CCCN
Guess who is the most recent certification approved by the NCCA? You got it, NETA!
In recent months, NETA is now recognized as one of the best certification programs with its NCCA accreditation. Good news for us!
certificates
NETA has two certifications, Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor. I am going to focus on the Personal Trainer certification, but check out the website if you are also interested in the Group Exercise Instructor certification. (It is very similar to the Personal Trainer Certification)
The Personal Trainer Certification pursues my most valuable aspect of training, actually practical experience in your training! Although you do NOT have to take any workshops or buy any materials to take the test (unlike places like NASM), I believe it is a required part of your education.
The exam materials are quite cheap. My weak sum adds up all the books for a total of $80.
Reputation / Popularity
NETA is new to the scene and not as recognized as the long term players (ACE, ACSM, NASM, NCSF, NSCA). It’s going to take a while for people to figure out what NETA is, especially since it changed its name from NDEITA not too long ago. It also gets a bit mixed up with NESTA… needless to say, the acronym soup is getting a bit mixed up!
Eligibility
To take the NETA exam, you must be 18 years of age, have a current CPR certificate, and that’s it!
Test
The exam is administered throughout the country at various testing centers, called “Comira”, which is great news! As I mentioned, there are no prerequisites other than those mentioned above to sit for the exam. You do not need to purchase or attend any NETA courses to take the exam.
Although I recommend at least getting the books, you can really take advantage of their weekend workshops to really learn their material.
Workshops
NETA offers a Personal Trainer Certification Workshop for a fairly reasonable cost ($349 if you sign up 30 days in advance) and is available nationwide on weekends.
It runs from Saturday to Sunday and equals 14 CECs (for those of you who need a large amount of CECs quickly for recertification!)
They also recommend that you purchase the $80 worth of reading material and study it before you attend.
costs
So far, they’re not too bad in the cost department. Here’s the breakdown:
Workshop – $349 (early registration) to $389 (walk up)
Exam Only – $249
Recommended Books – $80
Home Study Review – $39
This all seems pretty reasonable to me, especially since the workshop needs to be local to your area or, worst case scenario, an overnight hotel stay.
Validity
The NETA Personal Trainer Certification is valid for two years once you pass the exam.
CEC
The CEC requirement is 20 hours of continuing education before you can renew your certification. (Renewal Cost – $45)
NETA also accepts almost all other NCCA CEC credits. So, you could take a CEC class for ACE (and still use it to recertify with ACE) and get credit with NETA too. Pretty handy, huh?
NETA requires 6 of your CECs to come directly from NETA, but that’s less than 40% of the requirement.
Check their website to check that your CECs at other organizations count, but their policy seems pretty liberal. They are not trying to squeeze every dollar out of their members like some of the other certifying organizations.
Renewal
Renewal isn’t too difficult, you include photocopies of your CEC classes (non-NETA ones), $45 fee, and recertification paperwork postmarked by the due date.
If the letter is postmarked after the due date, various charges are added depending on the delay in receiving the letter. After 180 days, you cannot renew and must recertify.
Resume
NETA is a new player on the NCCA block, which instantly gives it a lot of credibility that it didn’t have just a few years ago. It sounds like they are really working hard to expand their customer base with honest pricing, fantastic learning opportunities, and other amenities.
While walking into a gym and saying you’re NETA certified may draw some quizzical looks, over time this certification will only gain acceptance. Paired with another certification, NETA would be a great way to further your education and professional credentials.
