Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
Answers
What is the difference between CPTN and other organizations?
The CPTN is a Member driven organization and our main focus is to service our members. As a result we strive to provide the best certifications, workshops, examinations and resources that will provide our members with the tools required form them to be successful in the fitness and lifestyle industry.
Our personal trainer certification is considered one of the best in Canada due to our high standards. We require that CPTN Certified Personal Trainers (CPTN-CPT) achieve a passing grade of 75% for application of knowledge in both theory and practical components.
Trainers are encouraged to maintain their certification status through Conferences, Workshops and Distance Education (Online/In-Home) courses to keep leaps and bounds ahead in their field. To remain listed as a personal trainer referral on our site trainers must maintain their certification status.
Do I have to be a CPTN Certified Personal Trainer to be a CPTN member?
No. The CPTN welcomes members from other agencies as well as non-certified individuals and organizations to join its membership base. You are required to be a CPTN-CPT to be listed on our personal trainer search page. Please read the Membership Benefits page to learn more about the benefits of becoming a Certified Personal Trainer.
What benefits does CPTN membership provide?
You can learn more about our Membership Benefits and partner offers before making a decision to register. You can register online on the Membership page.
Can I register over-the-phone instead of online?
Yes. CPTN can process registrations or orders over-the-phone if that method is preferred. We are doing e-commerce through TD Canada Trust and Beanstream for secure online transactions.
We will continue to provide print and mail-in forms where applicable to offer offline registration support but the online method is recommended since no registrations or orders with credit card numbers are written on paper. Registration or Order information mailed-in using the paper forms are shredded after processing.
Does CPTN share members personal information with other companies?
No. Your personal information will never be imparted to another organization. The CPTN will however allow other companies to send promotional or continuing education information to its members through the use of a bonded mailing list. This means that companies will never have hands on access to personal contact information or e-mail address.
What happens after I have completed membership registration?
Your registration will be processed and that includes e-mail of login details for the Members Portal and creating the Membership Card.
You will begin to receive our e-newsletters which is distributed during the first week of each month. You will also receive the current CPTN Report and gain access to back issues of each Report, E-News and Client Handouts that are available in the Members Portal. There are Job Listings, Facilities Listings and other career opportunities located on the Members Portal.
Your Membership Card will be in the mail about 3 business weeks after the date of registration.
Do I need to renew my membership status?
Yes. Membership Renewal is required for members that are not certified and if their status is about to expire. You can renew membership online using the Membership Online Renewal form or print and mail-in the renewal forms on the Membership page. For CPTN-CPT trainers renewing their certification status, membership renewal fees are included, so there is no need to renew membership prior to Certification Renewal.
Where can I find the membership and certification renewal date?
Your membership expiration and certification renewal date is listed on the CPTN Membership card. Certified members have the same membership and certification renewal dates. If you cannot locate your membership card, the Renewal Dates are also available online on the Members Portal page.
What is the difference between membership status and certified trainer status?
The CPTN Membership status applies to our web site. You do not have to be a Certified Personal Trainer to become a Member. To maintain membership status, use the Membership Online Renewal form. Your status as a CPTN Certified Professional Trainer requires you to maintain a total of 7 CEC per year (14 every two years) once certification status has been achieved.
Do I have to take the Art & Science of Personal Training workshop?
No. The Art and Science of Personal Training Workshop was designed to prepare new Personal Trainers to write our examination. This course includes The Art and Science of Personal Training (Second Edition) manual but it can also be purchased on our Resources page. Although we recommend taking the course, trainers with sufficient knowledge and confidence can order The Art and Science of Personal Training (Second Edition) manual from our Resources page to review and register online for an Examination.
What happens if I fail the CPTN-CPT Theory Exam?
If you fail the CPTN-CPT Theory Exam, then we invite you to make a second attempt 24 hours after your first attempt or at a later date. Do not attempt the examination rewrite immediately after failing it the first time, although we admire your motivation to gain certification status, you might fail again. Failing is common with our examinations as we have high expectations from our trainers. You are not the first to fail, it is difficult so do not feel discouraged if you did not pass it the first time.
