that needs an approved application before you can register; its $25 application fee is credited toward the exam if you are approved and forfeited if not (certification handbook, p. 12). The SCCC needs a mentored practicum with its own fee before you can sit, which puts it above the CSCS once both are added. The ISSA price buys a course with the exam included rather than an exam alone.

One attempt is the cheapest plan

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

Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle PlayGet the CSCS app

TSAC-F app

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

Download on theApp StoreAndroid: practice in the browser Get the TSAC-F app

BOC (ATC) app

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

Download on theApp StoreAndroid: practice in the browser Get the BOC (ATC) app

ACSM-EP app

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

Download on theApp StoreAndroid: practice in the browser Get the ACSM-EP app

ACSM-CEP app

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

Download on theApp StoreAndroid: practice in the browser Get the ACSM-CEP app

Cost of each exam

Sources

  1. NSCA Certification Handbook, effective July 1, 2026 (PDF) nsca.com · checked Oct 27, 2026
  2. BOC 2026–2027 Certification Exam Candidate Handbook 7f6907b2.flowpaper.com · checked Oct 27, 2026
  3. BOC: exam candidates bocatc.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  4. ACSM Candidate Handbook, July 2025 (PDF) acsm.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  5. ACSM: Certified Exercise Physiologist acsm.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  6. ACSM: Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist acsm.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  7. BOC: maintain certification bocatc.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  8. ACSM: recertification acsm.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  9. Human Kinetics: Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 5th edition us.humankinetics.com · checked Oct 27, 2026
  10. Human Kinetics: NSCA’s Essentials of Tactical Strength and Conditioning, 2nd edition us.humankinetics.com · checked Oct 27, 2026
  11. BOC 2026–2027 Exam References 7f6907b2.flowpaper.com · checked Oct 27, 2026
  12. ISSA: Strength and Conditioning certification issaonline.com · checked Oct 27, 2026
  13. CSCCa: SCCC fees and requirements cscca.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  14. ISSA: FAQs issaonline.com · checked Oct 27, 2026
  15. CSCCa: practicum/internship cscca.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  16. CSCCa: SCCC certification exam cscca.org · checked Oct 27, 2026
  17. CSCCa: SCCC certification statistics and exam dates cscca.org · checked Oct 27, 2026

Certification cost, quick answers

How much does NSCA certification cost?

CSCS: $340 / $475 (member / nonmember). TSAC-F: $300 / $435. Neither adds an application fee. Renewal is $65 / $90 per credential per cycle.

How much does ACSM certification cost?

The EP and CEP are $350 / $460 (member / nonmember), application fee included; the personal trainer exam is $310 / $410. A retest of the EP or CEP is $235.

What is the cheapest strength and conditioning certification?

Of the exams in the tables above, the TSAC-F: $300 / $435, with no degree needed. It is built for tactical populations, so check that it fits the job you want before choosing it on price.

Is there a free strength and conditioning certification?

No. Every exam and course on this page charges an exam or course fee, and the five on the fee sheet also charge to renew.