How the ISSA CPT exam works
Facts checked on against ISSA's and NCCPT's own pages; ISSA's FAQ read again on 29 October 2026. Page updated .
Policies change, and your student portal has the current rules. This guide is ours, not ISSA's. CPT Trainer is an independent study tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by ISSA or NCCPT. ISSA is a trademark of its owner.
The short answer: ISSA's own certification exam is open note, has no time limit, is not proctored and needs no appointment, and the Personal Training exam takes 70 percent to pass. There is a second route, a proctored, closed-book exam from NCCPT, a subsidiary of ISSA.
The facts, with their sources
- ISSA describes its certification exam as open note, completed without time constraints, not proctored, and with no need to schedule it. ISSA FAQ
- The number of questions depends on the course you take, and it can be up to 200. ISSA FAQ
- The Personal Training exam needs a minimum of 70 percent to pass. ISSA FAQ
- If you fail a portion, you are offered a resubmission of that portion free of charge. Each retest beyond the second attempt has an administrative fee; the FAQ does not give the amount. ISSA FAQ
- Every CPT course has to be completed within 6 months of the purchase date. Up to 4 more months can be bought, one month at a time. ISSA FAQ
- To be issued the certificate you need a current CPR/AED certification and at least 1/12 of your balance paid, and for the CPT course every course quiz submitted. A PDF certificate follows 24 to 48 hours after you pass. ISSA FAQ
- There are two exams to choose from: ISSA's open-book, untimed exam, or the proctored NCCPT exam. ISSA CPT course page
The open-book exam, question by question
Is the ISSA exam open book?
Yes. ISSA's FAQ calls it open note: you can use your notes while you answer. That changes what studying is for. You are not memorizing to recall under pressure; you are learning the material well enough to find and apply it quickly.
Is the ISSA exam timed?
No. The FAQ says it can be completed without time constraints. The only clock is the course itself, which has to be finished within 6 months.
Is the ISSA exam proctored?
No. Nobody watches you take it, and you do not book a time. The proctored option is the NCCPT exam, described below.
Is the ISSA exam multiple choice?
ISSA's FAQ does not say. An ISSA blog post from February 2024 described multiple-choice, true-or-false and matching questions plus a case study, but that post also gives a different passing standard from the current FAQ (see where ISSA's own pages disagree). Check the exam's format in your student portal before you start.
How many questions are on the ISSA final exam?
Up to 200, according to the FAQ, and the exact number depends on the course you take. With no time limit the count is not a race, but 200 questions is a lot to look up one by one, which is why knowing the vocabulary pays off.
What score do I need to pass?
At least 70 percent on the Personal Training exam. The FAQ sets 75 percent for each section only for specialization exams, not for the CPT exam.
What happens if I fail?
You can resubmit the portion you failed, free of charge. The FAQ says each retest beyond the second attempt carries an administrative fee and does not state how much.
How long do I have?
Six months from the purchase date to complete the course. If you need longer, the FAQ says up to 4 more months can be bought month to month.
What do I need to get the certificate?
A current CPR/AED certification, at least 1/12 of your course balance paid, and all of the course quizzes submitted. The PDF certificate arrives 24 to 48 hours after you pass. The credential renews every 2 years with a fee, a current CPR/AED card and 20 continuing education units (CEUs).
$49 for 3 months of access or $29 for 1 month. One payment. No subscription, nothing renews. Full refund on request within 7 days.
No sign-up for the free questions. Module 1 of the app is free when you sign in with Google. See the passes
The NCCPT exam, the proctored option
The NCCPT exam is offered by the National Council for Certified Personal Trainers, which ISSA's course page describes as an ISSA subsidiary. It is a different test from the open-book exam, with its own rules. The facts below come from NCCPT's FAQ and its Certification Exam Policies and Procedures Manual (April 2026), which is linked from NCCPT's home page.
- Format: 140 multiple-choice items, of which 125 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest items.
- Time: two hours.
- Materials: not open book and not open note.
- Results: pass or fail is shown at the end, based on a scaled score measured against a passing standard.
- Where: at a Prometric test center or with live remote proctoring, with the same administration fee either way.
- Who can sit it: candidates 18 or older with a valid CPR card or certificate and a government photo ID.
- Retakes: wait 14 days after a first attempt, 90 days after a second and one year after a third (manual, section 12).
- Window: 12 months from purchase to test, with one free 6-month extension (manual, section 12).
