NASM CPT EVALUATION EXAM 2026 QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔flexion - ✔✔bending movement; decreases relative angle between segments.
✔✔Extension - ✔✔straightening movement; increases relative angle between
segments.
✔✔Plantarflexion - ✔✔extension at the ankle.
✔✔Dorsiflexion - ✔✔flexion at the ankle.
✔✔Abduction - ✔✔movement in the frontal plane away from the middle.
✔✔Adduction - ✔✔movement in the frontal plane toward the middle.
✔✔Horizontal abduction - ✔✔ransverse plane arm movement from anterior to lateral
(e.g. chest flies).
✔✔Horizontal adduction - ✔✔ransverse plane arm movement from lateral to anterior.
✔✔Internal rotation - ✔✔rotation toward themiddle of the body.
✔✔External rotation - ✔✔rotation away from the middle of the body.
✔✔Concentric Contraction - ✔✔moving in opposite direction of force, accelerates or
produces force; muscle shortens.
✔✔Eccentric contraction - ✔✔muscle developes tension while lengthening; decelerates
force.
✔✔Isometric contraction - ✔✔muscular force equal to resistive force, stabilizes force; no
change in muscle length.
✔✔Length-tension relationship - ✔✔resting length of a muscle and the tension it can
produce at that length.
✔✔Force-couple - ✔✔muscles working together to produce movement.
✔✔Force-velocity curve - ✔✔as the velocity of a contraction increases, concentric force
decreases and eccentric force increases.
✔✔Neuromuscular efficiency - ✔✔ability to produce and reduce force, and stabilize the
kinetic chain in all three planes of motion.
,✔✔Structural efficiency - ✔✔alignment of the musculoskeletal system that allows center
of gravity to be maintained overabase of support.
✔✔Davis's law - ✔✔soft tissue models along the lines of stress.
✔✔Autogenic inhibition - ✔✔neural impulses that sense tension are greater than the
impulses that cause muscles to contract; provides inhibitory effect to muscle spindles.
✔✔Reciprocal inhibition - ✔✔simultaneous contraction of one muscle, and relaxation of
its antagonistto allow movement.
✔✔Relative flexibility - ✔✔tendency of the body to seek the path of least resistance.
✔✔Pattern overload - ✔✔consistently repeating the same motion; places abnormal
stresses on the body.
✔✔Postural distortion patterns - ✔✔predictable patterns of muscle imbalances.
✔✔Altered reciprocal inhibition - ✔✔muscle inhibition caused by a tight agonist, which
inhibits its functional antagonist.
✔✔Synergistic dominance - ✔✔inappropriate muscle takes over function of a weak or
inhibited prime mover.
✔✔Muscle imbalance - ✔✔alteration of muscle length surrounding a joint.
✔✔Cumulative injury cycle - ✔✔1. tissue trauma
2. inflammation
3. muscle spasm
4. adhesions
5. altered neuromuscular control
6. muscle imbalance
✔✔Stabilization - ✔✔bility to maintain postural equilibrium and support joints during
movement.
✔✔Strength - ✔✔ability of the neuromuscular system to produce internal tension to
overcome an external force.
✔✔Strength endurance - ✔✔ability to repeatedly produce high levels of force for
prolonged periods.
, ✔✔Muscular hypertrophy - ✔✔enlargement of skeletal muscle fibers from resistance
training.
✔✔Maximal strength - ✔✔maximalforce a muscle can produce in a single voluntary
effort.
✔✔Power - ✔✔ability to produce the greatestforce in the shortest time.
✔✔Motor behavior - ✔✔motor response to internal and external stimuli.
✔✔Motor control - ✔✔how the CNS integrates sensory information with previous
experiences.
✔✔Motor learning - ✔✔integration of motor control processes through practice, leading
to a relatively permanent change to produce skilled movement.
✔✔Motor development - ✔✔the change in motor skill behavior over time throughout the
lifespan.
✔✔Sensorimotor integration - ✔✔cooperation of the nervous and muscular systems in
gathering and interpreting information and executing movement.
✔✔Muscle synergies - ✔✔groups of muscles that are recruited by the CNS to provide
movement.
✔✔Proprioception - ✔✔cumulative sensory input from all mechanoreceptors that sense
position and limb movements.
✔✔Feedback - ✔✔use of sensory information and sensorimotor integration to help the
HMS in motor learning.
✔✔Internal feedback - ✔✔sensory information is used by the body to reactively monitor
movement and the environment.
✔✔External feedback - ✔✔information provided by some external source (e.g., fitness
professional, recording, mirror, etc.) to supplement the internal environment.
✔✔Carbohydrates - ✔✔- sugars, starches, celluloses, and fiber; chief source of energy.
- provides nutrition that fat and proteins can't
- keeps glycogen stores full
- helps maintain fluid balance
- spares protein for building muscle
✔✔Monosaccharide - ✔✔a single sugar unit (glucose, fructose, galactose).
