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Get licensed as a personal trainer

No state licenses personal trainers. The credential is a certification, and this page points to the bodies that issue it.

Private certification

At a glance

Personal trainer
How it is regulated
Several certifying bodies, no state license
Credential issued by
A private certifying body of your choice
Program accreditor
NCCA
Exam
Set by each certifier

The route

Each step names the body that decides it.

  1. Step 1

    Choose an accredited certifying body

    Several bodies certify personal trainers, and none of them is a state. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) accredits certification programs; check whether a certifier is accredited before you pay for its exam.

    National Commission for Certifying Agencies credentialingexcellence.org (official site)
  2. Step 2

    Pass that body's exam

    Each certifier writes its own exam and sets its own recertification rules. There is no state license to apply for afterward.

    See the certifying bodies

Certifying bodies

The bodies recorded for this profession. Each sets its own exam, eligibility and recertification rules.

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