I’ve been promising you guys a recap post about my Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) group exercise certification ever since I attended the workshop and took the test back in May. When the test is over, you have to wait four to six weeks to see if you passed, and earlier this week, I got the good news!
I feel like my experience with the AFAA group exercise certification was a lot less intense than my NASM personal training certification. When I started to flip through the group exercise text book, I realized that I already knew a lot of the information from previously studying for my NASM CPT. I didn’t give myself much time to prepare (two weeks?), but I felt like this was adequate since I already had a good knowledge base. If the information is completely new to you, I think you could finish reading the book and feel prepared to take the test within a month.
Passing the written exam is only part of the AFAA group exercise certification process. I figured I would break the whole certification experience down for you guys since I know a bunch of you out there are hoping to obtain your certification in the future. Please let me know if you have any additional questions!
Written Exam
The written exam includes 100 multiple choice questions. I filled out the study guide ahead of time and felt prepared going into the exam. (Tip: Check out Quizlet online flashcards for help when you’re filling out the study guide.)
You are allotted one hour to complete the exam and I finished in about 35 minutes. To pass the written exam, you must get 80 percent of the questions correct. We took the written exam at the very end of the day once the practical exam was complete.
Practical Exam
I was initially rather nervous for the practical portion of the exam, but I can tell you right now that you really don’t need to be nervous! The instructor who taught our workshop walked us through everything and did a great job alleviating any nerves I felt going into the day.
The practical exam is broken up into three different segments, detailed below:
I. Group Cardio: We completed this portion as a group. Everyone is given a number to wear and must demonstrate a three-minute warm-up, five-minute higher-intensity portion and a one-minute cool down. Our instructor and another woman who came in to judge us watched everyone as a group as we went through the various portions of a cardio workout. We went over this segment as a class before we were tested on it, which made everyone feel more comfortable.
II. Group Strength/Flexibility: Once again, this portion is done as a group. Everyone was required to demonstrate two strength exercises and one flexibility exercise for 10 different muscle groups. Our instructor called out a muscle and then everyone performed an exercise that targeted that muscle until the instructor said to move on. We were tested on the following muscle groups:
- Pectorals
- Trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi
- Deltoids
- Biceps, triceps
- Hip adductors, hip abductors
- Gluteus maximus
- Quadriceps, tibialis anterior
- Hamstrings, gastrocnemius, soleus
- Rectus abdominis, obliques
- Erector spinae
As I typed all of that out, it sounds a lot more difficult than it was in person! When I say that you need to demonstrate two strength exercises and one flexibility exercise per muscle group, you can do the same strength exercises for multiple muscle groups if you wish (assuming it targets multiple muscle groups) to help keep things simple. For example, you can do squats for the glutes, quads and hamstrings.You are not given any weights to use to demonstrate any of the exercise and simply perform them without any equipment.
III. Individual Presentation: This is the only portion of the practical exam that you demonstrate on your own and it was the part of the exam that I was the most nervous to complete on the day of the workshop. You are expected to properly to demonstrate three levels of a strength or flexibility exercise. (Our instructor also said you can demonstrate a cardio exercise for this portion, but she encouraged us to stick to strength or flexibility, which we all did.) It was the very last part of the practical exam and our instructor gave us plenty of time to practice on our own before it was time to perform in front of the group.
The demonstration should last one to two minutes. During this time, you’re expected to lead the group through three levels of a strength or flexibility exercise, progressing from beginner to intermediate to advanced. I chose crunches and simply demonstrated a basic crunch, a crunch with my knees bent and my feet in the air and a crunch with my legs lifted straight up (bend in the knee removed). Squats and lunges were the two most popular exercises that participants in our class chose to demonstrate.
Our instructor told us to be sure to:
- Speak loudly and clearly
- Introduce yourself and make eye contact
- Explain the exercise you are demonstrating and the muscles it is working
- Give proper alignment cues
- Note when the exercise progress to a more advanced level
Additional Questions
- How much does it cost? $299, though you can get certified for only $99 two times a year during the APEX event.
- Do you have to attend the workshop? You must pass the practical portion of the exam to get certified, though you can now do this online.
- What should I wear? Workout clothes that make you feel comfortable and gym shoes.
- Why did you choose AFAA? It is a reputable certification and was highly recommended to me by the group exercise instructors at my gym.
- Should I pack a lunch? I did, but our instructor gave us an hour break for lunch, so some people went out to eat. I’m not sure how this works for all workshops, so I packed a lunch to be safe. I would also pack snacks! It’s a long day and I was happy I packed snacks to eat during short breaks.
For more information, check out AFAA group exercise certification recaps on the following blogs:
- The Chic Life
- Confessions of a Former Couch Potato
- Nutrition Nut on the Run
- Jackie’s Health and Fitness Page <— Very detailed!
I hope this post was helpful to those of you who are considering getting your group exercise certification through AFAA!
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This is all super helpful! Thank so much Julie!
