CSCS Practical Applied Section Practice Test

Edited by: Danielle Abel

It's no secret that the practical applied section of the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam is often the more difficult of the two sections for people. 

For some, the exercise science and nutrition section may be more difficult, but we hear from more people that they have to retake the second half of the exam if they don't pass the first time, much more often. 

The practical applied section of the exam technically covers:

• Exercise Technique
• Program Design
• Organization & Administration
• Test Evaluation

However, you may need to know concepts from the other portion of the exam well enough to apply them to the second portion of the exam. These topics include exercise science, sports psychology, & nutrition. 

Why is the Practical Applied Section So Hard? 

The practical applied section of the exam combines several concepts from the book. It requires you to not only understand the material but also apply it in realistic and tangible ways. It essentially serves as the "hands-on" portion of the exam. 

Since the CSCS doesn't include an in-person requirement, the second portion of the test is set up to test knowledge using real-life scenarios, including images and videos. It's not enough to just know what the book says cover to cover; you need to know it well enough to integrate the knowledge you learn by applying it to situations involving athletes. 

CSCS Exam Practical Application Practice Questions

The following series of questions are similar to what you might expect to see on the CSCS exam. For the most learning, scroll through the questions below, write down your answers, and then go read the answers at the bottom. If you get any of them wrong, it's fine! Treat the ones you get wrong as learning opportunities.

Go back and re-read the chapter, take notes, try to explain the key concepts out loud (if you can confidently talk about the concepts you usually know them pretty well), or go back & watch the chapter video again from our CSCS Study Prep Course. 

1. Which of the following is typically a short phase of training (less than 2 weeks) that involves loads varying from very low ~50%1RM to very high >93% 1RM.
   1. Post Season
   2. Peaking
   3. Maintenance
2. You oversee a Men’s college volleyball team. The red shirt freshmen are performing a separate resistance training program with the assistant coach. You are programming plyometric training for the preseason phase of training for the starters. Their previous block of training included: Power skips, Lateral push offs, and lateral barrier hop. What is the most appropriate height to start depth jumps when programming their next new block of training for the late preseason?
   1. 12 inches
   2. 18 inches
   3. 24 inches
3. What is the minimum training facility ceiling height that is considered safe for overhead exercises?
   1. 8 feet
   2. 10 feet
   3. 12 feet
4. At 7AM two teams with a total of 112 college athletes are scheduled to be training in your weight room. What is the minimum number of supervising coaches to ensure safe training?
   1. 4 coaches
   2. 6 coaches
   3. 8 coaches
5. Which of the following is the most appropriate protocol to assign interval training to a midfield soccer athlete?
   1. 4-minute work: 4 minute rest at VO2 max
   2. 20 second work: 4 minute rest at 90% VO2 max
   3. 3 minute work: 6 minute rest at 70% VO2 max
6. Which of the following refers to the transition phase of the stretch shortening cycle between lengthening and shortening?
   1. Isometric
   2. Isotonic
   3. Amortization
7. When designing a resistance training program, intensity, frequency, and duration should be progressed by no more than _______% per week.
   1. 5%
   2. 10%
   3. 15%
8. Cycling at 15 MPH or running around 6.5MPH is roughly equivalent to what MET value?
   1. 4 METS
   2. 7 METS
   3. 10 METS

CSCS Exam Practical Application Practice Question Answers

1. Which of the following is typically a short phase of training (less than 2 weeks) that involves loads varying from very low ~50%1RM to very high >93% 1RM.
   1. Post Season
   2. Peaking
   3. Maintenance
      1. Answer: Peaking phase. This information is from page 590-591. The peaking phase is characterized by a very short time period of less than 2 weeks as well as highly variable training loads. Maintenance periods of in season training typically last longer and involve higher loads (85-93% 1RM).
2. You oversee a Men’s college volleyball team. The red shirt freshmen are performing a separate resistance training program with the assistant coach. You are programming plyometric training for the preseason phase of training for the starters. Their previous block of training included: Power skips, Lateral push offs, and lateral barrier hop. What is the most appropriate height to start depth jumps when programming their next new block of training for the late preseason?
   1. 12 inches
   2. 18 inches
   3. 24 inches
      1. Answer: 12 inches. This is from page 507. When starting depth jumps for the first time, it is recommended to start with 12 inches. This will likely be progressed quickly, since these are fairly advanced athletes, but the most appropriate starting point is 12 inches to ensure proper technique.
3. What is the minimum training facility ceiling height that is considered safe for overhead exercises?
   1. 8 feet
   2. 10 feet
   3. 12 feet
      1. Answer: 12 feet. This is from page 627. A ceiling height of 12-14 feet is recommended to comfortably allow overhead lifts and jumping exercises.
4. At 7AM two teams with a total of 112 college athletes are scheduled to be training in your weight room. What is the minimum number of supervising coaches to ensure safe training?
   1. 4 coaches
   2. 6 coaches
   3. 8 coaches
      1. Answer: 6 coaches. This is from page 652. College athletes require 1 supervisor per 20 athletes. For high school it is 1:15 for junior high it is 1:10. So for this question, 5 coaches could supervise up to 100 athletes and 6 coaches up to 120 athletes. Coaches or “qualified staff” can supervise.
5. Which of the following is the most appropriate protocol to assign interval training to a midfield soccer athlete?
   1. 4-minute work: 4 minute rest at VO2 max
   2. 20 second work: 4 minute rest at 90% VO2 max
   3. 3 minute work: 6 minute rest at 70% VO2 max
      1. Answer: A 4 minute work: 4 minute rest at VO2 max. This information comes from page 567. Interval training should be performed with work intervals between 3-5 minutes and a 1:1 work to rest ratio. The appropriate intensity is close to VO2 max. Remember, VO2 max is the maximal oxidative workload but you could exceed VO2 max for HIIT. The other two protocols were not very good aerobic program design, as short 20 second intervals should be greater than VO2 max. And 3 minute efforts with a 1:2 work to rest ratio would not fit any of the aerobic training types listed in the book.
6. Which of the following refers to the transition phase of the stretch shortening cycle between lengthening and shortening?
   1. Isometric
   2. Isotonic
   3. Amortization
      1. Answer: Amortization phase. This information is on page 474. The stretch shortening cycle begins with an eccentric lengthening phase then there is a brief amortization phase before the concentric shortening phase.
7. When designing a resistance training program, intensity, frequency, and duration should be progressed by no more than _______% per week.
   1. 5%
   2. 10%
   3. 15%
      1. Answer: 10% This answer comes from page 566. Program design needs to be progressive to be safe and effective. Increases in intensity, frequency, or duration should not exceed 10% per week. At higher levels of fitness, frequency and duration will no longer be possible to progress so intensity should be manipulated.
8. Cycling at 15 MPH or running around 6.5MPH is roughly equivalent to what MET value?
   1. 4 METS
   2. 7 METS
   3. 10 METS
      1. Answer: 10 METS. This is from page 566. This would require roughly 10x resting oxygen consumption.

Want to learn more? 

Check out our CSCS Strength and Conditioning Study Course and CSCS 150 Question Practice Test by clicking on the links below:

• Click here for the CSCS Strength and Conditioning Study Course
• Click here for the CSCS 150 Question Practice Test