NCCPT fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Exam | $599 |
| Retake | $99 |
| Extension | $99 |
| Renewal | $75 |
ISSA's own NCCPT exam page lists an administration fee of $79, the same for a test center or remote proctoring. The manual's fee table also prices an extension, while its section 12 calls one extension free. Neither page explains the other's figures, so confirm what you will pay before you book.
How many NCCPT candidates pass
| Year | Candidates | Passed | Share passed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,095 | 734 | 67.03% |
| 2024 | 571 | 425 | 74.43% |
| 2023 | 427 | 310 | 72.6% |
Which exam should you take?
That is your call: ISSA's accreditation page says every CPT enrollment includes access to the NCCPT exam, with its own proctoring fee. The difference in plain terms: the open-book exam lets you use your notes, has no clock and nobody watching. The NCCPT exam is two hours, closed book and proctored, with its own fees and retake waits. Check both in your student portal before you decide.
Is the ISSA exam hard?
Open note takes away the pressure of memorizing, not the need to understand. Our page on how hard the ISSA CPT is covers what trips students up and how long the course takes, and the final exam tips cover how to prepare.
The closed-book NCCPT exam is a different matter. In 2025, 734 of 1,095 candidates passed, so about a third did not.
What the NCCPT outline covers
The NCCPT manual (appendix A2.2) weights six areas. The modules listed beside each are our own reading of where the course teaches it, not NCCPT's.
| Area | Weight | Modules that feed it (our reading) |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Science (anatomy, kinesiology, physiology) | 25% | Module 2, Module 3 |
| Nutrition | 8% | Module 6 |
| Intake and Ongoing Evaluation | 12% | Module 5, Module 7 |
| Program Design and Implementation | 25% | Module 4, Module 7, Module 8 |
| Exercise Technique and Training Instruction | 25% | Module 3, Module 4 |
| Professional Practice and Responsibility | 5% | Module 1, Module 9, Module 10 |
What the course glossary does not cover
We searched every term in the course glossary for the topics the NCCPT outline names. These have no glossary entry of their own, so if you are sitting the NCCPT exam, read them in your textbook:
- periodization, linear and undulating
- open-chain and closed-chain exercises
- upper and lower crossed syndromes
- supersets, drop sets and compound sets
- supplements and ergogenic aids
- prone and supine positions
- the all-or-none theory of muscle contraction
- basal metabolic rate
- concentric, eccentric and isometric contractions
Searched on 7 October 2026 and again on 29 October 2026.
Where questions get tricky: look-alike terms
Most wrong answers on a vocabulary-heavy exam are a near miss: the right family, the wrong member. Five pairs that trip students up, each explained on its module page:
- NEAT and EAT: everyday movement against planned exercise.
- Agonist and synergist: the main mover against its helpers.
- Reps in reserve and RPE: reps left in the tank against a rating of effort.
- PAR-Q and the client health questionnaire: the short standard screen against the full history.
- Change talk and sustain talk: words that lean toward change against words that defend the status quo.
$49 for 3 months of access or $29 for 1 month. One payment. No subscription, nothing renews. Full refund on request within 7 days.
No sign-up for the free questions. Module 1 of the app is free when you sign in with Google. See the passes
Where ISSA's own pages disagree
- ISSA's blog post "Best Study Tools for the Personal Trainer Exam" (5 February 2024) describes multiple-choice, true-or-false and matching questions, a case study, and 75 percent in each of five sections. The current FAQ says 70 percent for the Personal Training exam and keeps 75 percent per section for specialization exams. We follow the FAQ.
- ISSA's NCCPT exam page shows a "95% Exam Pass Rate". NCCPT's April 2026 manual reports 67 to 74 percent of candidates passing in 2023 to 2025. We quote the manual, which gives candidate counts.
Sources
- ISSA, Frequently Asked Questions, checked 7 October 2026 and again 29 October 2026.
- ISSA, certification accreditation page, checked 29 October 2026.
- ISSA, Certified Personal Trainer course page, checked 7 October 2026.
- ISSA, NCCPT Certified Personal Trainer exam page, checked 7 October 2026.
- ISSA blog, Best Study Tools for the Personal Trainer Exam (5 February 2024), checked 7 October 2026.
- NCCPT, FAQ, checked 7 October 2026.
- NCCPT Certification Exam Policies and Procedures Manual, April 2026, linked from nccpt.issaonline.com, read 7 October 2026.
Next: how to study for the exam, tips for the final exam, or try 10 free practice questions.