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔flexion - ✔✔bending movement; decreases relative angle between segments.
✔✔Extension - ✔✔straightening movement; increases relative angle between
segments.
✔✔Plantarflexion - ✔✔extension at the ankle.
✔✔Dorsiflexion - ✔✔flexion at the ankle.
✔✔Abduction - ✔✔movement in the frontal plane away from the middle.
✔✔Adduction - ✔✔movement in the frontal plane toward the middle.
✔✔Horizontal abduction - ✔✔ransverse plane arm movement from anterior to lateral
(e.g. chest flies).
✔✔Horizontal adduction - ✔✔ransverse plane arm movement from lateral to anterior.
✔✔Internal rotation - ✔✔rotation toward themiddle of the body.
✔✔External rotation - ✔✔rotation away from the middle of the body.
✔✔Concentric Contraction - ✔✔moving in opposite direction of force, accelerates or
produces force; muscle shortens.
✔✔Eccentric contraction - ✔✔muscle developes tension while lengthening; decelerates
force.
✔✔Isometric contraction - ✔✔muscular force equal to resistive force, stabilizes force; no
change in muscle length.
✔✔Length-tension relationship - ✔✔resting length of a muscle and the tension it can
produce at that length.
✔✔Force-couple - ✔✔muscles working together to produce movement.
✔✔Force-velocity curve - ✔✔as the velocity of a contraction increases, concentric force
decreases and eccentric force increases.
✔✔Neuromuscular efficiency - ✔✔ability to produce and reduce force, and stabilize the
kinetic chain in all three planes of motion.
,✔✔Structural efficiency - ✔✔alignment of the musculoskeletal system that allows center
of gravity to be maintained overabase of support.
✔✔Davis's law - ✔✔soft tissue models along the lines of stress.
✔✔Autogenic inhibition - ✔✔neural impulses that sense tension are greater than the
impulses that cause muscles to contract; provides inhibitory effect to muscle spindles.
✔✔Reciprocal inhibition - ✔✔simultaneous contraction of one muscle, and relaxation of
its antagonistto allow movement.
✔✔Relative flexibility - ✔✔tendency of the body to seek the path of least resistance.
✔✔Pattern overload - ✔✔consistently repeating the same motion; places abnormal
stresses on the body.
✔✔Postural distortion patterns - ✔✔predictable patterns of muscle imbalances.
✔✔Altered reciprocal inhibition - ✔✔muscle inhibition caused by a tight agonist, which
inhibits its functional antagonist.
✔✔Synergistic dominance - ✔✔inappropriate muscle takes over function of a weak or
inhibited prime mover.
✔✔Muscle imbalance - ✔✔alteration of muscle length surrounding a joint.
✔✔Cumulative injury cycle - ✔✔1. tissue trauma
2. inflammation
3. muscle spasm
4. adhesions
5. altered neuromuscular control
6. muscle imbalance
✔✔Stabilization - ✔✔bility to maintain postural equilibrium and support joints during
movement.
✔✔Strength - ✔✔ability of the neuromuscular system to produce internal tension to
overcome an external force.
✔✔Strength endurance - ✔✔ability to repeatedly produce high levels of force for
prolonged periods.
, ✔✔Muscular hypertrophy - ✔✔enlargement of skeletal muscle fibers from resistance
training.
✔✔Maximal strength - ✔✔maximalforce a muscle can produce in a single voluntary
effort.
✔✔Power - ✔✔ability to produce the greatestforce in the shortest time.
✔✔Motor behavior - ✔✔motor response to internal and external stimuli.
✔✔Motor control - ✔✔how the CNS integrates sensory information with previous
experiences.
✔✔Motor learning - ✔✔integration of motor control processes through practice, leading
to a relatively permanent change to produce skilled movement.
✔✔Motor development - ✔✔the change in motor skill behavior over time throughout the
lifespan.
✔✔Sensorimotor integration - ✔✔cooperation of the nervous and muscular systems in
gathering and interpreting information and executing movement.
✔✔Muscle synergies - ✔✔groups of muscles that are recruited by the CNS to provide
movement.
✔✔Proprioception - ✔✔cumulative sensory input from all mechanoreceptors that sense
position and limb movements.
✔✔Feedback - ✔✔use of sensory information and sensorimotor integration to help the
HMS in motor learning.
✔✔Internal feedback - ✔✔sensory information is used by the body to reactively monitor
movement and the environment.
✔✔External feedback - ✔✔information provided by some external source (e.g., fitness
professional, recording, mirror, etc.) to supplement the internal environment.
✔✔Carbohydrates - ✔✔- sugars, starches, celluloses, and fiber; chief source of energy.
- provides nutrition that fat and proteins can't
- keeps glycogen stores full
- helps maintain fluid balance
- spares protein for building muscle
✔✔Monosaccharide - ✔✔a single sugar unit (glucose, fructose, galactose).