We recommend reviewing the areas that you did not score well in now that you have seen the questions you will find it a lot easier. The examination questions are presented in random order from what was presented first so do not memorize the order of the answers, know the material instead. Only then should you register for the CPTN-CPT Theory Exam Rewrite on the Examinations page.
What happens if I fail the CPTN-CPT Practical Assessment?
If you fail the Practical Assessment exam we invite you to make a second attempt approximately 4-6 weeks after your previous attempt. You should review the techniques for the Practical Examination component. Only then should you register for the Practical Examination Re-Assessment on the Examinations page.
What is Continuing Education? What are CECS?
Continuing education courses, programs or organized learning experiences are taken after a degree is obtained to enhance personal or professional goals. You are rewarded with a certain amount of Continuing Education Credits (CECs) after completing the courses.
Can I petition related Continuing Education courses to obtain CPTN CECs?
Yes. You can petition the course for CPTN CECs using the CPTN Petition form on the Members Portal page. We recommend reviewing the Petition form prior to taking a course so that the required information can be obtained in order to submit a completed Petition form.
How do I obtain status to be a CPTN CEC provider for a course I offer?
To gain CPTN CEC Provider status for that course you must complete the CEC Provider Application form on the Members Portal page.
Does the CPTN offer career opportunities for its professional trainers?
Yes. The CPTN offers several career opportunities for our trainers on the Members Portal page.
What do I need to do in order to present at a CPTN Conference?
You need to complete the Conference Presenter Application form found on the Members Portal page and mail-in with all the required documents and items to the CPTN mailing address found on the Contacts page.
What should I do if I am unable to register online and complete the transaction process?
There are several reasons that would cause a user to fail the transaction process:
- Your web browser has JavaScript disabled through applications such as Anti-Virus/Firewall/Ad-Blocking Software.
- You have not completed the information on our forms according to the validation rules.
- You are using a form autofill/autocomplete tool and the information populated in the field is invalid.
- The total amount on the transaction page is $0.00, all invalid order amounts will be terminated.
- You have ordered/registered for the same item more than once within 24 hour period, this is considered double billing and the later purchase is rejected.
- Your Full Name and Billing Address does not match the information on the Credit Card.
- The Credit Card information is incorrect, please check that the Card Owner and Credit Card Number fields contain the correct ifnormation and not the reverse.
Will I able to find a job as a CPTN Certified Personal Trainer in a fitness studio?
Yes. CPTN certification is recognized in North America and now World Wide through IDEA Fitness. We provide Job Listings of available positions to our members that is updated on a regular basis. One of the great things about being a Certified Personal Trainer is that it's possible to start a private business outside of facilities; offering to train clients at their workplace, in their homes, in a private studio or in a suitable location for such a purpose.
Does CPTN provide trainers with help in finding job placements?
Yes. The CPTN receives frequent job postings from club owners and fitness studio managers. Job Listings are posted in the Members Portal page. We provide starter resume templates for new and existing members to respond to job postings. We have incorporated a quick search feature for our trainer search that simplifies how clients find trainers. This is a tremendous boost for our personal trainers and it also helps to promote trainer businesses for those trainers with web sites. We have also developed a trainer consultation form which replaces the e-mail method of contact to allow clients to schedule a consultation with a trainer when viewing their profiles thus bringing the jobs to the trainers.
Are there facilities that allow trainers to rent space to train their clients?
Yes. There are several facilities that are renting out their rooms or providing space to train clients. For a list of available facilities, please view the Training Facilities Listing page.
What do I need to do to be included in the personal trainer listings?
In order to be listed on the Personal Trainer Search page in a search from potential clients or sporting agencies, trainer profiles must be updated. To update trainer profiles, please view the Profile Update Form.