National Academy of Sports Medicine Avis 91

PLEASE go anywhere but here.

Arrived thirty minutes early to my scheduled online exam. Did all the practice program software update stuff the day before to make sure I was good to go. Two hours later and multiple conversations with tech support via phone and live chat, finally got it all resolved... only to find that they marked me 'absent'. WHAT?? I've literally been in communication with you the WHOLE TIME. Then they say that I need to contact them back after 24 hours and contest the 'absence' to try to get it excused so I can qualify for a retake without having to pay.

Absolute joke.

I strongly advise against choosing NASM for anyone looking to become a certified personal trainer. The course content is basic at best, and the company’s policies feel exploitative.

When I attempted to take my first exam, I was denied entry because I didn’t have my CPR certificate on hand—a mistake on my part. However, despite the promise of three exam attempts, you’re not truly entitled to them. Instead, you must pay for retakes: $50 for the first retake and $199 for the next.

To make matters worse, they lack an online payment system for these retakes. You’re forced to call them, and in my case, this international call cost me an extra €20 per attempt. I’m currently on hold again, trying to pay for another retake, which should have been included, but due to their misleading terms, I’m being charged more on top of my initial fees.

Save yourself the frustration and avoid enrolling with NASM. All the necessary information is available online for free, and you’d be better off taking an in-person course locally.

this company is beyond scam

Even the certifications that they produce is fake !!!

Please do not attend any of their workshops and do not take any of thier exams

Absolutely the worst website to do your CEUs on. It has been clunky for over 10 years and they put zero money into improving it. This used to be the premier certification, now it is more a money grab.

I re-certified with NASM the day before my Certified Personal Trainer certification expired. I submitted all the necessary CECs and paid the fee. I thought everything was squared away. NASM starts emailing me and calling me stating that my certification had expired and that they would still let me renew if I paid a late fee. I responded to them and said it hadn't expired but they were just trying to get me to pay more money. One month later and it's still showing expired. One person said I was being "audited," and another said it was a technical error and that IT would fix it. I called again and submitted my bank statement showing I had made the payment for my renewal and customer service said it didn't go through even though they accepted it and sent me a confirmation email stating that they had received my payment. This is pretty upsetting because this affects my ability to work and my income.

I purchased a trainer bundle package that came with a total of eight courses. I’ve been paying $80 a month financing these courses which in total I would have paid over $2000. At the time I purchased the trainer package I was already a master trainer at a health club in my hometown and I ended up having to have a neck surgery, a double fusion discectomy. The recover was a nightmare and I am still not recovered all in. All I have in the last six months have been put on a number of medication‘s totaling 14 due to the plates in my neck. I am unable to sit at a computer for too long as some of the medication’s are on Causes me dizziness and seizures. Recently went back to the surgeon and after an MRI have a multitude of damage in my lower back so my ability to complete all this coursework has to be put on a back burner. NAM wants me to purchase a number of the exams because I have not finished the extensive coursework that are in these courses… i’ve been very overwhelmed with trying to complete these courses. The material is very drawn out boring and I’ve come to find that a lot of the questions on the practice exams. The answers that will be correct happened to be things that are not in the criteria. It’s quite frustrating. Anyway I’ve written to the Better Business Bureau, and also just want to warn other people who might have circumstances arise in life that they’re not able to complete a course that’s going to more than likely cost you more money because you’ll have to pay for an extension of an exam . Due to the circumstances in my experience with this NASM, I do not recommend unless someone who is absolutely brilliant at like schoolwork and good at taking tests and don’t have work or any other obligations in life… I will say that I have had experience with customer service and have dealt with some very friendly and helpful people. However, right now I’m going through many hurdles with receiving all my medical information and gathering it all up to get it together and in on time to appeal and ask for this extension on these courses.

Worst place to get your CPT most of what they teach is just wrong.

If I could give them zero stars I would. I live in North Carolina which went through a literal disaster (hurricane helene) so I tried to appeal to stop the service as I was unable to work for a bit. I was under financial distress and even qualified for food stamps because of my financial situation. Not only did Nasm not give a shit, they took longer than the 15 business days to make a decision in which they told me basically what boils down to “frick you we’re money hungry”.

I opted for NASM elite package and passed my CPT in 6-7 months where there are 4 courses bundle. This includes Gym internship as well as job guarantee. When someone is an investor they just see the brighter side of it and ignores the grey part. Same things happned with me. I had to take numerous follow-ups and phone calls for an internship program and placement. My calls were ignored and sometimes are not responded at all. This gives a mental setback a feeling of regret that why should a person invest triple or 4-5 times more money on buying a package. Really frustrating.

