How to Get a Personal Trainer Certification

If you are looking for a career move, becoming a personal trainer is a great consideration. Personal training is a strong field with a lot of job opportunities. The BLS projects 14% growth in the next decade which means roughly $75,000 jobs added every year.

The more certifications you have, the better equipped you will be to help your clients develop personalized fitness plans with the right techniques and tools to meet their goals. 

How to Get a Personal Trainer Certification

Getting a personal trainer certification requires that you sign up with a given company offering said certification, go through the curriculum, and complete the test.

Each company that provides a personal trainer certification is a little different in their requirements. For example some might require that you have first aid and CPR certifications whereas others might not require that you go through their curriculum but just pass the final test.

There are a lot of sources for a personal trainer certification, but you generally want to pick one that is already well known within the industry especially if you are trying to get a job in a gym, fitness center, or clinical setting.

There are a few key differences between each of the top brands namely what the curriculum covers, what the cost is, and what the requirements are. Therefore it’s important that you choose something that fits your career goals, your budget, and your educational goals. 

My Top Personal Trainer Certifications

There are a lot of personal trainer certs out there, but my favorites are:

1. ISSA: For anyone, literally, anyone, who wants to be a comprehensive personal trainer, not just specialized
2. NSCA: For those who want to take a test but already know the background info
3. ACE: For those who want an emphasis on motivation and client behaviors (or just want practice tests)
4. NASM: For those who want study/exam bundle options
5. NCSF: For anyone working with athletes or who need global test center access

What I Look For

The top considerations for me when choosing a personal trainer certification have to do less with cost although that is a factor, and more with how robust the program is, what the curriculum covers, and what guarantees if any you get as a part of that.

For example, ISSA is the only brand out of this list that includes as part of the cost for how to get a personal trainer certification a guarantee that you will be employed within 6 months of getting your certification. I don’t know about you but when a company guarantees that they will help you find employment (oh yeah, and offers discounts on things like insurance) I can trust that they absolutely stand by their material. 

So let’s look at my top picks. 

ISSA

ISSA is the best pick. Why?

Oh let me count the ways, as the book says. 

Firstly, they are the only brand that offers the job guarantee as part of your cost. I already mentioned that but it bears repeating: if you are looking for a new job in the field of personal training, assuming you pass your final exam, you get to be a part of their network and post your profile and respective information with the guarantee that you will find a job within 6 months.

Secondly, the curriculum is the most comprehensive. They include a lot of information spanning several areas of personal training and the science behind exercise or changing client behaviors whereas other comparative brands emphasize just one or two of these.

Thirdly, they have the most robust support and tools not only during your course but after. When you are taking the course you have several months to complete it and they offer a guided design for the pacing so that you aren’t overwhelmed and you can still fit it into your regular schedule. 

Part of that offering includes access to things like:

• Office hours much the same as you would get with a college course
• Study groups with other people who might be taking the same course at the same time,
• Social media groups where you can find support from people who are taking the test or who have already taken the test
• Discounts on things like professional insurance after you pass your certification
• Discounts on materials and resources you might use as an acting professional

The tools you get to support you during the time you are taking your course include things like Zoom links for live support sessions and recorded sessions if you weren’t able to be in the live session. I could go on and on about the number of tools they give you. And honestly, this is just another indication that they truly stand by their curriculum. 

Cost: 

≈$1000

Course Duration: 

10 Weeks

Test:

Open book final exam must pass by 75%.

Completion Deadline: 

6 months from the time you sign up

What I Like Most: 

Comprehensive study material and lots of support plus a job guarantee included within 6 months of getting certified. 

What I Like Least: 

Not a lot of video or graphic material in the text as compared to others.

NSCA

NSCA is a very well respected organization so if you plan to work with athletes or you want to work in a clinical setting this can be a viable personal trainer certification to have but it is definitely geared toward people who already have a lot of background in the field of health and exercise science and are just looking to boost the certifications they have under their belt so to speak. 

My biggest issue with the NSCA personal trainer certification is the cost. 

Trying to figure out how much it’s going to cost you to get this particular personal trainer certification can be tricky because they break it down in the most granular way.

Theoretically this can be helpful for some people who want to save money but they charge you for things like:

1. The exam
2. The textbook
3. The study guide
4. The quizzes and practice test
5. Exercise technique manual
6. CPR/AED certification
7. NSCA membership 

All seven of these have different prices for members versus non-members. So, if you wanted everything, the $130 membership in theory might be worth it because you would save $50 on the quizzes and practice exam, $9 on the exercise technique manual, $7 on the study guide, $10 on the textbook, and $135 on the exam.

