Preparing For the ACSM Hlth/Ftnss Instrctr Certification Exam-2nd [Paperback]

Larry Isaacs (Author), Roberta Pohlman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0736042407 | ISBN-13: 978-0736042406 | Publication Date: December 19, 2003 | Edition: 2

Preparing for the ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor Certification Examination, Second Edition, is the only comprehensive text written specifically for those preparing for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health/Fitness Instructor Certification Exam. It is now updated with the latest exam requirements and full of valuable review tips, practice opportunities, and test-taking strategies.

The book makes the most of your study time by providing important background information on the ACSM certification process. With nearly 600 practice questions and a full practice exam, this book is a practical study guide for those aspiring to obtain ACSM certification.

The guide will help you

-develop confidence in using test-taking strategies to obtain ACSM certification,

-learn your strengths and weaknesses before you take the exam, and

-know what to expect and avoid surprises on exam day.Preparing for the ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor Certification Examination, Second Edition, is divided into two parts and a series of appendixes. Part I contains valuable information about test certification, applying and preparing for the exam, test administration, and the test format. The book presents the 10 content areas of the written test and the approximate number of questions in each area, along with specific tasks you can expect to perform during the practical test. You'll also find test-taking suggestions and special precautions that will help you avoid mistakes and increase your chance of passing the exam.

Part II presents nearly 600 study questions. One chapter is devoted to questions from each of the exam's 10 content areas to help you pinpoint your areas of strength and weakness. Each study question is designed to assess your knowledge, skills, and abilities as measured against ACSM's standards for certification. At the end of each study question chapter, you'll find a detailed answer sheet with the answers to the questions and a list of references, complete with page numbers telling you where to go for more information. Two special chapters also prepare you to solve metabolic equations and answer questions when exam information is presented as a case study.

In the appendixes, you'll find a complete 115-question practice exam that tests your readiness for the actual exam. It simulates the exam in terms of length, time limit, and content.

With Preparing for the ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor Certification Examination, Second Edition, you have everything you need to prepare for, practice, and succeed at obtaining ACSM certification.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Larry Isaacs, PhD, is a professor and directs the activities of the exercise biology program at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He has worked at the university since 1979, teaching both undergraduate and graduate students in courses covering clinical exercise physiology, exercise prescription, motor development, motor learning, and research methods. He is responsible for developing the school's exercise biology, pre-physical therapy, and pre-medical program within the department of biological sciences.

Isaacs received his PhD from the University of Maryland in 1979. His areas of concentration included clinical exercise physiology, motor development, physiological growth and development, research and statistics, and administration. A prolific writer, Isaacs is the author or coauthor of 15 other books and numerous scholarly articles. He is a research fellow of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; he is also a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, with whom he is certified as a Health/Fitness Instructor.

Roberta L. Pohlman, PhD, is an associate professor of exercise biology at Wright State University. She's been at the university since 1984 and has done research and taught classes in all areas of exercise science. Dr. Pohlman is an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) certified Exercise Test Technologist.

After receiving her PhD in exercise physiology from Ohio State University in 1982, Dr. Pohlman went on to complete a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in research at St. Louis University Medical School. She is a reviewer for Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries and also has served on the editorial advisory committee for Future Focus (a journal of the Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation) and on the editorial review boards for Strategies and JOHPERD, which are both journals of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics; 2 edition (December 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736042407
• ISBN-13: 978-0736042406
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #508,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Full of Errors!, May 8, 2001

By 

Groovy Vegan (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)   

This review is from: Preparing for the ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor Certification Examination (Hardcover)

Edit 4/19/05 - My review below was for the FIRST edition of this book, published in 1997. I just discovered today that there's a second edition, published in 2004. I see that Amazon put this review with the new (second) edition. I don't know whether the errors mentioned below were corrected in the second edition. Thus, please only take this review to apply to the first edition. ~Groovy Vegan

This book is study guide for ACSM's Health/Fitness Instructor (HFI) certification exam, considered the "gold standard" certification for personal trainers. I'm quite familiar with this book, because I used it as a study aid in my HFI exam study group. The bulk of this guide is practice multiple choice questions, organized in categories found on the exam: functional anatomy, exercise physiology, emergency procedures/safety, etc. The authors developed these questions from the same references ACSM used to construct the exam. For each multiple choice question, Isaacs and Pohlman provide the "correct answer" and the reference + page number from which they developed the question.

Unfortunately, this book is a poor execution of a good idea. Although it has some positive qualities, such as an explanation of how the ACSM exam works, the reasons not to buy outweigh the reasons to buy.

Reasons not to buy in order of importance:

(1) The book is full of errors. Two dedicated HFI students checked EVERY reference of every question. Many of the questions in this book give the wrong answer and in other cases, all the answers are correct or the authors' choice is highly debatable. About 20 to 25% of my book is marked up with corrections. The error rate is too high to be acceptable.

(2) Some of the material is out of date. In 1998 when this book was published, ACSM's primary exam reference was "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 5th edition," 1995. ACSM now uses the 6th edition, year 2000, and has revised the exam accordingly.

(3) This is an independent book, not produced by ACSM, as the authors state on the copyright page. That is not necessarily a bad thing, given that Human Kinetics generally produces quality material. But all things being equal, I would prefer a study guide prepared by the certification agency that constructed the exam.

Please note that the book is a study guide for the written portion of the exam only. They give an overview of the practical portion and tell where to find the study information, such as the correct bike test protocols. But this book does not provide the detailed information necessary to pass the bike test nor the other practical stations.

Due to the 3 reasons above, I recommend that you don't buy this book. The HFI exam is too important and expensive to take your chances studying from so much incorrect information.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great supplement, July 16, 2008

By 

J. Nielsen (Eureka, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Preparing For the ACSM Hlth/Ftnss Instrctr Certification Exam-2nd (Paperback)

Just don't expect the same questions on the test. I found that some areas that were emphasized in this book (and ACSM's own book) were not as emphasized in the test and some other areas would have been more helpful. But I loved being able to self test with TONS of questions.