NASM sucks, especially the CPT course!! Do not waste your time and money on getting NASM's PT cert. Most of the questions that were on my exam, as expected, were not similar. Even the very concept of questions, were different. The study prep material they give you (i.e., practice exams, study guides, etc.) is completely opposite of the topics the questions on the exam test you on. I failed the proctored exam by 6 pts (my score: 64 passing score: 70). It took me months to complete the course since I am in IT working full time at the same time. However, I took great notes, reread those notes, took practice exams, studied the questions I got wrong on the practice exams, and still failed. I had clients prior to not being certified, retain clients, and obtain new clients all WITHOUT A CERT. NASM is a waste of time. The only certification you NEED, which is a permanent cert, is your PHYSIQUE. After all, what client wants to hire a PT who doesn't even live it due to no FIT PHYSIQUE to show for it. A NASM CPT cert is just a piece of paper that costs lots of money to get. It will not help you get clients and no individual looking to become a client will work with a someone using complex terms that the potential client will not understand. Save yourself the time, money, and energy by continuously learning new business skills free of charge on YouTube as well as from books on Audible. Always remember: Clients want RESULTS not CERTS!!

Initial Sign-Up Issues

I signed up for a course with NASM, but my account manager mistakenly charged me the full amount instead of the agreed-upon monthly installments. Despite reminding her of my preference for installments, the error persisted.

Refund Delays

After correcting the payment method and signing the contract for installments, I was informed that a refund for the initial charge would take two days. However, after ten days without receiving my refund, I reached out via email and direct messages but received no response. This lack of communication forced me to contact my bank for assistance.

Account Suspension

To my dismay, while my bank was in contact with NASM regarding the refund, they suspended my account—even though all payments were up to date. This action left me unable to log in and access my course materials, effectively locking me out of a service I had already paid for.

Customer Service Response

When I finally managed to get in touch with customer service, they defended NASM's actions and asked me to retract my inquiry with the bank. The bank is currently awaiting a response from NASM and cannot take further action at this point. It’s frustrating to be in a situation where I’ve technically paid twice but still cannot access my account.

This experience has been incredibly frustrating and has raised serious concerns about NASM's customer service and billing practices. I would advise potential customers to be cautious when dealing with NASM and ensure they fully understand their payment options before committing. The lack of transparency and support has left me feeling undervalued as a customer. Feel free to modify any part of it to better reflect your voice or add any additional details!

Poorly designed courses. A lot of unnecessary medical terms that make it more complicated than it needs to be. Horrible customer service through calls only and they have zero answers to your questions. There is no course syllabus. You go into a course blindly not knowing how many chapters there are, or how long it will take to complete. No way to create a schedule or timeline for completion. And when you ask them, they apparently don’t know either! Some of them will show the number of chapters once you enter the course, some do not. Overall very poorly designed and no guidance at all. I was told the bundle I chose would include fitness experts to help me…a few weeks in and I have no idea who these fitness experts might be or how to contact them. They’re very reachable until you pay! Once you pay, you’re on your own.

No feedback, no emails answered, pay and get nothing

I tried to cancel a handful of the courses 2-3 weeks after I signed up via email and the rep told me to call customer service. I tried calling customer service multiple times a day for about 2 weeks and one answered my phone! By the time I actually spoke with someone, it was “past the return policy” so now I’m stuck with the bill, haven’t even used the courses, and they’re threatening to put it into collections because I refuse to pay for what I have not used and attempted to return.

DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY!!

Their courses are good but the company is disorganized, and unable to smoothly process payments. I've been trying for the past 3 hours to pay them. Beware!

Good luck getting in contact with anybody. The only time they are easy to talk to is when you are late in a payment

I had the worst experience with a rep named Samantha Vallo. She was rude and stated she was having a bad day. So what!! I felt embarrassed and just wanted to get off thof phone by the end of the call. She made me feel so dumb. I will be going through a different company for a Pt cert

Customer service needs seriois change. If you need to call about anything other than processing a late payment you'll wait hours and then it just hangs up on you. Not to mention they will call you FIRST thing in the morning if you missed a payment. Need to cancel or modify your plan? Good luck. The certification its self is the best you can have in the USA, just make sure at the time of purchase you have no questions because nobody will help you

They were unwilling to help extend the tests they offer. The deadlines were strict and no room for flexibility, specially with family emergencies. All they care about is getting paid.

Worst for aspiring PTs/fitness instructors.

Contacted with an inquiry in October 2023 and 4 months later, still no response. Joke of a company.

Pursued a NASM qualification through its UK company, Premier Global UK, signed up for a 'good' deal of £2k+ course to qualify for PT, literally a month later get an email the company is going bankrupt and we only have a short while to complete all our assignments and exams.

I don't understand the allegedly good reputation. It is like a beautifully wrapped gift, its packaging alluring and promising. But upon unwrapping it, the true contents were revealed - spoiled, rotten, and deceitful. The exterior had been nothing but a facade, carefully crafted to hide the corruption within.