CSCS Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Practice Test
Build your confidence for CSCS Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Practice the concepts, understand the answers, and strengthen your knowledge one question at a time.
Try a sample questionExam overview and details
Independent practice questions for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) examination from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), covering both the Scientific Foundations and Practical/Applied sections. These questions are not NSCA's own material. Administered by National Strength and Conditioning Association. Key domains include Practical/Applied: Exercise Technique, Practical/Applied: Organization and Administration, Practical/Applied: Program Design and Practical/Applied: Program Implementation. The exam consists of 220 questions over 240 minutes.
Sample Questions
Choose an answer and explore the explanation to see how practice works.
A strength coach is reviewing the ownership status of a professional research publication before reproducing sections of it in a staff training manual. Who holds the copyright to the publication in question, and in what year was it copyrighted?
A sport scientist is designing interventions for a collegiate team. What is the primary dual purpose that the underlying principles of sport science are meant to serve?
A candidate preparing for the Spring 2026 CPSS exam asks what changed in the Detailed Content Outline. Which statement accurately describes the nature of the revisions?
A sports scientist is preparing a testing session that includes an upper-body assessment abbreviated as FP POP. When explaining the protocol to an assistant, what does this assessment involve?
A strength and conditioning professional is reviewing the content areas assessed under the Exercise Technique domain of the CSCS exam. Which of the following topics is included within this domain?
Exam insights and study advice
The practice connects scientific knowledge with strength and conditioning decisions. Topics include nutrition, muscle physiology, athlete needs analysis, exercise technique and program design.
What this exam covers
01Practical/Applied: Exercise Technique
Topics
- 25% of the Practical/Applied section (28 scored questions)
Learning objectives
- 25% of the Practical/Applied section (28 scored questions)
02Practical/Applied: Organization and Administration
Topics
- 15% of the Practical/Applied section (16 scored questions)
Learning objectives
- 15% of the Practical/Applied section (16 scored questions)
03Practical/Applied: Program Design
Topics
- 40% of the Practical/Applied section (44 scored questions)
Learning objectives
- 40% of the Practical/Applied section (44 scored questions)
04Practical/Applied: Program Implementation
Topics
- 20% of the Practical/Applied section (22 scored questions)
Learning objectives
- 20% of the Practical/Applied section (22 scored questions)
05Scientific Foundations: Exercise Science
Topics
- 60% of the Scientific Foundations section (48 scored questions)
Learning objectives
- 60% of the Scientific Foundations section (48 scored questions)
06Scientific Foundations: Nutrition
Topics
- 15% of the Scientific Foundations section (12 scored questions)
Learning objectives
- 15% of the Scientific Foundations section (12 scored questions)
07Scientific Foundations: Sport Psychology
Topics
- 25% of the Scientific Foundations section (20 scored questions)
Learning objectives
- 25% of the Scientific Foundations section (20 scored questions)