NASM NUTRITION CERTIFICATION ACTUAL
EXAM PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◉ Scientific Method. Answer: The process of formulating
explanations about the natural world and testing those explanations
with experiments and data.
1. Identify a Problem
2. Formulate a hypothesis
3. Design a study to test the hypothesis
4. Collect data
5. Discard or change the hypothesis OR continue testing
◉ Evidence-Based Practice. Answer: A three-pronged approach to
working with clients, which consists of making decisions based on
the weight of the scientific evidence, field observations, and
individual client needs and preferences.
◉ Prediction. Answer: An expected outcome generated from a
hypothesis
,◉ Theory. Answer: A hypothesis or set of hypotheses for which a
large body of high-quality evidence has been accumulated.
◉ Hierarchy of Evidence. Answer: 1. Systematic Reviews
2. Randomized Controlled Trials
3. Observational Research
4. Peer Reviews
5. Non-Peer-Reviewed Media, including anecdotes
◉ Anecdote. Answer: an account of a person's experience or event
◉ Uncontrolled Variable. Answer: A variable in an experiment that a
scientist makes no effort to manipulate or account for.
◉ Primary Research. Answer: Original research where scientists
perform experiments and collect data - this is in contrast to
secondary research where scientists analyze data that has already
been collected or published elsewhere.
◉ Observational Research. Answer: Research in which a researcher
observes ongoing behaviors to determine correlation.
◉ Correlation. Answer: A relationship between two or more
variables.
,◉ Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Answer: A type of scientific
study/trial where participants are randomly assigned into different
groups - one or more will be the intervention to be tested and one
will be the control group. Groups are randomized and a control is
used in an attempt to reduce potential bias in the trial.
◉ Independent Variable. Answer: The variable scientists manipulate
in an experiment.
◉ External Validity. Answer: The ability to generalize the results of a
study.
◉ Systematic Review. Answer: A review where scientists
systematically gather all research on a topic and evaluate it based on
predefined criteria and rules.
◉ Meta-Analysis. Answer: A statistical analysis of a group of studies
to assess the overall weight of the evidence.
◉ Empirical. Answer: Based on observation or experience.
◉ Test-Retest Reliability. Answer: The ability to get similar results
when something is measured under the same conditions.
, ◉ Reliability. Answer: The consistency of a measure.
◉ Validity. Answer: The assessment of whether a tool is measuring
what it is supposed to measure.
◉ Selection Bias. Answer: A sample of people under study is not
representative of the larger population that scientists are looking to
make inferences about.
◉ Retrospective. Answer: Describes a study that looks backward in
time.
◉ Recall Bias. Answer: The inability to accurately remember past
behaviors.
◉ Health. Answer: A state of complete physical, mental, and social
well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
◉ Homeostasis. Answer: The tendency toward a relatively stable
equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as
maintained by physiological processes.
EXAM PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◉ Scientific Method. Answer: The process of formulating
explanations about the natural world and testing those explanations
with experiments and data.
1. Identify a Problem
2. Formulate a hypothesis
3. Design a study to test the hypothesis
4. Collect data
5. Discard or change the hypothesis OR continue testing
◉ Evidence-Based Practice. Answer: A three-pronged approach to
working with clients, which consists of making decisions based on
the weight of the scientific evidence, field observations, and
individual client needs and preferences.
◉ Prediction. Answer: An expected outcome generated from a
hypothesis
,◉ Theory. Answer: A hypothesis or set of hypotheses for which a
large body of high-quality evidence has been accumulated.
◉ Hierarchy of Evidence. Answer: 1. Systematic Reviews
2. Randomized Controlled Trials
3. Observational Research
4. Peer Reviews
5. Non-Peer-Reviewed Media, including anecdotes
◉ Anecdote. Answer: an account of a person's experience or event
◉ Uncontrolled Variable. Answer: A variable in an experiment that a
scientist makes no effort to manipulate or account for.
◉ Primary Research. Answer: Original research where scientists
perform experiments and collect data - this is in contrast to
secondary research where scientists analyze data that has already
been collected or published elsewhere.
◉ Observational Research. Answer: Research in which a researcher
observes ongoing behaviors to determine correlation.
◉ Correlation. Answer: A relationship between two or more
variables.
,◉ Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Answer: A type of scientific
study/trial where participants are randomly assigned into different
groups - one or more will be the intervention to be tested and one
will be the control group. Groups are randomized and a control is
used in an attempt to reduce potential bias in the trial.
◉ Independent Variable. Answer: The variable scientists manipulate
in an experiment.
◉ External Validity. Answer: The ability to generalize the results of a
study.
◉ Systematic Review. Answer: A review where scientists
systematically gather all research on a topic and evaluate it based on
predefined criteria and rules.
◉ Meta-Analysis. Answer: A statistical analysis of a group of studies
to assess the overall weight of the evidence.
◉ Empirical. Answer: Based on observation or experience.
◉ Test-Retest Reliability. Answer: The ability to get similar results
when something is measured under the same conditions.
, ◉ Reliability. Answer: The consistency of a measure.
◉ Validity. Answer: The assessment of whether a tool is measuring
what it is supposed to measure.
◉ Selection Bias. Answer: A sample of people under study is not
representative of the larger population that scientists are looking to
make inferences about.
◉ Retrospective. Answer: Describes a study that looks backward in
time.
◉ Recall Bias. Answer: The inability to accurately remember past
behaviors.
◉ Health. Answer: A state of complete physical, mental, and social
well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
◉ Homeostasis. Answer: The tendency toward a relatively stable
equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as
maintained by physiological processes.