Now, to be fair, you don’t have to purchase allllllll of those extras. You can try and save $20 here or there by skipping things like the practice test or exercise technique manual. But good grief, that’s a lot of math for a personal trainer cert. 

Cost:

If you are just taking the exam the cost is $300 for members or $435 for non-members. The membership is $130 annually plus the additional costs of things like study materials. 

Course Duration: 

Typically 3-6 months, with a fast track option for 4-8 weeks

Test:

140 questions and 15 multiple choice non-scored questions with a pass rate of 70% each. 

Completion Deadline: 

Doesn’t say

What I Like Most: 

You can just take the exam, without having to sign up for the class. 

What I Like Least: 

The curriculum and tests are expensive. 

ACE

ACE is ideal for anyone who wants to really get into the, as my family would say, meat and potatoes of coaching and client motivation. Like many of their certification courses, ACE emphasizes working with clients over the science. 

Now, if that’s what you are here to get out of your cert, that’s awesome. If not, it can be a let down. 

That said, I really like that they have three different study packages. This means, if you already have some understanding, you can get a basic package and save money but if you are brand new to the world of personal training and you want more education you can get the advantage program with access to extra resources and tools. 

So, in effect, if you have any background in training, weight lifting, competitions, etc… and you want a cert that will help you translate all of that into actionable change in your clients, you can save money on a basic package and get at it. 

Cost: 

Between $675 and $975 depending on the study package you choose.

Course Duration: 

3-6 months

Test:

150 multiple choice questions, 25 are experimental, must be completed within 3 hours with a passing score of at least 500 out of 800. 

Completion Deadline: 

6 months from the time you sign up

What I Like Most: 

They give you two practice exams before you test. 

What I Like Least: 

The curriculum is really based on client motivation and goal settings, not so much on the science of exercise. 

NASM

NASM is another well respected organization. They are very popular for the structured approach they offer to training so a lot of their curriculum is tied to developing your approach to training if you are working in a gym or a fitness center.

The curriculum is fine, the cost is fine, and everything else is otherwise bland and comparable to the other brands in this list. There really isn’t anything that makes this particular certification stand out to me. 

Check, please. 

Cost:

Between $899 to $2,699 depending on the promo or bundle you choose, or a $79 per month average monthly cost with a down payment.

Course Duration: 

4-12 Weeks

Test:

100 question open book final exam must pass by 70%, must be completed in 2 hours.

Completion Deadline: 

6 months from the time you sign up

What I Like Most: 

Biodigital models and audio chapter summaries. 

What I Like Least: 

Doesn’t really have anything that sets it apart in terms of support or career field.

NCSF

The NCSF cert comes from a reputable organization. What’s more, the curriculum has a very strong foundation in exercise science. Their particular program is arguably one of the most affordable especially if you are only taking the exam. If of course you are getting the study materials then ISSA is the most affordable but if you have any type of background in exercise science and you just want to take a test and get an exam, this is your jam. 

I also like that they have exam centers that operate across more than 160 countries so you can get this certification pretty much anywhere you are. This location information and the fact that they have 8,000 exam centers operating across those locations is important because like most personal training certifications your final exam can take one of two forms:

1. First is where you get a personal trainer certificate and that means an online test that you take whenever, wherever and you pass with an open book.
2. Second is where you get an NCCA accredited personal trainer certification as a top-tier industry standard but for that you have to go to a test center and take your exam in front of a proctor the same as you would have a final exam for any other University course.

All of these personal trainer certifications have those two options but the fact that the NCSF has 8,000 exam locations means that you are more likely to find one close to where you live.

Cost:

$349 for the exam or $899 for the full package with study materials and exam. 

Course Duration: 

2-4 Months

Test:

150 multiple-choice questions that must be completed in 3 hours with 70% pass rate required. 

Completion Deadline: 

6 months from the time you sign up

What I Like Most: 

It has test centers and resources around the globe, in over 160 countries and lets you apply military benefits to the cost.  

What I Like Least: 

A big part of the curriculum is on nutritional science, which takes away from the biomechanics and exercise science part of it.

Which Cert I Like Most

My favorite out of all these personal trainer certifications is ISSA. Why?

• They have the most robust online platform 
• They have a job guarantee within 6 months (and it doesn’t come at an extra cost)
• They give you access to discounted insurance, discounted memberships, and other courses
• You can choose the online self-paced, open book test or the NCCA-accredited test
• Their curriculum is expansive, not restricted to one career path