Interesting read. Congrats on passing :)!
This is SO helpful!! I’ve been considering signing up for this and this post may have pushed me over the edge! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I’ve always wondered what goes into these certifications. Maybe one day!
Back in January I got my Personal Trainer Cert. from NASM. Now I am looking into how I want to do my 2.0 credits of continued ed to continue my certification (with in 2yrs from Jan). Anyhow, I was wondering how many credits your group exercise certification is and does it count towards the 2 credits required for continued Ed thru NASM?
Thank you for this! I would like to complete this program some time. Your information was helpful! Congratulations by the way!
That is really thourough! Thanks Julie!
Thanks for the recap, Julie. Very insightful! I’ve definitely dabbled with the idea of becoming a group fitness instructor, so it’s great to understand what it entails to get there.
This info is going to be so helpful in the future. Thinking about doing this part time once we start having kids. Thanks for the great post!
Wow that’s such good value! Well worth while and great run through!
Congrats Julie!
This was great! Thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing! The practical portion would definitely be the most nerve-wracking for me, it’s nice that they let you do a lot of it as a group. Congrats on passing!
I did the same thing and you’re right – it was a LONG day. Definitely glad it’s over with!
Congrats! I got group instructor certified last year, although I don’t teach yet. I am currently working on my NASM cert. through their eTeach program which is awesome! (That chart on 183 is giving me a hard time!)I think I like personal training better than the group exercise instructor. Which do you prefer?
Thanks for all the info.! And congrats on passing!!!
Congratulations 🙂
CONGRATS! Adding more certs is always a bonus–I need to look into this further!
Wow I had no idea it was such an intense process! Congrats on sticking with it and passing!
Congrats on passing! Teaching group fitness is the BEST!! 🙂
Thanks so much for posting about this!! And congrats again on passing 🙂
I’m sure a lot of your readers appreciate this post, because I definitely did. I’m not even thinking about pursuing it as of now, but I know that last year I was seriously considering getting some kind of certification for group exercise. I was in need of tips and guidance and here you are breaking it down so nicely! 😀
What a great blog!!! I am looking forward to reading more posts. I just got my blog started! I grew up in Lake Zurich IL!!!
congratulations, julie! i would love to attend one of your classes – too bad i am in canada! a great read as i am looking into getting certified for PT and group training, although the process is a bit different in british columbia. nevertheless, i’m sure there are some similarities!
Thanks for the shout out! Congrats on passing! 🙂
Congratulations!
thanks for sharing this!! congrats!!
Congratulations on passing! This was a really interesting post to read. I’ve been toying with the idea of one day getting certified, so this was very helpful!!
Aren’t you glad it’s over? 😉 Glad my post was helpful to you! It’s time for me to renew now… Ugh!
You’re so amazing! Congrats JB – you work so hard!!
Thanks so much for the tips! I’m taking the training this Saturday so posts like yours are so helpful. (I’ve been reading for about a year). I’m also a fitness instructor (Zumba and dance cardio), so I love hearing about your new job and different classes! – Karianne at writedreamsweat.com
Lifesaver post! I am registered to take the exam in 2.5 weeks and no one could tell me what to expect. Thanks so much!
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Thanks so much! That was very informative!
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This is very helpful! Thank you for posting this! I am not currently a group fitness instructor but am interested in becoming a spin instructor. Would you recommend I take the AFAA Group Exercise Certification before I start teaching? I noticed all of the bloggers that mentioned taking this certification were already teaching other classes. I know AFAA offers an indoor cycling class, so I’m wondering if I should take that and start teaching before I get my group exercise cert. Any advice? Thanks!
Did you buy the deluxe study package or just use the study guide and help from the internet?
Thanks,
K
This made me feel so much better, thanks for taking the time to share!!
Thank you for giving me a head’s up. I’ve been working on this on and off for over a year, and Aug. 16th, I’m scheduled to go in to take my class and exam. I too am nervous, but you have helped me alot. Did you have to memorize all of those flash cards or just be familiar enough to answer multiple choice questions?
Thanks a ton!
D Sarah
Hello there! I’m studying for my AFAA Group Exercise Cert as we speak and I wanted to know – did you actually read all the pages suggested by the Study Guide? Or did you more so fill out the questions and study from that? Reading is what’s taking the longest time for me so i’m just wondering if filling out and studying the guide questions could work also? Thanks for taking the time to read this and for writing this helpful post!
– Porschea
Thanks for this post, it was very informative and will certainly help me on my journey! 🙂 I shared this out on twitter! Take care!
Hello. Just found your blog after searching AFAA reviews. You mentioned about their Group EX being less intense than your PT. My experience is that any Group EX will be less intense.
I’ve held about 5 Group EX certs and one PT. The PT would naturally be because generally, one is dealing with a client one on one and you have to know more about the muscle groups, more anatomy, etc. whereas (in terms of Group Ex classes), most members (esp with aerobics) only care about your moves, choreography and good music. 🙂