NASM CPT Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

The numbers to remember

• 120 total questions — 100 scored, 20 unscored pretest items you can't identify.
• 2-hour time limit.
• Passing score: scaled 70 or higher (not a raw percentage).
• Exam-only fee: $599 (excludes prep materials).
• Purchase window: 180 days to sit for the exam after buying.
• Proctored by PSI.
• Rescore requests: within 30 days of your exam date.
• Cancel/reschedule: up to 24 hours before your appointment.
• Retest waits: 1 week (1st fail) → 30 days (2nd fail) → 1 year (3rd+ fail).
• Certification valid 2 years; renewal needs 2.0 CEUs (~20 hours), including 0.1 CEU from CPR/AED.

Content domains and weights

• Domain 1 — Basic and Applied Sciences and Nutritional Concepts: 15%
• Domain 2 — Client Relations and Behavioral Coaching: 15%
• Domain 3 — Assessment: 16%
• Domain 4 — Program Design: 20%
• Domain 5 — Exercise Technique and Training Instruction: 24% (largest domain)
• Domain 6 — Professional Development and Responsibility: 10%

High-yield review areas

• Program Design + Exercise Technique together carry nearly half the exam — prioritize movement mechanics, exercise selection, and progression/regression logic.
• Assessment findings feed directly into program design; review them as a connected pair, not isolated topics.
• Basic science and nutrition concepts underpin terminology used across every other domain — don't skip the fundamentals even though the weight is modest.
• Professional development content is lower-weight but usually fast to review since it covers scope of practice and conduct rather than dense technical detail.

Top traps

• Assuming the passing score is a raw percentage — it's a scaled score of 70, so don't try to count how many you can miss.
• Ignoring the 20 unscored pretest questions and assuming you can spot which items don't count — you can't, so treat all 120 as real.
• Ordering CPR/AED certification too late — it's required both to sit for the exam and to show at check-in alongside your photo ID.
• Waiting until the last days of your 180-day purchase window to schedule, leaving no cushion if a rebooking is needed.
• Studying domains as isolated silos instead of practicing mixed-domain questions, when the real exam interleaves all six domains throughout.