Yesterday, I took the exam and passed the Practical Section with 98/110. However, I failed the Science Section by 1 point. 🙄 For me, I thought the Practical side of things would be the hardest section, but turns out not. So I want to list out a reflection on the exam and what to do differently for the Science section. For the Practical —> What Went Well • For several days, I had reviewed all of the agility tests in the CSCS book + I watched videos on them. I am really glad I did because there were a lot of questions on them in the exam (which I was surprised about). • Fortunately through my own coaching experience, I understood the faults to look for in the major lifts, like Back Squat, Front Squat, Bench, Clean and so on. I also knew the progressions for each, specifically the power clean and clean. I think if you don’t know what to look for, and how to progress these, you absolutely should as there are several questions / videos / photos on this. • I understood what the exercise order should be for testing day and training day. • I had a good understanding of what counts as power development, strength development, hypertrophy, and muscular endurance. And I’ve written programs on these already. There were questions like: “ Sally has the below characteristics: Height: 5’6 Weight: 124lbs Vertical jump: 15” 1RM Back Squat: 145lb What should Sally work on in her programming?” • There were a few questions on nutrition I felt good with. Such as, referral to an RD, understanding how much protein a person needs, carb loading strategies, and issues to look for such as bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating (and which sport has the most at risk for these disorders). What did not go as well: • Facility rules. I’m a little disappointed in this one as I feel like I should know, but spacing between racks, policies and procedures in the S&C gym, who a club team should ask to use the S&C gym, role of an assistant S&C coach…😅 • I forgot some calculations for some of the nutrition questions. Specifically calculating caloric needs using body weight only (“Bill is a college athlete weighing 100kg. What should his daily caloric intake be?”)

I am taking the CSCS exam this week on Thursday. Any last minute tips before i go for the exam? I have been taking the practice exams within Canvas.

An athlete performs an overhead squat as shown. Which of the following cues would serve this athlete the best? i. Shorten your stance width by ~2 inches ii. Widen your stance width by ~2 inches iii. Keep the cervical spine neutral and in line with the torso iv. Drive the knees out and forward v. Push the bar straight up, elbows pointing slightly out vi. Reduce ROM or load until technique improves A. i, iii, and v B. ii, iv, v, vi C. iv, v, vi Answer in the poll, then explain your rationale below in the comments! I'll follow up with my breakdown of the question after enough people have responded. From Chapter 15: Resistance Training Technique

Glad you're here! This community is built for coaches, CSCS candidates, and performance-minded professionals who take their craft seriously. 👉 In your first post, tell us: - Who you are and what you do - Where you're at in your CSCS journey (or if you're already certified, what you're working on now) - A fun fact—either about your coaching, your training, or just something that makes you you - And post a photo of your training space—whether it’s a garage gym, college weight room, or the local fitness club. We want to see it! This is your space to level up, get real answers, and connect with others who are serious about performance—let’s raise the standard together.